STEVENSON] CEREMONIES FOLLOWING SHa'lAKO FESTIVAL 265 



and ill a moment they continue around toward the left until they a^ain 

 face the east, the rattles held al)ove their heads. Turnino- entirely 

 around, they face the north and bending- low, hrst to the right, then 

 to the left, shake the rattle. The tirst tNVo figures are again repeated, 

 and when all are facing noith they stoop and with a ([uick step, bending 

 the knees and leaning toward the right, pass around toward the left, 

 the song- changing- from a major to a minor key, with considerable 

 variety of tone. The motions in the dance are rhythmic. 



The next dancers to appear after the lle'mishiikwc dcptirt are seven- 

 teen Mu'luktakia (tall thin gods). They carry in their left hands long 

 slender staffs ornamented at the top and middle with plumes, and in 

 their right gourd rattles. The dance and songs of the Mu'luktakia, 

 though pleasing, are far inferior to those of the He'mishiikwe. The 

 dress of both parties is similar. A bov, 10 years of age, wearing a 

 bearskin wrapped about his body and falling to his knees, accompanies 

 the Mu'luktakia. Skins of bears' legs with the claws are drawn over 

 his feet. He carries a stone hatchet in his right hand and giant yucca 

 in his left. He gesticulates and growls, animal-like, as he dances back 

 and forth east of the line of dancers. 



Having made their toilets in the side room, the 'Clia'kwena gods are 

 the next to appear, the returned Carlisle student lieingone of the num- 

 bei". The leader of these dancers is a boy not more than twelve years 

 of age. He carries his mi'li and meal basket in the left hand and 

 sprinkles meal with the right. The limbs of the dancers are painted 

 white and their bodies are zigzagged in white, symbolic of lightning. 

 They wear white dressed deerskins as kilts, which fall below the knees, 

 held on by white fringed sashes and red belts tied to the right side, and 

 a fox skin pendent from the back of the waist. The liodies and upjier 

 arms are colored black, a yoke is designed in yellow paint, and the 

 lower arms and hands are yellow. In one case the yoke is pink instead 

 of yellow, and the hands and lower arms are white. A scalp knot is 

 painted on each scapula and each l)reast. Some of these are in yellow 

 and some in white. Dressed deerskins worn as skirts, held in place 

 by an embroidered sash and a red belt fastened at the right side, fall 

 nearly to the ground; a fox skin is pendent at the back. They wear 

 dressed deerskin leggings, fringed at the outer sides, and dance mocca- 

 sins with anklets embroidered with porcupine (piills. Leather armlets 

 colored blue-green, each having three points to which pendent-banded 

 turkey plumes are attached by buckskin throngs, encircle the upper 

 arms. Spruce twigs stand around the upper side of the armlets, and 

 gourd rattles, painted blue-green, are carried in the right hand; bows 

 and arrows are in the left. A quiver containing arrows hangs over the 

 back. Each carries giant yucca in the left hand. The hair is done up 

 in a knot at the back, and a fluffy white eagle feather is attached to the 



