THE CONGRESS OF WOMEN.

485

The war gods repeated their story in the ceremonial chamber of the ants, and the director of the society said: “ It is well; sit down, my fathers and my children.” The voice of the dead Navajo woman was soon heard calling, “ Where are my husbands?” The director of the society replied, “They are sitting here.” The ghost-voice said: “ I wish them to come out.” “You come in,” said the director. Four times these words passed between them, then the being entered Shipapolima. Ahainta and Määsewe again struck her with their war clubs, and carrying her out threw her off.

The mere killing of an enemy does not entitle the victor to become a member of the Society of the Bow; he must bear as trophies the scalp, and at least a portion of the buckskin apparel as actual proof of his prowess. Thus the Zuni, like other primi­tive peoples, make trophy-bearing a necessity for distinction as warriors.

There are at the present time but fifteen members of the Society of the Bow, two of these being the priest and his vicar, or younger brother, who follow in succession after Ahaiüta and Määsewe, and are supposed to carry the sacred traditions of their divine predecessors. The offices of priest and vicar are for life, but either one is sub­ject, for sufficient reason, to impeachment. Now that inter-tribal wars have virtually ceased there is no further opportunity to initiate new members into the Society of the Bow, and as the scalp ceremonial is necessary in order to please the gods that they will send much rain, it occurs in every detail once in three or four years by command of the priest of the bow. The scalps used at these times are taken from the scalp vase, in which such trophies have rested since the establishment of Zuni, or, perhaps, earlier.

The priest of the bow, having decided on a time for the ceremonial, notifies the scalp custodian, who in turn requests the priest to designate two men to act as victor and elder brother. This accomplished the priest chooses two members of the society and two other men to personate the warriors returning from battle; subsequently the scalp washers and their fellows are appointed. The evening of the day on which the actors in this drama are selected, the four representatives of the returning warriors leave the village on horseback and, fully equipped, spend the night a distance north of the Pueblo. At sunrise they start on their return, and on discovering the first ant­hill they dismount. The two members of the Society of the Bow stand a short distance off while the others stoop before the ant-hill. One of these men maintains silence while the other addresses the ants in a low prayer. Plume-offerings and shells are deposited on the ant-hill.

A large number of people congregate to receive the party. The scalp custodian faces the four men while the spokesman addresses the people: “We have been to the land of the enemy. The enemy no more will see the light of day.” The scalp cus­todian expectorates on a bit of cedar bark, waves it to the cardinal points, zenith and nadir, for purification, and throws it upon the ground. The four men then retire to their homes. The following morning the two warriors who act as victor and elder brother each hand a tiny vase, filled with rainwater, and a diminutive gourd dipper, which were given to them by the arch-ruler, to the scalp custodian; and about 3 o’clock two scalps (every vestige of hair having long since disappeared) are taken from the great pottery vase which stands permanently in'the scalp house. With these articles the custodian proceeds to a sequestered spot surrounded by hillocks and ravines and deposits the scalps on the ground, placing a vase of water and a gourd beside each. The scalp custodian then lights a fire between the scalps and runs a circle of meal around on the ridge. The circle is symbolic of the border of the enemy’s land; the burning fagots represent the campfire; the scalps denote the enemy in camp; the water is symbolic of rain.

The custodian then returns to the village, and the chosen victor and elder brother hasten to the spot, traveling on foot. Each collects a cedar twig from the top of a tree, four equilateral triangular cuts are made with an archaic stone knife, and the twig is snapped off. Discovering the campfire, one exclaims: “I think there is an enemy.” One then passes around the circle of meal to the right, the other to the left;