BUNZEL] THE NATURE OF K-^TCINAS 845 



katcina whose representation is worn "makes himself into a person"' 

 (ho'i ya'ke'a). Maslvs are treated with the utmost reverence. The 

 awe which Zufiis feel for all sacred and powerful objects is inten- 

 sified in this case by the fact that masks are representations of 

 the dead, and, indeed, the very substance of death. Therefore 

 the use of masks is siu-rounded by special tal)oos. One must never 

 try on a mask when not participating in a ceremony, else one will die. 

 One must never use human hair or the hair of a live horse on a mask, 

 else that person or horse will surely die. If one is incontinent during 

 a katcina ceremony the mask will choke him or stick to his face dur- 

 ing the dance. 



The katcinas are very intimate and affectionate supernaturals. 

 They lilce pretty clothes and feathers; they like to sing and dance, 

 and to visit. Above all they like to come to Zuiii to dance. 



The folk tales about individual katcinas in the follo\v'ing pages 

 describe them at home in their kitchens, scrambling for their feathers 

 at the solstices, quarreling amiably among themselves, meddhng in 

 one another's affairs. They have a village organization similar to 

 that of Zuiii. Pautiwa is "the boss," as Zunis say. His pekwin, 

 who dehvers his messages, is Eaklo. His prmcipal administrative 

 duties seem to be to keep his people quiet long enough to give a 

 courteous welcome to \asitors, to receive messages from Zufii, and 

 to decide when to dance there and who shall go. Pautiwa "makes 

 the New Year" at Zuni. His representative biings in the Ca'lako 

 crook and crool^s for other special ceremonies such as the initiation 

 and the dance of the Kana'kwe, thus determining the calendar of 

 katcina ceremonies for the year. Whenever the people at Zuiii decide 

 they want one of the regular katcina dances they send prayer sticks 

 to katcina village (Idva chiefs plant prayer sticks four days before a 

 dance) and Pautiwa decides whom to send. 



Hamokatsik, the mother of the katcinas, looks after their clothing 

 when they prepare for dances. 



In addition to the official visits of the katcinas when invited with 

 praj^er sticks, they sometimes pay unexpected visits on missions of 

 good win. They come to plant and harvest for deserted children, 

 to affirm the supernatural power of the pious and despised. Pautiwa 

 visits in disguise poor and despised maidens, and leaves wealth and 

 blessing behind him. Katcinas in disguise bring proud girls to their 

 senses by the amiable disciplinary methods so characteristically 

 Zunian. 



In reading these folk tales we can not but be struck by their re- 

 semblance in feeling tone to tales of medieval tales of saints and 

 angels — such tales as that of the amiable angel who turned off the 

 wine tap left open by the monk who was so pious that he didn't 



