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Plate 9, Figure 1
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Plate 9, Figure 1
FIGURE 1. Katsina prayer sticks. Made of willow (a "water" tree); the bark is left on and the lower part (brown) represents legs; measured from base of palm to tip of middle finger (about 7 inches); turkey feathers (white), on top eagle down; the faces are painted in the colors of the directions (from left to right--1st, dark green; 2nd, red; 3d, yellow; 4th, light green); section below faces
painted blue for sky and represents the body; top pieces: two (1st, yellow; 2nd, white with tan decoration) represent a jar; two (tan), a mountain.
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Plate 9, Figure 2
FIGURE 2. Fire society prayer sticks. Upper center: Basket ring (maskuch) to put on the head for Iatiku to use; it is painted with the colors (diagonal bands of red, white, yellow, blue) of the Mountains of the four directions. Lower center: The prayer stick (blue, with green and yellow top) represents Iatiku, with belt (green) and pot rest, the two things she asked for; the befeathered sticks (brown; sections between feathers, green; scalloped design at base, white) the chaianyi decided of themselves to offer; the cones (left, green and brown; right, black and yellow) on top represent mountains; the turkey feathers (white) are the clothes (whenever things are tied to a stick, they are clothes).