874 ZUNI KATCINAS [eth. ann. 47 



first two or three in line. These are kept and planted next spring, 

 and are believed to grow faster than other seeds. The men whose 

 seeds are taken must obtain another package before going out to 

 dance next day. If he should dance without his "heart" he would 

 have no power. It is said that one of the reasons why there is no 

 longer any exchange of dance sets between the Zuni and Hopi vil- 

 lages is because the Zunis discovered that the Hopis carried no seeds, 

 and therefore had no power. The Zmiis, however, always carried 

 seeds when they went to dance in Hopi villages, "and so they took 

 all their crops and all their good luck over to the Hopi country, and 

 here we had nothing at all. " 



Before participating in any masked ritual, in fact, before any 

 participation in ceremony, the head must be washed in yucca suds. 

 Even impersonators of katcina priests, who have been in retreat 

 before their public ceremonies, return to their houses before dressing 

 long enough to have their heads bathed by their wives or mothers. 

 No man ever washes his own hair. In dressing the order is, first the 

 body paint, then the costume, and last of all the mask. There are 

 probably more elaborate rituals of di'essing for all the katcina priests. 

 When all the men are ready to go out, as the line of dancers leaves the 

 kiva the chief spits medicine on each one of them. "It is called 

 utea'owe (flower meal) or Paiyatamu medicine. It is made by 

 medicine men in the society houses, and only society people have it. 

 If the kiva chief does not belong to a society he must get this medicLue 

 from someone who has it. It is made from the petals of yellow and 

 purple flowers." All the butterflies go to the bright-colored flowers 

 and people Uke to pick them. Therefore they make tliis medicine 

 from the bright flowers. They mix it with the paint they use on the 

 masks and bod;/, to make the dancers beautiful. Only the headmen 

 know about this medicine. They take a little of it and as the dancers 

 come out of the kiva to go to the plaza the kiva chief puts the medicine 

 in his mouth and prays: "Now my father sun, you make the day 

 beautiful. You send light and the clouds of all directions to make the 

 world beautiful. You make the days beautiful in aU directions. 

 Therefore, we have made this paiyatamu medicine from the bright 

 flowers. " So he says and takes the medicine in his mouth and spits 

 a little of it on each of the dancers as they come out.^* 



ORGANIZATION OF THE IvATCINA SOCIETY 



The Katcina Society (kotikane, ko ex koko, katcina + tikan-e, 

 secret society) comprises all the adult males of the commimity and 

 a few initiated females. The rites of initiation are described elsewhere 

 (p. 975). Girls ordinarily are told the secrets of the katcina cult by 



■< This medicine is also a love charm. Mothers use it in the same way on their girls before they go out to 

 watch a dance, "to make them beautiful, so that everyone will like to look at them." 



