Matilda Coxe Stevenson

“ If the hearts of those sent be pure and good, the clouds will gather and rain will fall, but if evil be in their hearts no rain will fall during the journey and they return with parched lips [pg 544] and blistered skin. The Kōk-kō repeat the prayers for rain with their intercessions to the Yä-tō-tka, the Sun, and by them the plume sticks are sent to the same great god. So constantly are the lesser gods employed in offering plumes to the great god that at night the sacred road (the Galaxy) can be seen filled with feathers, though by day they are invisible. ”

“ The Sä-lä-mō-bī-ya of the North first advances to the priest of the Kō-lō-oo-wĭt-si and, presenting him with the plumes and ear of yellow corn, prays that the Kō-lō-oo-wĭt-si will give to his people the seeds of the earth; the Sä-lä-mō-bī-ya of the West next approaches, presenting his wand and an ear of blue corn, praying that the Kō-lō-oo-wĭt-si will bring to his people the seeds of the earth; and so the red corn of the South, the white of the East, the all-color of the Heavens and the black of the Earth are presented with the same prayer. ”

“ Each boy in turn takes his position to receive his whipping, which is necessary for initiation. The godfather, standing, bends his right knee, which the boy clasps, bowing his head low. The godfather holds the two ends of the blanket and buckskin tightly around the boy, while each of the four Sai-ā-hli-ā in turn give him four strokes across the back with a bunch of the yucca blades. Two of the Kō-yē-mē-shi stand by and count the strokes; the others are in the plaza outside, indulging in their primitive games, which excite much merriment among the large assemblage of people. ”

“ Certain men are selected, who, with bodies nude save the loin skirt and with bare feet, walk from Zuñi to the lake, a distance of 45 miles, exposed to the scorching rays of the summer sun, to deposit plume sticks and pray for rain. ”

“ The morning after the arrival of the Käk-lō, those who are to represent the Kōk-kō prepare plume sticks, and in the middle of the same day these are planted in the earth. The same night they repair to their respective kivas, where they spend the following eight nights, not looking upon the face of a woman during that period. Each night is spent in smoking and talking and rehearsing for the coming ceremony. The second day all go for wood, bringing it home on their backs, for so the ancients did when beasts of burden were unknown to them. ”

“ Should a son be desired, the couple repair to the shrine above, and here, at the breast and heart of the "father" rock, prayers and plume sticks are offered that a son may be given them, and that he may have power to conquer his enemies, and that he may become distinguished in the Kōk-kō and other orders, and have power over the field to produce abundant crops. In both cases the sacred meal is sprinkled, and, should the prayer not be answered, there is no doubt that the heart of one or the other was not earnest when the prayer was offered.
The Zuñi child is born amid ceremony. ”

“ I think there are now only five in Zuñi. When a woman of the order becomes advanced in age she endeavors to find some maiden who will take upon herself the vows at her death. Selecting some young woman, she appeals to her to be received into the order of the Kōk-kō. The maiden replies, "I know nothing concerning the mysteries of the order. You must talk to my father." After the father is spoken to, he in turn spends the night in explaining the duties of the position to his daughter and that the gods would be displeased if she should marry after joining the Kōk-kō. ”

“ The other is essentially different; in it are involved the ceremonials, legends, and myths which surround the Zuñi child from its birth.
Previous to the birth of a child, if a daughter be desired, the husband and wife proceed together to the "mother" rock, and at her feet make offerings and prayers, imploring her to intercede with the great father, the Sun, to give to them a daughter, and that this daughter may grow to be all that is good in woman; that she may be endowed with the power of weaving beautifully and may be skilled in the potter's art. ”

“ The Zuñi are polytheists; yet, while they have a plurality of gods, many of whom are the spirits of their ancestors, these gods are but mediums through which to reach their one great father of all—the Sun.
ZUÑI MASKS AND KŌ-YĒ-MĒ-SHI.
Returning to the house, the paternal grandmother again bathes the child in yucca suds; then, for the first time, the little one is put into the cradle. The baby's arms are placed straight by its sides, and in this position it is so strapped in its cradle that it cannot even move a hand. ”

“ Each man and woman deposited a piece, that he or she might always have plenty of wood for heat and light. Some three hundred feet above is another shrine, directly attached to the "father" rock, and to the white man difficult of access. Here I found many offerings of plume sticks (Tē līk-tkī-nā-we) .
Before entering upon the purely mythologic phases of Zuñi child life I will present a brief sketch of some of the Zuñi beliefs. There are thirteen secret orders in Zuñi, in many of which women and children are conspicuous, besides the purely mythologic order of the Kōk-kō. ”

“ The paternal grandmother prepares a bed of warm sand by the right side of the mother (leaving a cool spot for the child's head) ; she then receives the infant and lays it upon its bed, and over it she arranges the little blanket which she brought; she then places upon the sand and at the right side of the child an ear of white corn; if the child be a girl, the mother, or a three-plumule, corn is selected; if a boy, the father, or single ear, corn. The fourth day after the birth the child is again bathed in the yucca root suds by the same grandmother, who again repeats a long prayer. ”

“ This he rolls up and places by his side, and at the conclusion of the feast he carries it to a distance from, the village over the road to the spirit lake and making a hole in the ground he deposits it as an offering to the gods. Each child goes to the godfather's house, where his head and hands are bathed in yucca suds by the mother and sisters of the godfather, they repeating prayers that the youth may be true to his vows, &c. The boy then returning to his own home is tested by his father, who says, "You are no longer ignorant; you are no longer a little child, but a young man. ”

“ The cradle is usually deposited in some safe corner, and the baby is left [pg 547] to sleep or amuse itself with its infantine thoughts. The cradle is sometimes attached to two ropes to form a swing, and when the mother becomes conscious of the child's awakening she uncovers its head at times and the tiny thing casts its eyes around. ”