ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT 21 
selected by mutual agreement, and a representative of that 
kiva is chosen as his ceremonial father immediately after 
the birth of the child. From birth to death the lives of the 
Tewa are almost a continuous ceremony. The ceremonial 
father ties native cotton yarn around the wrists and ankles 
of the new-born child, that its life may be made complete. 
The initiation ceremonies of the young men are very elabo- 
rate, and many miles are traveled on foot to the summit 
of a high mountain where the final ceremonies are per- 
formed. Although the Tewa are professed Christians, they 
adhere tenaciously to their native religion and rituals; and 
while the church performs marriage and burial services, - 
the Indians still cling to their native marriage feasts and 
mortuary ceremonies. 
The cosmogony of the Tewa is elaborate and compli- 
cated and bears closer resemblance to that of the Taos 
Indians than to that of the Zuni. The original sun and 
moon are believed always to have existed, but the present 
sun and moon were born of woman after the world and 
all the people were destroyed by a great flood. The myth 
associated with the creation of these deities and with their 
exploits is of great interest. 
The masks of the anthropic gods are never seen outside 
of the kivas of San Ildefonso. There is a great variety 
of these masks, many of them similar to those of the 
Zuni. They are held in great secrecy. 
Rattlesnakes, sacred to the fraternities, are captured 
when young and are reared in rooms adjoining the kivas, 
A fluffy eagle feather is attached to the head of the snake 
when caught, and the snake is held captive with a string 
sufficiently long to allow it considerable freedom until 
it becomes accustomed to its new surroundings, when the 
string is removed. Small openings in the chamber allow 
the snakes to pass in and out. In one ceremony, which 
takes place at daylight, the snakes are handled outdoors, 
but on such occasions the pueblo is so patrolled that spying 
by outsiders is impossible, although Mexicans live almost 
in the heart of the village. The Santa Clara people like- 
