BUNZELl RELIGIOUS LIFE 527 



this time the Bow Priests sing comato'we."' the songs given to the 

 Bow Priesthood at the founding of the order by A'hayuta. At dawn 

 the ceremonies end, and later in the day the images are taken by the 

 Bow Priests and the priests of the council to two of the mountain 

 shrines of A'hayuta. This is the day on which everyone plants 

 prayer sticks to the sun. 



At the full moon in March the Bow Priests make prayer sticks for 

 A'hayuta. At night they meet in their ceremonial room, where their 

 altar is set up.''^ There are no images of the gods of war at this time. 

 Again during the night comato'we are sung. Four days later there is 

 a kick-stick race under the special patronage of the gods of war. 

 After this it is safe for people to plant corn. Spring wheat is planted 

 before this time, but corn is planted only after these ceremonies. The 

 precise nature of the connection between the War Gods, stick racing, 

 and planting is obscure. 



There are no ceremonies for the War Gods at the summer solstice. 

 However, the two Bow Priests who serve the priests of the council 

 have their place in the series of summer retreats for rain. The day 

 the pekwin comes out they plant prayer sticks to the U'wanami Bow 

 Priests. For four days they observe all the requirements of retreat, 

 save that they do not remain in seclusion in their ceremonial room. 

 Instead they visit each day a distant mountain shrine of A'hayuta 

 where they ofl'er corn meal and turquoise. They have no altar at 

 this time — probably because all their fetishes are for war, and there- 

 fore can have no place in these purely priestly activities." The bow 

 priesthood does not convene at this time. 



Formerly the bow priests held a great public dance after harvest 

 in the fall. This was an occasion of great festivity, as always when 

 there is dancing by the girls. Like the scalp dance, it was accom- 

 panied by se.xual license. However, the dance has not been per- 

 formed in 20 years, since two girls of a good family were killed by a 

 stray shot from the housetops. The Bow Priests met in their cere- 

 monial room, but there was no altar and no offerings of prayer sticks. 



The scalp dance is held at irregular intervals, whenever an enemy 

 is killed. Its purpose is to induct the scalper into the Bow Priesthood 

 for his own protection, to strip the dead enemy of his power and 

 develop his capacities as rain maker, and to celebrate fittingly with all 

 manner of festivity the destruction of the enemy. The piincipal 

 events are outlined in another place.'* 



There are other groups which have definite associations mth war. 

 The Ant society figures prominently in the ceremonies of the scalp 



*• The word means "spiral." It is accompanied by a circle dance, .\pproaching spiralwise toward a 

 center is characteristic of war dances throughout North .\merica. See text of origin myth, p. 597. 



" This ceremony has never been described. The writer has not witnessed it; merely knows that it takes 

 place. 



" Or perhaps because of the association between A'hayuta and wind, snow, and cold weather. 



" P. 674. 



