892 ZUNI KATCINAS [eth. ass. 47 



The kiva chief supervises all rehearsals. If the dance is new or 

 unfamiliar the rehearsals may extend over a period of several weeks. 

 The participants meet every night for a while, then for a few nights 

 may not meet, but meet to rehearse again for a number of nights 

 preceding the dance. For traditional dances about four or five 

 rehearsals are held during the week preceding the dance. When the 

 kiva chief decides that the men have sufficiently mastered the songs 

 he definitely sets the date. The dance chiefs and wcwe cut prayer 

 sticks for the katcinas and plant them four days before the dance is 

 to take place. "Only the headmen plant prayer sticks. They do 

 not let aU the men plant because some of the foolish young boys 

 might not care what they did. They might sleep with their wives 

 after planting prayer sticks, or othei-wdse violate their sacredness, 

 and so spoil the dance and bring misfortune on all the men taking 

 part." If the dance belongs to the regular winter series, on the 

 afternoon the prayer sticks are planted two katcinas appear in the 

 village and visit all the houses where the kivas habitually hold their 

 winter dances, to inform the officers of other kivas to prepare for the 

 forthcoming festival. These men then notify their men and the sub- 

 sidiary dances are prepared in the three following days. The time 

 is short, so the kiva chiefs select well-known dances of their groups, 

 or some dance that the young men of the group have one time pre- 

 sented as an extra dance. Or if they do not wish to make even these 

 hasty preparations those who wish to dance come as isolated dancers. 

 In that case at least one man must be delegated to dance with another 

 group to take to the leading group the bundle of prayer sticks. In 

 the summer the people are apprised of the coming dance when they 

 see the headmen go out to plant their prayer sticks." 



Planting prayer sticks out of season always is a sign of some cere- 

 mony about to take place. The observer infer what the ceremony 

 is from the ceremonial affiliations of the man and the direction 

 toward which he is headed with his prayer sticks. Two days before 

 the dance the father of the Koyemci is notified by the kiva chief, 

 who takes him a package of meal. He must collect the other Koyemci 

 from farm or sheep camp. 



After the prayer sticks are planted the chief work of the wo"we 

 begins. Early the following day he goes aroimd collecting the masks 

 for the dance. "He will take liis blanket, and his assistant will go 

 with him to help him. He knows which men of his kiva have masks, 

 and he goes to their houses. He goes to the houses of the men who 

 are going to dance and to others who have masks. If there is any 

 uninitiated person in the house when he comes he will say, 'I have 

 come to get a pumpkin' (mo'le, literally a round object). Then 



3^ Some kivas plant feathers two days before the dance. My informant did not know which kivas had 

 this custom, but knew the practice varied. 



