780 



ZUNI RITUAL POETRY 



[ETH. ANN. 47 



80 Saying, Let it be now, 



You will make your fathers' road go 



forth. 

 Then again reinforcing with your 



own words 

 The prayers which we have laitl 



upon these plume wands, 

 To your fathers 

 Give these plume wands. 

 With them you shall ask for life for 



80 kii'Ei ke'si' le'aniEapa 



yam a'tatcu 



a''wan o'neal a-'Ean-a 



tern ta 



te'liljinan hon te'wusu a'nulanapka 

 te'a'kowa 

 85 i'snokon pe'nan ya'Hona 



yam a^'tatcu 



to te'likinan a^'tea'u 



a'ka ho"na'wan lo' tekohanan 

 ce'man'a. 



The Koyemci takes the prayer sticks and thanks the giver, invok- 

 ing on those present all the blessings of the gods. The prayer sticks 

 are planted with his own at night. 



Dismissal of the Koyemci 



The Koyemci remain all day in the plaza in attendance on the 

 various sets of dancers. At nightfall the last of the dancers, the 

 Molawia, have departed. Then the Ko.yemci 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 removing 

 their 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, return to their homes. Their retreat, fifteen days, is the 

 longest in Znili ritual. The following is the prayer of the father of 

 the Koyemci, setting them free. 



This many are the days. 



My children. 



Since with their plume wand they 



appointed us. 

 5 Throughout the winter. 

 And the summer 

 Anxiously we have awaited our 



time. 

 Hither toward the south 

 We have given our fathers plume 



wands. 



For all our ladder descending chil- 

 dren 

 We have been asking for life. 



le'si te'wan'e 

 hom tca'we 

 te'liljinan a'lja 

 ho"na ya'nulalfii 

 5 te'tsinan-e 

 o'lo'Uf'anan-e 

 a'ntsume'na 

 hon te'wanan a''tealfa 

 yam a'tatcu 

 10 a''wan te'likinan-e 



li''wan a'laho'a'nkwin ta"na 

 hon te'likinan a^'leakii 

 le' yam le'ts"'lon pa'ni-nan tca'we 

 hon a-'wan le'kohanan ce'mana 

 a■'tea^fa 



