STEVENSON] DANCE OF THE KIa'nAKWE 221 



A bunch of deer scapulie and thirty-tivc tortoise-shell rattles lie in a 

 group on the Hoor near the two ])asket trays, and several packages of 

 plumes, etc., wrapped in old cloths, are on the ledge near the priest. 

 Two hours before midnight the priest empties the contents of one 

 basket tray into the other, prays, and. placino- his mouth ver}' close to 

 the food, puffs smoke over it from his cigarette of native tobacco. 

 Though he pra^^s aloud, the singing drowns his voice. After a prayer 

 of tive minutes he divides the food into three parts, returns it to the 

 soiled cloths in which it was brought, hands a package to each of the 

 chiefs of the warrior gods and one to his deputy, and afterward one of 

 the corn-husk packages to each. The three wrap their ]>lankets around 

 them, go to the river, and deposit in the water the contents of their 

 packages as food for the departed Kia'nakwe. These men are ab.sent 

 an hour. In the meantime one of the singers hands to a young man 

 several pieces of green paint, a mixture of copper ore and boiled 

 pinon gum. A large and beautiful paint stone and pestle are then 

 placed on the floor on the south side and two young men proceed to 

 grind the paint. First a piece is pounded into a powder, then water 

 and squash seed are added, bits of the paint being placed on the stone 

 as the grinding proceeds. Full}' an hour is re(|uired for the proper 

 mixing of the paint. The two take turns, one grinding while the 

 other scrapes the paint toward the center of the paint stone. 



The last song closes as the three officers return from depositing 

 the offerings in the river, and immediately one of the singers jumps 

 up and endeavors to open the door on the north side of the room. 

 Finding it fastened, he goes to the window in the west end, which 

 communicates with a room, and calls to the man of the family, who is 

 sleeping, to open the door in the north wall. Soon this door gives way 

 to the push of one of the singers, and they all disappear through this 

 quaint little doorway. They soon return, each bearing a pair of dance 

 moccasins, which are handed to the paint-grinders. The two grinders 

 and a third man repaint thirt3-six pairs of dance moccasins. This 

 work is done very rapidly. A quantity of paint put into the mouth 

 with the finger is thrown out through the teeth over the moccasin; 

 then the tongue serves as a paint brush. The sight is most repulsive. 

 One man becomes very sick from the effects of the paint. During the 

 painting of the moccasins the Kia'nakwe rehearse for the dance of the 

 coming day. The}' remove their cotton trousers, or roll them up, so 

 that they are not seen below the white shirts which fall over them. All 

 but the Ko'thlama hold tortoise-shell rattles; deer toes are attached 

 with buckskin thongs to the tortoise shell. He holds the rattle of deer 

 scapulw. Then they form into an elongated horseshoe, the apex being 

 toward the west end of the room, the directors of warriors at each end. 



