lOf) INDIANS OF TIIK SOUTHWEST. 



Religion. 



Ceremonies. The religious practices of the nomadic 

 peoples have much in common with those of the 

 Pueblos. They make sand or dry paintings, those of 

 the Navajo being very numerous and very elaborate. 

 Masked or otherwise distinguished individuals repre- 

 sent divine persons in the ceremonies. Pollen is 

 strewed and is the regular accompaniment of prayers. 

 The Navajo make use of prayer offerings and also have 

 fetishes which are used both in hunting and in the care 

 of their flocks and herds. The Apache make much use 

 of sacred beads and feathers which are worn about the 

 person on the wrists or as a bandolier across the breast. 



A ceremony held for girls when they attain w^oman- 

 hood is considered of prime importance among the 

 Apache tribes and has been maintained while other 

 ceremonies have fallen into neglect. The essential 

 features of these ceremonies are numerous songs and 

 prayers uttered by the priest hired for the occasion, 

 dancing by the girl or girls for whom it is held, a foot- 

 race by the girl, and the painting of the girl and of the 

 spectators, who expect good fortune as a result. 



The Jicarilla ceremony is peculiar in that a boy is 

 associated with a girl in the ceremony. He is called 

 Yinaiyesgani and the girl Esdzanadlehi. These names 

 are those of the culture hero and his grandmother, but 

 they are undoubtedly associated also with the sun and 

 the moon. 



