94 THE SIA. 



and the men then returned to their seats. Tlie second man from the 

 north end of the line coming forward danced while the others sang to 

 the a<!companiment of the rattle, each succeeding stanza following in 

 <[uick succession, the dancer now and then varying the monotony of 

 the song by calling wildly upon the cloud people to come and water the 

 earth. The woman and child waved their wands to the rhythm of the 

 song; the woman who held a sick infant much of the time occasionally 

 fell asleep, but she was awakened by the vicar who sat near her, pass- 

 ing his eagle plumes over her face. Whenever the infant slejit it was 

 laid upon a sheepskin, seemingly unconscious of the noise of the rattle 

 and song. • 



When an especial appeal was to be made to Ut'sf t, the ho'naaite 

 reached over the altar and took the Navajo ya'ya in his right hand 

 and the one south of it in his left hand (hi' had deposited his eagle plumes 

 by the altar, but he held his rattle). All now stood, the ho'naaite ener- 

 getically swaying his body as he waved the ya'ya, holding them out, 

 then drawing them in as he appealed to t^t'sCt to instruct the cloud 1)60- 

 ple to come and water the earth. This petition concluded, the ho'na- 

 aite leaned over the altar, returning the ya'ya to their places, and the 

 choir took their seats and smoked cigarettes of native tobacco wrapped 

 in c>orn husks. In a few moments the song was resumed, when the 

 woman sprinkled the altar with meal and passing to the west end of 

 the room she lifted a vase of water, placing it on the line of meal, not 

 far ti-om the door, keeping time with the song with her two wands and 

 moving her body up and down by bending her knees, her feet resting 

 lirmly on the floor and over the line of meal; again the bowl was raised 

 and moved about 2 feet forward, and she repeated the motion. The 

 bowl was in this way moved live times, the last time being placed 

 immediately before the basket of offerings. As she placed the bowl for 

 the last time she waved the wand held in her right hand twice over 

 the altar, when the song closed or ly to begin again immediately. The 

 ya'ni'siwittaniSi now appeared before the altar, north of the meal line 

 and danced, holding two eagle plumes in the left hand and rattle in 

 the right. After a time, transferring the rattle to his left hand, he 

 lifted a gourd of water from the vase and, holding it for a moment, 

 waved it before the altar and emptied it into the medicine bowl 

 with an appeal to the cougar of the north to intercede with the cloud 

 people that the earth might be watered; another gourdful immediately 

 followed; he then took the rattle in the right hand and joined in the 

 song, and danced. A third time he dipped a gourd of water, waved it 

 toward the west with an exhortation to the bear of the west, and 

 emptied it into the bowl, following this with another gourdful, when a 

 weird call was given for the cloud people to come and water the earth. 

 Again he danced and sang, and after a time a fifth goiirdful was lifted 

 and waved toward the south, with an appeal to the badger of the south, 

 and emptied into the bowl, when another gourdful followed, and 



