Buffalo Maid.  Ex- 
cept in case of the 
last-mentioned __ per- 
son, all the dancers 
wear animal head- 
dresses. They are 
brought into the vil- 
lage at daybreak by 
herders dressed in buf- 
falo robesand carrying 
bows and arrows. A 
chorus meets them and 
escorts them, between 
a double file of ordi- 
nary men and women 
dancers, to the danc- 
ing places. The dance 
lasts about twenty 
minutes and is re- 
peated several times 
during the day. At 
sunset the dancers re- 
tire into the hills and 
resume their ordinary 
clothing. Inthe Deer 
Dance the same mim- 
icry is seen and when 
the last dance is over, 
the deer run away into 
the hills at top speed. 
The girls try to catch 
one of the little deer 
and sometimes suc- 
ceed. 
At the secret dances 
held at night in the 
underground — lodges 
the dancers wear 
masks and imperson- 
ate the mythological 
beings. Most of these 
have definite and well- 
known characteristics 
and are at once rec- 
ognized. Although 
dances of this sort in 
the Rio Grande region 
The Eagle Dance is exhausting physically to the dancers, but interest- 
ing to the spectators for its dramatic quality. The eagle men are 
guided from the underground lodge to the dancing place by a line of 
sprinkled corn. They imitate very cleverly the characteristic postures 
of a bird 
1il 
