108 THE SIA. 



or two lie poured two more goixrdfuls into the medicine bowl and two 

 into the cloud bowl, and resumed the dance; again he emptied a gourd- 

 ful into the mcdiciue bowl and two into the cloud bowl ; then he emptied 

 three iuto tlie medicine bowl and drank twice from the bowl, after 

 which he returned to his seat in the line, the boy restoring the vase to 

 the farther corner of the room. Two small medicine bags were handed 

 to each member from the altar, one containing corn pollen and the 

 other corn meal of six varieties of corn : yellow, blue, red, white, black, 

 and variegated. The bags were held in the left hand with tlie eagle 

 l)himes, that hand being quiet, while the rattle was shaken with the 

 right in accompaniment to the song. After singing a few minutes, 

 pollen and meal taken from the medicine bags were sprinkled into the 

 medicine bowl. The choir did not rise and pass to the altar, but leaned 

 forward on either side; and with each sprinkling of the meal and pollen 

 a shrill call was given for the cloud people to gather; the ho'naaite, in 

 sprinkling in his pollen, reached over the altar slats. The sprinkling 

 of the pollen was rei)eated four times, the novitiates taking no part in 

 this feature of the ceremony, although they were provided with the 

 bags of pollen and meal. The ya'ni'siwittanni danced before the altar 

 and west of the line of meal without rattle or plumes, but continually 

 hooted as he waved his hands wildly over the altar and dropped pebble 

 fetiches alternately into the medicine and cloud bowls, until each bowl 

 contained six fetiches ; then, reaching behind the altar for his rattle and 

 eagle plumes, he held an eagle plume and rattle in the right hand and 

 an eagle plume in the left, and stirred the water and sprinkled the 

 altar; then he stirred the water in the cloud bowl with the reed, and 

 sprinkled the altar with it. The sprinkling of the altar from the medi- 

 cine bowl and the cloud bowl was repeated six times. 



After each sprinkling a quick shake of the rattle was given. The 

 ho'naaite then reached over the altar slats, taking a ya'ya in either 

 hand, and all stood and sang. In a moment the man to the right of 

 the ho'naaite leaned over the west side of the altar, and, dipping his 

 plumes in the medicine water, sprinkled the altar; he repeated the 

 sprinkling four times, and when tlie two ya'ya were returned to the 

 altar the ho'naaite dipped his eagle plumes into the medicine water, 

 and sprinkled the altar by striking them on the top with the rattle 

 held in the right hand. Each member then sprinkled the altar four 

 times, with a wild exhortation to the clovid people, all apparently ex- 

 hibiting more enthusiasm when sprinkling the altar than at any other 

 time during the ceremonial. When the song closed two of the boys 

 proceeded to prepare cigarettes, taking their places before the fireplace, 

 and, tearing off bits of corn husks of the proper size, they made them 

 pliable by moistening them with saliva. One boy made his cigarettes 

 of native tobacco, which he took from an old cloth hanging on the wall; 

 the other filled his with commercial tobacco. As the boys made cigar- 

 ettes they tied them with ribbons of cin-n husks, simply to keep them 



