Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 22.djvu/28

 16 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [N. s. f 22, 1920

chief of Achi on going home. This keeps the tally of the days and when only one stick remains, the celebration is held the following day. Every evening when the tally is pulled, the chief of Achi takes the great bundle of prayer-sticks and carries them slowly and solemnly to his own house outside of which a fire has been built.

The first night, after sundown, all the men gather near this fire and the speeches of the previous evening are repeated. Then all arise and go again to the dance-ground. At some distance a man has been hiding with a bull-roarer, wewegita, 1 who follows them swinging this, thus imitating the sound of the rain. On arriving at the dance-ground they sit around until after midnight when one man starts for Iron Pump village with a small bundle of sticks to announce to the people there the date set for the Vigita. Early in the morning another man goes to Akchin and Silnaki and when the former messenger returns from Iron Pump on the morning of the following day he goes to Anekam with another bundle of sticks.

The intervening days are spent in elaborate preparations for the feast. Only men take part in the actual ceremonies. Before the day of the festival only the principal men come from the more distant villages, but from the nearer ones all the men assist in the preparations. But as the time approaches, families begin to arrive, most of them coming two days before, and each one immediately comes to the dance-ground to introduce himself and to get his prayer-stick. Every evening when the chiefs come home they

1 "An important part of the singer's outfit is the bull-roarer, consisting of two flat pieces made of sahuaro rib, the smaller one being held by the hand when in use. The connecting string should be twine of native cotton, which still may be found in use. They are decorated with symbolic designs, such as those standing for lightning, clouds, turtles, grains of corn, expressing their desire for rain. The buzzing sound produced should be deep, in imitation of the thunder, which brings rain; if the sound is shrill, lightning only will follow.

The bull-roarer is swung for the purpose of calling people together and as a sign that the meeting is over, both at the preliminary exercises in the practising enclosure as well as at the feast itself. These buzzing implements not only open and conclude the proceedings, but they are used on the way from the practising house to the feast early in the morning, also when the cloud symbols are carried about, and on similar occasions. When not in use, the implement is tucked under the belt at the back. After the festival it is put away not to be used until the next feast takes place." Lum- holtz, p. 95, 96: plates opp. pp. 88 and 96, i.

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