98 THE SIA. 



the painting to the bear fetich, which stood foremost on the painting; 

 thence across the blanket and along the floor to the entrance on the 

 south side and near the west end of the chamber; again, beginning at 

 the center of the blanket he sprinkledi^ne of meal across the blan- 

 ket to the south edge, and beginning a^^i at the center he sprinkled 

 a line of meal to the north edge and continued this line to the north 

 wall. Then beginning at the line ending at the south of the blanket, 

 he ran it out to the south wall (these four lines being symbolic of the 

 four winds), and placed the bowl of meal in front of the painting and 

 north of the line of meal. The meal having become somewhat ex- 

 hausted, the pottery meal bowl was replaced by an Apache basket, 

 containing a quantity of fresh meal, ground by a woman in an adjoin- 

 ing room, where a portion of the family had already retired. The bas- 

 ket of meal was received from the woman by the ti'amoni, who stood 

 to her left side whOe she ground the corn in the ordinary family mill. 

 The remainder of the contents of the pottery meal bowl was emptied 

 into the Apache basket, the portion from the bowl being deemed suf- . 

 ficient in quantity to lend a sacred character to the freshly ground 

 meal. The ho'naaite then fastened about his neck a string of bears' 

 claws with a small reed wliistle, having two soft white eagle plumes 

 tied to the end, attached midway, which he took from a pile of bear-leg 

 skins, having first waved the necklace around the white bear fetich, 

 which stood to the fi'ont of the painting. Each member of the society 

 then put on a similar necklace; two of the members fastened amulets 

 around their upper right arms and two around their left arms. The 

 ho'naaite rolled his blanket in a wad and sat upon it. The other mem- 

 bers made similar cushions. The ti'amoni, whose seat was at the south 

 end of the line, crossed to the north side of the room, and taking a bit 

 of red pigment rubbed it across his face and returned to his seat, each 

 member rubbing a bit of galena across the forehead, across the face 

 Delow the eyes, and about the lower part of the face. The paint was 

 scarcely perceptible. It was put on to insure the singing of the song 

 correctly. The ti'amoni again crossed the room, and taking from the 

 north ledge a bunch of corn husks, he handed them to the man who 

 sat next to him, who was careful to manipulate them under his blanket, 

 drawn around him. The wi'iter thinks that they were made into 

 funnels, in which he placed tiny pebbles frcmi ant hills. The vice-ho'- 

 naaite, at the north end of the line, left the room, and during his ab- 

 sence the ho'naaite, taking a bunch of straws which lay by the bear- 

 leg skins, divided it into five parts, giving a portion to each one pres- 

 ent. He reserved a share for the absent member, who returned in a 

 short time, bearing the sick child in his arms, being careful to walk on 

 the line of meal; he set the child upon a low stool placed on the broad 

 baud of embroidery of the blanket. (PI. xxi) The man then handed the 

 basket of meal to the child, who, obeying the instructions of the vice- 

 ho'naaite, took a pinch and threw it toward the altar with a few words 



