76. Magic at a Medicine Ceremony

On the west side of the Rio Grande opposite Taos two old men held a ceremony. I was a spectator. The two old men conducted the ceremony for two persons. They put corn in a deep hole and made it grow. They introduced tc'actcînî and ts'anat'î (painted dancers). The ts'anat'î had mullers in their hands. They gave each of the ts'anat'î and the tc'actcînî four ears of corn. Then a large fire was built. The enclosure had been built near the river. They put the musk stirrers in the pot.

When the dancers came in here by the door, they put the corn which they had in their hands in the pot. They put the pot some way from the fire where it did not get hot. They poked in the pot with a stick and there was a crackling noise inside, and smoke came out of it. They danced around the fire four times. The pot was filled with corn. They stood in a row and began to dance. The ts'anat'î stood in front holding the mullers. Corn commenced to grow and put out leaves. When they stopped dancing they held up the mullers to the east, south, west, and north. They broke a muller in two and made it just like one again. They took corn out too. They danced on both sides, carrying the stones.

Then they carried the pot which was filled with corn behind them. They made the people stand in a line and threw the corn to them. There was no corn left in the pot. The people picked up the corn. It was not cooked.

The ts'anat'î went to their tipi and came back. The mullers had become

p. 265

bread. They broke them up and when they came in again they distributed it to the people. They made medicine good for all. That way they made the corn grow up. The ts'anat'î distributed it to the tc'actcînî who ate it.