moosey] THE HYPNOTIC PROCESS 925 



exists in Europe in connection with persons reputed to possess the evil 

 eye. < !edar Tree himself deplored the result of his efforts and exx>ressed 



the hope that by earnest prayer he might finally be able to overc e the 



evil influence. 



We shall now describe the hypnotic process as used by the operators, 

 with the various stages of the trance. The hypnotist, usually a man, 

 stands within the ring, holding in his hand an eagle feather or a scarf 

 or handkerchief, white, black, or of any other color. Sometimes he 

 holds the leather in one hand and the scarf in the other. As the 

 dancers circle around singing the songs in time with the dance step 

 the excitement increases until the more sensitive ones are visibly 

 affected. In order to hasten the result certain songs are sung to 

 quicker time, notably the Arapaho song beginning Xu'nanu'naatani'na 

 llu'hu. We shall assume that the subject is a woman. The first indi- 

 cation that she is becoming affected is a slight muscular tremor, dis- 

 tinctly felt by her two partners who hold her hands on either side. The 

 medicine man is on the watch, and as soou as he notices the woman's 

 condition he conies over and stands immediately in front of her, look- 

 ing intently into her lace and whirling the feather or the handkerchief, 

 or both, rapidly in front of her eyes, moving slowly around with the 

 dancers at the same time, but constantly facing the woman. All this 

 time he keeps up a series of sharp exclamations, Hit! II u ! Hu! like 

 the rapid breathing of an exhausted runner. From time to time he 

 changes the motion of the feather or handkerchief from a whirling to 

 a rapid up-and-down movement in front of her eyes. For a while the 

 woman continues to move around with the circle of dancers, singing 

 the song with the others, but usually before the circuit is completed 

 she loses control of herself entirely, and, breaking away from the part- 

 ners who have hold of her hands on either side, she staggers into the 

 ring, while the circle at once closes up again behind her. She is 

 now standing before the medicineman, who gives his whole attention 

 to her, whirling the feather swiftly in front of her eyes, waving his 

 hands before her face as though fanning her. and drawing his hand 

 slowly from the level of her eyes away to one side or upward into the 

 air, while her gaze follows it with a fixed stare. All the time he keeps 

 up the Hu! IIu! Hu! while the song and the dance go on around them 

 without a pause. For a W\v minutes she continues to repeat the words 

 of the song and keep time with the step, but in a staggering, drunken 

 fashion. Then the words become unintelligible sounds, and her move- 

 ments violently spasmodic, until at last she. becomes rigid, with her 

 eyes shut or fixed and staring, and stands thus uttering low pitiful 

 moans(platecxvii). If this is in the daytime, the operator tries to stand 

 with his back to the sun, so that the full sunlight shines in the woman's 

 face (plate cxvi). The subject may retain this fixed, immovable posture 

 for an indefinite time, but at last falls heavily to the ground, uncon- 

 scious and motionless (plate < win). The dance and the song never 



