I02 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IV. 



On their return, after an absence of a few minutes, Nishnat^yana 

 kissed the Wheel, then sat down in his proper place in the circle. The 

 pipes were now lighted and made the ceremonial circuit of the priests 

 four times. At the conclusion of the rite of smoking, the dancers 

 went to their grandfathers, who had already entered the lodge, and 

 took up their position in front of the (jlancers. Each of the dancers 

 placed his hands on his grandfather and prayed. The fire was now 

 replenished, while two of the Dog-soldiers danced for joy, and then 

 told their stories. 



DANCING TO THE FOUR-OLD-MEN. 



It was now one o'clock in the morning. The dancers arose, put 

 on their kilts, fastened a breath feather to their scalp-locks, then took 

 up their eagle-bone whistles. Nishnat^yana put on a rabbit robe, the 

 hair side out, and Hawkan told him how to direct the movement. 

 Nishnat^yana leading the way, all the dancers, numbering twenty- 

 four, with Niwaat and Wdtanah next to Nishnat^yana, passed now to 

 the southeast side of the lodge, where they got in an east and west 

 line facing the south. Hawkan began again to shake the rattle, while 

 Chanitoe beat on the Badger-pack. Then the other priests' began 

 singing, and the dancers lifted up their hands toward the painted 

 rafter above them and blew upon a bone whistle, the whistling being 

 long drawn out, each time, with an equally long interval of silence. 

 At the end of the second song the line of dancers moved back a few 

 steps and directed their left hands out in front of them. Now they 

 moved around beneath the painted pole on the northeast corner, where 

 they went through the same performance. At the third song they 

 faced toward the east, with their hands directed downward, and out in 

 front of them in a sloping direction toward the fireplace. They 

 whistled as before. At the fourth song they faced^west, directing 

 both of their arms in front of them and slightly downward. At the 

 fifth song they moved to the west of the center-pole and formed two 

 crescent-shaped lines, facing the skull and directing their hands 

 toward the skull, moving them up and down to the accompaniment 

 of the song and the whistling. At the end of the seventh song they 

 shook their skirts as though they were attempting to remove some- 

 thing. It was now noticed that Nishnatdyana had failed to notify the 

 dancers to wear their robes during this rite, and as a matter of fact, 

 at this point they should have shaken their robes instead of their kilts, 

 in this purification rite. The dancers then returned to their positions 

 around the lodge. 



