Eighth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology: to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1886-1887, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1891
History
Eighth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology: to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1886-1887, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1891
Navajo Indians -- Rites and ceremonies; Pueblo Indians -- Antiquities; Pueblo architecture
of the foot of the girl, when Hostjoboard, now holding two ears of
yellow corn wrapped with piñon twigs, placed them to the soles of the
girl’s feet and Hasjelti drew a line of meal on each hand; after which
Hostjoboard placed the ears of corn to the palms of the hands, she
holding the corn in her palms and pressing it to the palms of the girl’s
hands. Hasjelti formed a cross on the breast with the meal and
Hostjoboard pressed the two ears of corn to the breast; a cross was made
on the back and the two ears of corn pressed to the back. Hasjelti, with
his right hand, then drew a line on the girl’s left shoulder, and with
his left hand a line on the girl’s right shoulder, the corn being
pressed to the shoulders in the manner described. Two lines of meal were
run over the forehead back to the top of the head, and the two ears of
corn pressed to the top of head. The boys were nude but the girls were
gayly dressed in blankets, jewelry, etc. At the close of this ceremony
the representatives of the gods removed their masks and called upon the
children to raise their heads. The amazement depicted upon the faces of
the children when they discovered their own people and not gods afforded
much amusement to the spectators. The masks were laid upon a blanket and
the girls and boys were commanded to look upon them. Hostjoboard placed
her mask upon the face of each boy and girl and woman in the line,
beginning at the north end of the line, giving a hoot each time the mask
was placed upon anyone. Great care was taken that the mask should be so
arranged upon the face that the eyes might look directly through the
eyeholes, for should any blunder occur the sight of at least one eye
would be lost. It is scarcely on before it is removed. After the masks
had been placed on all the faces it was laid beside Hasjelti’s. The man
personating Hasjelti sprinkled his mask and then Hostjoboard’s with
pollen, and the man personating Hostjoboard sprinkled Hasjelti’s mask
and then his own with pollen. The boy to the north end of the line was
called out and from the pollen bag took a pinch of pollen and sprinkled
first the mask of Hasjelti and then Hostioboard’s. This was repeated by
each boy, girl, and woman in the line. In approaching the masks they
always pass back of the line around to the north side and then step in
front of the masks. The mask is sprinkled in this wise: A line of pollen
is run from the top of the head down to the mouth; passing around to the
right the line is drawn upward over the left cheek; the hand continues
to move outside of the mask to a point below the right cheek, then up
the right cheek. The younger children’s hands were guided by the
representatives of the gods. It would be a great fatality to sprinkle a
drop of meal over the eye holes; the individual committing such an error
would become blind at least in one eye. Great care is also taken that
the line is run up the cheek, for if it was run down not only would
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