512 INTRODUCTION TO ZTJNI CEREMONIALISM [eth. ann. 47 



their hands full of corn meal which is offered to the sun, with prayers 

 for long life. Every priest or appointee to ceremonial office and 

 every man during the time he is engaged in any ceremony must 

 observe this morning ritual. But many others, "poor people," never 

 omit it, even on the most bitterly cold winter mornings. 



But the great ceremonies at which the sun father is honored are 

 in the keeping of his special priest, whose title, pekwin, means, liter- 

 ally, speaking place. The pekwin is the most revered and the most 

 holy man in Zuiii. Even in this society which diffuses power and 

 responsibility until both become so tenuous as to be almost indis- 

 cernible, the pekwin is ultimately held responsil)le for the welfare of 

 the community. He holds his power directly from the Sun Father, 

 with whom he has a very special and intimate relationship. The 

 pekwin performs many duties in no way connected with his office as 

 priest of the sun. He is the active member of the priestly hierarchy 

 and the officiating priest at all ceremonies at which the priests func- 

 tion jointly. It is he who sets up the altars for these ceremonies and 

 even the altar for the scalp dance; it is he who meets the priests of the 

 katcinas when they visit Zuni and "makes their road"; it is he who 

 installs new priests, including bow priests, and formally appoints to 

 office the impersonators of the katcinas. 



As priest of the sun he is the keeper of the calendar. He sets the 

 dates for the solstices, from which all other ceremonies are dated. 

 His calculations are based on observation of the sunrise in winter 

 and the sunset in summer. These observations are made at shrines 

 outside of the village. When the sun rises (or sets) behind certain 

 landmarks, the date for the solstice is at hand. However, the calen- 

 dar is disarranged by the desire to have the celebration of the solstice 

 coincide with the full moon, and the pekwin is the subject of bitter 

 criticism when the sun fails to oblige in this matter. It is at the 

 solstices that the sun is celebrated with great public ceremonies. For 

 some period before the pekwin observes fasts and continence and 

 makes frequent offerings of prayer sticks to the sun and moon and 

 the ancients. In winter the pubhc ceremonies are opened by the 

 pekwdn's announcement made from the housetop at dawn. At this 

 time he orders the people to make prayer sticks for their sun father 

 and their moon mother.^" For 10 days the pekwin "counts days" 

 for his sun father. Then on the tenth day all people offer their prayer 

 sticks to the sun or moon, along with others for the ancients, and 

 special society offerings. The solstice ceremonies continue for 10 

 days longer, but the part of the sun in them is finished on the tenth 

 day. 



In summer the announcement by the pekwin takes place eight 

 days before the planting, and the whole celebration is less elaborate. 



