524 INTRODUCTION TO ZUNI CEREMONIALISM (eth. ann. 47 



dedication and blessing of the new dwelling. They deposit prayer 

 sticks under the threshold and in the roof — symbols of fertihty. The 

 sticks are double, painted blue and yellow, and they are male and 

 female respectively. They plant seeds in the center of the floor and 

 on the altar leave a basket of seed corn to be used by the host in his 

 spring sowing. The burden of their prayer is that the store rooms 

 may be filled to overflowmg, and the house so full of children that 

 they jostle one another in the doorway. (See text of Ca'lako prayer, 

 pp. 718, 773.) 



The gods depart after all-night ceremonies but during the following 

 days each kiva presents a masked dance. They maj^ present more 

 than one if they so choose. These dances are performed for five 

 nights in all the houses and on the fifth day in the plaza. On this 

 day the Koyemci, who have remauied in retreat throughout this 

 period, are rewarded for their services by gifts from the members of 

 their fathers' clans. Late at night, after visiting every house in the 

 village to bestow a final blessing, they are released from their arduous 

 duties. 



The Koyemci, in addition to participating in this cycle of cere- 

 monies, are reqiured to attend upon the masked dancers during the 

 summer dance series. On these appearances they play the role of 

 clowns; and many of their games are of frankly phallic significance." 

 In their drum they place the wings of black butterflies, a potent love 

 charm. 



Every fourth year ^'' Pautiwa leaves a feathered staft" for Kii'klo, 

 by whose order is performed the preliminary whipping of the small 

 boys. Ka'ldo does not himself perform this rite. He comes twice at 

 intervals of eight days to inform the priests and officers of the kivas 

 that this is the wish of the gods. They in turn appomt the gods 

 who administer the whipping — 12 Sa'limopia, four Sa'yaha and 10 

 other gods. The ceremony, held the day after Ivii'klo's final visit, is 

 one of the most elaborate and spectacular at Zuiii. The boys are 

 severely whipped in the plaza. They are taken into the kiva to have 

 feathers tied in their hair as a symbol of their novitiate. The writer 

 has never witnessed this ceremony, and can only guess at its signifi- 

 cance on the basis of the description given by Mrs. Stevensom." The 

 point seems to be exorcism. The boys are whipped "to save their 

 lives," and previous to this, there is general whipping and destruction 

 of property throughout the village, "to take away bad happenings." 

 The Sa'limopia and Sayafia appear as exorcisors during the winter 

 solstice ceremony. And whenever any taboo of the masked god cult 

 is broken the Sayafia appear to administer punishment and to whip 



»! See E. C, Parsons, Notes on Zuni. pt. 2, p. 229. 



<^ Due to recent disintegration this ceremony has nnt been held for more than six years. 



•' Twenty-third Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethn., p. 65. 



