BuszEL] THE POWER AND USE OF MASKS 849 



may return in spirit to visit his people, weai-ing the mask which he 

 wore in Ufe. If he has no mask he can not be sure of returning, 

 unless he has been intimately connected with some cult group. 

 Priests possess et'O'we, members of the higher orders of medicine 

 societies possess iniwe, bow priests possess lacowan lan'a dnd other 

 regalia. All of these tilings give protection and security, and are 

 bonds with powerful supernatural forces. A man who possesses none 

 of these and has no ceremonial affiUations outside of the katcina 

 society will be especially eager to possess a mask "to save his life" 

 and "to make liim valuable." 



The following is a native accoimt of the manufacture and care of 

 masks. 



"When a man wants to have a mask made they will make it for him 

 in the \vinter. If a man is poor he can not have a mask. Everyone 

 would like to have a mask of his own and if a man is poor he will 

 sell his beads to buy sheep for the feast. Long ago when the people 

 had deer meat the men who were good hunters had their masks. A 

 man will not say, 'I want my mask made,' for that is dangerous.'' 

 So if a man wants to have a mask made he will work very hard in the 

 spring. He Avill plant a great deal and he wiU work very hard all 

 summer so as to have good crops. Then after the crops are gathered 

 in he will say to his wife, 'Now I want my mask made. ' He will say 

 this to his wife and his people. 'That is why I have worked so hard. ' 

 No one will say to liim, ' Do not do it; we are poor people and can not 

 afi'ord it. ' No one will tell him that. They will all be glad because 

 they want something valuable in the house to pray for. 



"When the turn of his kiva comes in the winter dance series he 

 will practice wdth them. Then while they are practicing he will go 

 to the kiva chief and say to him, 'You will let me know, my father, 

 four days before we are going to dance. I want my father to be made 

 into a person. ' Then all the people of his kiva will be very glad. 

 They always want more masks in their Idva. Then the kiva chief 

 will say to him, 'I am very glad. I will let you know. Now you 

 will see if you have all the materials.' 



"Then the man gets the materials. Long ago the old masks were 

 made of buckskin, but now they are made of tanned leather. They 

 can get good leather in the store, so they get it there. But before 

 they had stores the people used buffalo hide or bucksldn. When my 

 father was a boy they used rawhide with the hair removed and 

 pounded with stones and greased to make it soft. The young man 

 prepares the hide and takes it to the director of the Idva. Then he 

 gets deer sinew to sew it with. 



"If a man wants a helmet mask he will ask for it when they are 

 dancing Hilili or something in which they use that Idnd of mask. 



" Because the katcinas are the jealous dead and must always be treated circumspectli'. 



