STEVENSON] THE GIANT SOCIETY. 96 



dancing for a moment he lifted another gourdful and emptied it into 

 the medicine bowl, imploring the wolf of the east to exhort the clond 

 people to water the earth, when another gonrdful immediately followed. 

 After dancing for a time a gonrdfnl wa.s again dipx>ed and waved 

 toward the altar, then upward, with a call upon the eagle of the heaven 

 to invoke the cloud people to water the earth, and immediately another 

 gourdful of water was emptied into the bowl. Again dancing awhile, 

 a gourdful was waved toward the altar and emptied into the bowl, 

 with a call upon the shrew of the earth to implore the cloud people to 

 water the earth, and again a gourdful was emptied into the bowl. The 

 song closed as the last gourd of water was poured into the bowl and 

 the ya'ni'siwittanni resumed his seat. The woman returned the vase 

 to the west end of the room, and taking a small medicine bag from 

 before the altar, she untied it and handed it to the ya'ni'siwittiinni. 

 The men and the girl then took similar bags from before the altar, 

 and the song again began in a low tone to the accompaniment of the 

 rattle. Each member, taking a pinch of corn pollen fi-om his medicine 

 bag, threw it upon the altar and into the medicine bowl, giving a pecu- 

 liar cry, it being an invocation to the cloud people to gather and water 

 the earth, the woman and child not failing to throw in their share of 

 pollen, raising their voices to the highest pitch as they petitioned the 

 cloud people to water tiie earth. All then proceeded to take meal from 

 the meal bowl before the altar and throw it into the medicine bowl, 

 continuing their entreaties to the cloud jieople to water the earth. Six 

 times the meal was thrown into the bowl with invocations to the cloud 

 people. They then returned to their seats, having first deposited the 

 medicine bags before the altar. 



The ti'amoni took from a bear leg skin six small pebble fetiches, 

 lianding one to each man, who in turn passed it to the ya'ni'siwittiiniii. 

 This recipient advanced to the front of the altar and danced to the 

 music of the choir, and waving his left hand over the altar he dropped 

 a fetich into the medicine bowl, at the same time waving the eagle 

 plumes and rattle which he held in his right hand. After dancing 

 awhile he dropped a fetich from his right hand into the medicine water, 

 and, continuing to dance, he let fall the remaining four fetiches alter- 

 nately from the left and right hand. Each time a fetich was dropped 

 he gave a weird animal-like growl, which was a call upon the prey 

 animals of the cardinal points to exhort the cloud people to gather 

 and water the earth that she might be fruitful. He then returned 

 to his seat, but almost immediately arose and, standing for a moment, 

 advanced to the front of the altar, stirred the medicine water with 

 the eagle plumes he held in the left hand and sprinkled the offerings 

 by striking the plumes on the top with the rattle, held in the right 

 hand. The sprinkling was repeated four times while the cloud i>eople 

 were invoked to water the earth; as the plumes were struck the fourth 

 time the choir stood and sang and the ya'ni'siwittiiniii again dipped 



