952 ZUNI IL\TCINAS [eth. ann. 47 



The Koyemci are the first of the katcinas to "go home" in 

 the fall, and they are the first to return at Ca'lako. They come in 

 eight days before Ca'lako night, in the evening, soon after dark. 

 Again everyone waits for them, and they are sprinkled liberally with 

 meal on their progress through the village. They visit all the plazas 

 to announce the coming of the gods. This announcement is printed 

 in text in the Journal of American Folk-Lore. But before A'wan 

 pekwin makes his announcement, all the others are given a chance to 

 make obscene or ridiculous speeches. Stevenson (p. 9.52) gives some 

 of these speeches. Parsons quotes her informants, who belonged to 

 the Protestant Mission group, as saying that no such remarks would 

 be made. However, on the two occasions on which I have heard these 

 announcements, many remarks of this character were made. The 

 favorite topic seems to be bestiality. The following is typical: "Now 

 that those who hold our roads, night priests, have come out standing 

 to their sacred place, we have passed you on your roads. Our day- 

 light fathers, our daylight mothers, after so many days, eight days, 

 on the ninth day you will copulate with rams." (At this time of 

 year the rams are put back into the general herds.) Many remarks 

 of this character which I failed to hear were repeated for me the 

 following day by two little boys of 12 who belonged to my household. 



After visiting all the plazas the Koyemci retire to their house and 

 are in strict retreat for eight days (nights). On the seventh day they 

 go early in the afternoon to White Rocks to plant their prayer sticks 

 and to dress. When they return to the village in the evening they 

 wear their Koyemci costume, with browii moccasins and their fawn- 

 skin pouches. They have white buckskins over their shoulders. 

 Their masks are pushed up on their foreheads, exposing their faces. 

 They are the last group to enter the village. It is fully dark when 

 they come at about 9 o'clock. Before going to their own house, they 

 visit the houses of the Ca'lako and Saiyataca. They stand before the 

 door, caUing the inmates by name in song, and twitting them for 

 stinginess, laziness, domestic mfeUcity, fondness for xYmerican ways. 



For example, "Our mother gives her children thin coffee and 



peaches." (There had been no peach crop that year, therefore these 

 had been hoarded. December, 1927.) 



When they reach their own house the three leaders, Awan Tatcu, 

 A'wan Pekwin, and Pi'laciwan'i, are first brought in by the host. 

 They dedicate the house by planting prayer sticks under the door 

 before they enter, by marking the walls with corn meal, and planting 

 prayer sticks in the roof and seeds in the excavation in the floor. 

 Then the others enter and are seated and "given smoke" by ten men, 

 members of the household, friends or relatives. The three leaders 

 then intone a chant which consumes about two hours and is very 

 similar to the chant of the Ca'lako. After this their masks are 



