BUNZEL] EELIGIOUS LIFE 503 



Sex taboos. — Sex relations are forbidden between members of the 

 same clan or the same medicine society. Relations with members of 

 the father's clan are frowned upon. A man may not have relations 

 with the wife of a member of his Idva or medicine society (his brother's 

 wife, hence his sister).^' These are primai'Uy social taboos but the 

 punishment for them is of the same kind as punishment for breaking 

 of strictly religious taboos. 



Sex relations are taboo during the 10 days of the winter solstice, for 

 four days follo\ving the planting of prayer sticks, and during partici- 

 pation in dances or other ceremonies.^- Wariiors who have taken a 

 scalp must refrain from sexual intercourse for one year and must go 

 through a cermony of purification at the end of that time before they 

 may again sleep with their wives.'^ The same rules apply to the 

 widowed who uash to remarry. 



Other tabooed activities. — Priests, and others holding temporary or 

 permanent religious offices, must not engage in any quarrels or dis- 

 putes ^\^th fellow tribesmen or outsiders. Hence, they are not 

 appointed to civil offices. One must not quarrel for fom' days follow- 

 ing planting of prayer sticks. Priests and appointees to religious 

 office must not leave the Zuni Valley during the terms of their office. 

 (This is a taboo that is frequently broken to the distress of the 

 orthodox.) This prohibition against going about may be an extension 

 of the retreat to the daily life of those who are regarded as "worldng 

 for their people all of the time." There are no taboos upon labor, 

 except in the case of initiations, when the novice must do no work, 

 and especially must Uft no heavy weights during the four days between 

 the ceremony at wliich he receives a new heart and his final initiation. 

 No one must sleep during attendance at religious ceremonies, but 

 there seems to be no restriction on conversation. There are certain 

 ceremonies in wliich speech is forbidden to participants, especially 

 the 24-hour vigil of the priests, while awaiting the arrival of the corn 

 maids on the last da}^ of the Ca'lako ceremonies. There are a number 

 of special taboos relating to the wearing of masks — a man while wear- 

 ing a mask must not speak, he must not give anything away, he must 

 not engage in any defiling activity. A man wearing a mask or katcina 

 body paint is teckwi to others, and must not be touched, approached, 

 or stared at. There are also special taboos concerning death, mourn- 

 ing, and the scalp dance which incorporates all the purificatoiy rites 

 of moiu'ning. For four days the widow or widower (also the scalper 

 and the woman who has touched the scalp) nuist not approach the 

 fire, must not touch or be touched by anyone, must not receive any- 

 thing directly from the hand of another person, must not talk, and 



>' These are only the more important incest rules, a full discussion of which belongs to another place. 

 " In many ceremonies this is extended to include touching, even accidentally, addressing, or even see- 

 ing a person of the opposite sex. 

 " There is some confusion about the sexual taboos placed upon the woman who brings the scalp Csee p. 674). 



