148 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Boll. 196 



After instructing the girl to stand next to na ihl esn, the medicine 

 man gives a brief speech requesting all in attendance to gather around 

 the blanket.^^ Following this, na ihl esn gives the girl the abalone 

 shell, then the eagle feather and ribbons, then the drinking tube and 

 scratching stick, and finally the cane,^* After the presentation she 

 walks once around the girl, counterclockwise. Throughout this 

 "dressing" procedure, the medicine man or one of his assistants 

 explains what the paraphernalia means and tells the girl how it must 

 be employed during and after na ih es. 



After the girl has been given the cane, the medicine man sings the 

 first of four songs, all of which derive from the na ih es corpus. With 

 four drummers, he stands behind na ihl esn and the girl, who dance 

 side by side on the blanket. They do not lock elbows, as at bi goh 

 ji tal, but simply bounce lightly — fii-st on one foot, then on the other — 

 in time to the beat of the drums. The girl is instructed to accentuate 

 the rhythm further by striking the bottom of the cane (held in her 

 right hand just below the crook) against the ground causing its beUs 

 to jingle in unison with the drums. 



After the first song, a few older people, particularly close relatives 

 of the girl, begin to dance around the blanket in conventional fashion. 

 They continue to do so until the start of the fourth song when the 

 medicine man's assistants sprinkle holy powder over the girl's head 

 and shoulders and her cane. When the medicine man finishes the 

 fourth and final song, he repeats this blessing, thus concluding bi keh 

 ihl ze'. The girl, stiU carrying her cane, retires to her wickiup, and 

 the crowd disbands. 



At bi keh ihl ze' the pubescent girl becomes the focus of attention 

 for the first time in weeks of preparation for na ih es. The reason for 

 this is quite plain. In the eyes of the Apache, bi keh ihl ze' readies 

 her for the new and crucial role she must play during na ih es. Fully 

 clad and equipped with her paraphernalia, she ceases to be "just an- 

 other girl," She represents ih sta nedleheh (Changing Woman) the 

 mythological figure whom she will portray during the opening stages 

 of na ih es, and upon whose power the success of na ih es depends. 

 The girl's new character is symbolized most clearly by the white 

 abalone shell on her forehead. 



Apaches make it plain that bi keh ihl ze' does not make the girl 

 holy. Nor does it give her power; this will come at na ih es. Bi 

 keh ihl ze' prepares the girl for the reception of power; it prepares her 



23 The girl stands to the right of no ihl esn on the blanket. Both face toward the east throughout the 

 entire ceremony. 



" iVa ihl esn. directed by the medicine man, ties the abalone shell and the eagle feather and the ribbons 

 In the girl's hair. She places the drinking tube and scratching stick (attached to a leather thong) 

 around the girl's neck. With the cane, na ihl esn does no more than hand It to the girl who takes it In 

 her right hand. 



