80 THE SIA. 



water) proceedeil to cousecrate the water. He danced in front of the 

 altar and south of the line of meal, which had been sprinkled from the 

 altar to the entrance of the chamber, raising first one heel and then the 

 other, with the knees slightly bent, the toes scarcely leaving the floor; 

 he held his eagle plumes in his left band, and shook the rattle with the 

 right, keeping his upper arms close to his side, excepting when ex- 

 tending his plumes toward the altar, which he did three times, each time 

 striking the plumes near the quill end with his rattle as he shook them 

 over the medicine bowl. He then waved his plumes toward the north, 

 and giving a quick motion of the rattle in unison with those of the 

 choir, he drew a breath from the plumes as the fom-tli stanza closed, 

 and in a moment the song was resumed. The three members of the 

 Snake order then put on necklaces of bears' claws, each having attached, 

 midway, a whistle. The yani*siwittiinfli, who had not left his place in 

 front of the altar, danced for a few minutes, then dipped a gourd of 

 water from the vase, raised it high with a weird hoot, and emptied it 

 into the medicine bowl. A second gourdful was also elevated, and, 

 with a cry, it was emptied into the cloud bowl, which stood on the sand- 

 painting of the clouds. The third gourdful was emptied into tlie same 

 bowl, the raising of the gourd and the cry being omitted; the fourth 

 gourdful was uplifted with a cry and emptied into the medicine bowl. 

 The fifth gourdful was also hoisted with a cry, as before, to the snake 

 honaaite to implore the cloud rulers to send their people to water the 

 earth, and emptied into the cloud bowl. The sixth gourdful was raised 

 with the call and emptied into the same bowl. The seventh gourdful 

 was elevated with a wave from the south to the altar and emptied into 

 the medicine bowl. The eighth gourdful was raised with a similar 

 motion and emptied into the cloud bowl. The ninth gourdful was 

 elevated and extended toward the east and returned in a direct line 

 and emi)tied into the medicine bowl. The tenth gourdful was raised 

 toward tlie west and enqjtied into the cloud bowl. The eleventh, 

 twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth gourdfuls were lifted from the va.se 

 and emptied without being hoisted into the same bowl. The fifth stanza 

 closed as the last gourd of water was poured into the bowl. In filling 

 the medicine bowl the gourd was passed between two y^-ya. The 

 woman returned the water vase to the corner of the room, and the 

 yijui'siwittiinrii lifted the bowl and drank from it, afterwards admin- 

 istering a draught of the water from an abalone shell to each member, 

 excepting the honaaite, who, after the yilni'siwittanni had resumed his 

 seat in the line, passed to the fi-ont of the altar and drank directly from 

 the bowl and returned it to its pla(;e. 



In the administering of the water the women were helped first, a 

 feature never before observed by the writer in aboriginal life. 



With the beginning of the sixth stanza the honaaite arose, and 

 leaning forward waved his plumes over the medicine bowl with a weird 

 call, each member repeating the call, the women exhibiting more enthu- 



