100 THE SI A. 



left hands over the iu valid boy, and passed them simultaneously down 

 his body from head to feet, striking the plumes and straws wifti rattles 

 which they held in their right hands; and as the plumes and straws 

 were moved down the boy's body ants in any quantity were supposed 

 to be brushed off the body, while in reality tiny pebbles were dropped 

 upon the blanket; but the conjuration was so perfect the writer could 

 not tell how or whence they were dropped, although she stood close to 

 the group and under a bright light from a lamp she had placed on the 

 wall for the i)urpose of disclosing every detail. The tiny nude boy 

 standing upon the white embroidered blanket, being brushed with the 

 many eagle plumes, sti'uck with their rattles by five beautifully formed 

 Indians, was the most iileasing scene of this dramatic ceremonial. The 

 brushing of the child with the plumes was repeated six times, and he 

 was then backed off the blanket over the line of meal and set upon the 

 stool, which had been removed from the blanket, and was afterward 

 given a pinch of meal and told to stand and look at the ants which had 

 been extracted from his body, and to sprinkle the meal upon them. 

 After this sprinkling he resumed his seat upon the stool. The ho'na- 

 aite stooped with bended knees at the northeast corner of the blanket 

 and whispered a prayer and sprinkled the blanket. Each member 

 with eagle plumes sprinkled the blanket with meal and carefully 

 brushed together all the material which had fallen on the floor instead 

 of the blanket, after which the ti'amoni gathered the corners together, 

 waved it over the child's head, and left the room with it. All sat per- 

 fectly quiet, holding their rattles, eagle plumes, and straws in their 

 right hands during the absence of the ti'amoni. Upon his return he 

 waved the folded blanket twice toward the group of fetiches and 

 toward himself, then passed it twice around the child's head, and finally 

 laid it upon the pile of bear-leg skins at the south side of the painting. 

 The child, who was ill and burning with fever, was led by the vice 

 ho'naaite to the fetiches, which he sprinkled with meal, and was car- 

 ried from the chamber and through an outer room to his mother at the 

 entrance. 



The ho'naaite is not supposed to leave the ceremonial chamber 

 throughout the four days and nights, as he must guard the animal 

 fetiches and medicine. The other members are also supposed to spend 

 much of the day and all of the night in watching the fetiches; but the 

 writer is of the opinion that* they all go to sleep after the feast, which 

 is enjoyed as soon as the child leaves the chamber. 



The only variation iu the ceremonial on the second night was that 

 the vicar dipped the bit of bread into the bowl of stew and scattered it 

 to the animal fetiches, having previously lifted ashes from the fireplace 

 and sprinkled the altar with them by striking the plume held in the 

 left hand on the under side with the plume held iu the right; then hold- 

 ing the plumes between his hands he repeated a long and scarcely 

 audible prayer. After scattering the food to the animal fetiches, lie 



