﻿mooney.] 
  FORMULA 
  USED 
  BEFORE 
  BALL 
  PLAY. 
  397 
  

  

  Explanation. 
  

  

  This 
  formula, 
  from 
  the 
  A'yu"ini 
  manuscript 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  used 
  

   by 
  the 
  shaman 
  in 
  taking 
  the 
  ball 
  players 
  to 
  water 
  before 
  the 
  game. 
  

   The 
  ceremony 
  is 
  performed 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  red 
  and 
  black 
  beads, 
  

   asdescribed 
  in 
  the 
  formula 
  justgiven 
  for 
  destroying 
  life. 
  Theform- 
  

   ulistic 
  name 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  ball 
  players 
  signifies 
  literally, 
  "admirers 
  

   of 
  the 
  ball 
  play." 
  The 
  Tla'niwa 
  (s&'niwa 
  in 
  the 
  Middle 
  dialect) 
  is 
  

   the 
  mythic 
  great 
  hawk, 
  as 
  large 
  and 
  powerful 
  as 
  the 
  roc 
  of 
  Arabian 
  

   tales. 
  The 
  shaman 
  begins 
  by 
  declaring 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  his 
  purpose 
  to 
  ex- 
  

   amine 
  or 
  inquire 
  into 
  the 
  fate 
  of 
  the 
  ball 
  players, 
  and 
  then 
  gives 
  his 
  

   attention 
  by 
  turns 
  to 
  his 
  friends 
  and 
  their 
  opponents, 
  fixing 
  his 
  eyes 
  

   upeu 
  the 
  red 
  bead 
  while 
  praying 
  for 
  his 
  clients, 
  and 
  upon 
  the 
  black 
  

   bead 
  while 
  speaking 
  of 
  their 
  rivals. 
  His 
  friends 
  he 
  raises 
  gradually 
  

   to 
  the 
  seventh 
  or 
  highest 
  galUHati. 
  This 
  word 
  literally 
  signifies 
  

   height, 
  and 
  is 
  the 
  name 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  abode 
  of 
  the 
  gods 
  dwelling 
  

   above 
  the 
  earth, 
  and 
  is 
  also 
  used 
  to 
  mean 
  heaven 
  in 
  the 
  Cherokee 
  

   bible 
  translation. 
  The 
  opposing 
  players, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  are 
  put 
  

   down 
  under 
  the 
  earth, 
  and 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  resemble 
  animals 
  slow 
  and 
  

   clumsy 
  of 
  movement, 
  while 
  on 
  behalf 
  of 
  his 
  friends 
  the 
  shaman 
  in- 
  

   vokes 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  swift-flying 
  birds, 
  which, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   belief, 
  never 
  by 
  any 
  chance 
  fail 
  to 
  secure 
  their 
  prey. 
  The 
  birds 
  in- 
  

   voked 
  are 
  the 
  He'nilu 
  or 
  wood 
  pewee 
  (Contopus 
  virens) 
  , 
  the 
  Tlaniwa 
  

   or 
  mythic 
  hawk, 
  the 
  Gull'sguh" 
  or 
  great 
  crested 
  flycatcher 
  {Myiarchus 
  

   crinitus), 
  the 
  Tsutsti 
  or 
  martin 
  (Progne 
  subis), 
  and 
  the 
  A'nigas- 
  

   ta'ya 
  or 
  chimney 
  swift 
  (Chadura 
  pdasgia). 
  In 
  the 
  idiom 
  of 
  the 
  

   formulas 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  these 
  " 
  have 
  just 
  come 
  and 
  are 
  sticking 
  to 
  

   them" 
  (the 
  players), 
  the 
  same 
  word 
  (danutsgu'lani'ga) 
  being 
  used 
  to 
  

   express 
  the 
  devoted 
  attention 
  of 
  a 
  lover 
  to 
  his 
  mistress. 
  The 
  Wat- 
  

   atuga, 
  a 
  small 
  species 
  of 
  dragon-fly, 
  is 
  also 
  invoked, 
  together 
  with 
  

   the 
  bat, 
  which, 
  according 
  to 
  a 
  Cherokee 
  myth, 
  once 
  took 
  sides 
  with 
  

   the 
  birds 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  ball 
  contest 
  with 
  the 
  four-footed 
  animals, 
  and 
  

   won 
  the 
  victory 
  for 
  the 
  birds 
  by 
  i-eason 
  of 
  his 
  superior 
  skill 
  in 
  dodg- 
  

   ing. 
  This 
  myth 
  explains 
  also 
  why 
  birds, 
  and 
  no 
  quadrupeds, 
  are 
  

   invoked 
  by 
  the 
  shaman 
  to 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  his 
  friends. 
  In 
  accordance 
  

   with 
  the 
  regular 
  color 
  symbolism 
  the 
  flycatcher, 
  martin, 
  and 
  dragon- 
  

   fly, 
  like 
  the 
  bat 
  and 
  the 
  tla'niwa, 
  should 
  be 
  red, 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  success, 
  

   instead 
  of 
  blue, 
  evidently 
  so 
  written 
  by 
  mistake. 
  The 
  white 
  thread 
  

   is 
  frequently 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  formulas, 
  but 
  in 
  this 
  instance 
  the 
  

   reference 
  is 
  not 
  clear. 
  The 
  twelve 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  runs 
  

   made 
  in 
  the 
  game. 
  

  

  