cusiiiNo.) RELATIVE VALUES. 31 



all tlie otber " aucieut sacred spaces" (T6-tblii-sbi-na-wc) or regions, 

 but is also tbe master of all tbe otber Prey gods, if not of all otber 

 terrestrial animals. Notwitbstauding tbe fact that tbe Coyote, in tbe 

 Order of tbe Ilunt (tbe Coyote society or the Sa-nia-k'ia-kwe), is given 

 for traditional reasons bigber sacred raidc tban tbe Mountain Lion, be 

 is, as a Prey Being, one degree lower, being god of tbe West, whicb fol- 

 lows tbe Nortb iu order of imi)ort?,nce. Heuce we find the Mountain 

 Lion and Coyote fetiches far more prized tban any of tbe others, and 

 corres]Hindingly more numerous. The Coyote in rank is younger 

 brother of the Mountain Lion, just as tbe Wild Cat is younger brother 

 of the Coyote, tbe Wolf of the Wild Cat, and so on to tbe Mole, and 

 less important Ground Owl. In relationship by blood, however, tbe 

 yellow Mountain Lion is accounted older brother of the blue, red, white, 

 spotted, and black Mountain Lions ; tbe blue Coyote, older brother of the 

 red, white, yellow, mottled or spotted, and black Coyotes. So the Wild 

 Cat of the South is regarded as the older brother of the Wild Cats of all 

 tbe otber five regions. And thus it is respectively with the Wolf, the 

 Eagle, and the Mole. We find, therefore, that in tbe North all the 

 gods of Prey are represented, as well as the Mountain Lion, only they 

 are yellow. In tbe W^est all are represented, as well as tbe Coyote, only 

 they are blue; and thus throughout tbe remaining four regions. 



The Mountain Lion is further believed to be tbe special hunter of tbe 

 Elk, Deer, and Bison (no longer an inhabitant of New Mexico). His 

 fetich is, therefore, preferred by the hunter of these animals. So, also, 

 is tbe fetich of tbe Coyote preferred by the hunter of the Mountain 

 Sheep ; that of the Wild Cat, by tbe hunter of tbe Antelope ; that of tbe 

 Wolf, by tbe hunter of tbe rare and highly-valued 6-bo-li ; those of the 

 Eagle and Falcon, by the hunter of Rabbits ; and that of tbe Mole, by 

 the hunter of other small game. 



The exception to this rule is individual, and founded upon the belief 

 that any one of the gods of Prey bunts to some extent tbe special game of 

 all the other gods of Prey. Hence, any person who may discover either 

 a concretion or natural object or an ancient fetich calling to mind or I'e- 

 l)reseuting any one of the Prey gods will regard it as his special fetich, 

 and almost invariably prefer it, since be believes it to have been "meted 

 to" him (an-ik-tchi-ak'ia) by the gods. 



THEIR CUSTODIAN. 



Although these fetiches are thus often individual property, members 

 of the Sa-ni-a-k'ia-kwe, and of tbe Eagle and Coyote gentes, as well as 

 priests included in tbe Prey God Brotherhood, are required to deposit 

 their fetiches, when not in use, with the "Keeper of the Medicine of tbe 

 Deer" (Niil-e-ton i-lo-na), who is usually, if not always, the head member 

 of the Eagle gens. 



