BDNZEL] RELIGIOUS LIFE 515 



the end of June well into September; that is, throughout the whole 

 rainy season. The foiu- chief priesthoods, associated with the north, 

 east,^' south, and west, go in for eight days each. They are followed 

 late in Jidy by the p'ekwin and the Bow Priest, who go in for four 

 days each, and later by the minor priesthoods ("darkness priests"), 

 who also go in for four days each. As in the whiter, the day preceding 

 the retreat is spent in making prayer sticks, which are deposited in 

 the afternoon at the same sacred sprmg. The altar is set up that 

 night. Since the sole preoccupation is with rain magic, no corn or 

 peach trees are used on the simimer altar. For four days following 

 the planting to the U'wanami, the supplicants refrain from eating meat 

 or grease, in addition observing the usual requirements of continence 

 and kmdliness. Throughout this period they remain night and day 

 in their ceremonial room. No outsider enters but the woman of the 

 house who serves their meals. There are frequent sessions of prayer 

 and song, especially diu'ing the hours between midnight and dawn. 

 The U'wanami are invoked, and the deceased priests of the order are 

 called upon by name. All are believed to be present. On the fourth 

 day, at dawn, prayer sticks are offered to the ancients, and after that 

 the minor priests are free, except for the restriction on sexual activity 

 for four days following any offering of prayer sticks. The four 

 principal priesthoods remain in seclusion for fom' days longer. At 

 davvTi on the eighth day they come out, and that same evening the 

 set next in order goes in. (For order of retreats, see Stevenson, 

 p. 180.) 



The purpose of these retreats is to secure rain — immediate rain for 

 the thirsting young plants. Should the days of any group fail to be 

 blessed with rain it receives the censm-e of the community, and one 

 of its members will siu-ely be suspected of laxness in the observance of 

 his duties. 



The rain priests are, like the pekwin, holy men. They are ex- 

 pected to keep themselves aloof from worldly affairs. In former times 

 they did no manual labor, but lived on contributions from the people, 

 but this is no longer the case. The priest should be gentle, htimble, 

 and land. Above all, he is supposed to eschew quarrels. 



Associated in worship with the Uwanami is Kolowisi, the homed 

 water serpent who inhabits springs and underground waters. With 

 the characteristic Zuhi elasticity he is variously conceived as individ- 

 ual and multiple. One folk tale collected by the wTiter describes 

 Kolowisi's village with all the serpents engaged in masked dances as 

 at Koluwala'wa. 



Kolowisi is the guardian of sacred springs and punishes trespassers, 

 especially women. In an unpublished song recorded by Gushing, 



*5 The usual cycle of north, west, south, east is reversed in this instance. 



