BLNZEL] PRAYERS AND CHANTS 705 



the day. Throughout this period the Koyemoi remain in strict retreat 

 in the house where they were entertained. At night they dance in 

 their house; diu-ing the day they "play" in the plaza and attend any 

 dancers who appear there. These are days of great festivity. 



On the fifth evening they eat early and sparingly, and from this 

 time on food and drink are taboo until the following night. Speech 

 also is forbidden them, nor may they appear immasked. After they 

 enter upon tliis peiiod the character of their dancing changes, becom- 

 ing more solemn. They do not indidge in their usual obscenity. On 

 the following morning they come out early and are taken to be washed 

 in the house of the village chief. Here the women give them gifts of 

 food. On coming out, they are taken by men of their fathers' clans 

 to the houses of theii- fathers' sisters. Here they receive gifts from 

 all members of the fathers' clan. Each impersonator will receive as 

 many as thirty slaughtered sheep, as many baskets of com or wheat 

 flour, bread, melons, and miscellaneous gifts of clothing, frequently of 

 great value. The gifts are brought to the plaza, where they remain 

 until night. Meanwhile the Koyemci attend upon the various dancers 

 until later at night. 



At nightfall the last of the dancers, the Molawia, have departed. 

 Then the Koyemci, in pairs, visit every house in the village to invoke 

 upon it the blessings of the gods. At each house they receive gifts 

 of food from the female inhabitants. Returning to the plaza, they 

 take their prayer sticks out to plant. They return to the house of 

 their father late at night, and removuig theii' masks for the first 

 time all day give them to their father to return to the house where 

 they are kept. When he comes back he thanks his children for their 

 year of work and sets them free. Then for the first time since the 

 preceding evening they drink, and after eating and bathing retm-n 

 to then- homes. Their retreat, fifteen days, is the longest in Zuiii 

 ritual. 



The following prayers are only a fragment of the whole ritual. In 

 addition to those recorded there are long series of prayers spoken at 

 the time of appointment to office, for making prayer sticks, for offer- 

 ing corn meal to the sun (different in summer and winter) and food 

 to the ancestors, for untying the knots of the day comit, for each stage 

 of dressing for the public ceremony, and for each offering of prayer 

 sticks. In addition, the host and oflBcials of the Katcina society 

 have many long prayers. 



Each of the six Ca'lako unpersonations has a different chant, and 

 that of the Koyemci is again different. 



