AXTHKOPOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 145 



Conjurors will consent to construct a circle only when they are 

 called upon by the sick person. The patient must indemnify the 

 conjurors for the arrangements, and provide food for the Indians who 

 congregate to witness the ceremony and participate in the dances. 

 Frequently the sick person is compelled to borrow money to defray 

 the expenses, and then he will kill his cattle to satisfy the appetite 

 of the hungry crowd assisting in the great ceremony. 



The conjurors do not always make the magic circles with their 

 own hands. When they have it drawn by others they walk around 

 superintending the \vork. 



A few days before the time appointed for the ceremony the con- 

 jurors in charge send out heralds, each provided with several sym- 

 bols called "nadu 'hkada," or " God's messengers." One of these 

 symbols is left Avith every head man or chief of an Apach-? tribe. 

 Its purpose is to direct them to summon their men, women, and 

 girls to appear and take part in the dances of the ceremony. 



When the invited arrive, the nadu 'hkiida are brought back by 

 them and set up in or near the center of the circle during the per- 

 formances. The symbol is in 'the shape of a cross. The four 

 arms thus point to the four cardinal points, and the feathers at the 

 ends of each arm represent the birds which convey to the con- 

 jurors the dreams of the human figures set up within the circle. 



The magic ring is made on the ground in a place carefully screened 

 from mortal eye, and sometimes covered by a shed made of bent 

 willow rods (called in Spanish " ramada".) The circle is properly 

 speaking two concentric rings, and is composed of colored substances 

 of various shades. The diameter of the ring is ten or more feet. 

 Dry leaves of various trees are mostly used in effecting the different 

 shades of color, and, if the weather permits, the conjurors go into 

 the mountains to collect earth, clay, and colored sand for the same 

 purpose. The clay being the same as that used for body paint. 



The inner-ring of the circle is called bas or nibas (round). The 

 rim of the circles does not follow the line of a true circle but shows 

 sallies and angles. The spaces in the angles are frequently col- 

 ored. These colors when not of mineral substance are made by 

 drying leaves in the fire and grinding them to powder. The angles 

 or corners in the circle represent rays of the sun and the whole cir- 

 cle is an image of the sun. The effigies of four men, each painted 

 with a different clay color are placed on the inside of the circle; 

 they are called " God's people," or "divine people," and repre- 



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