478 THE ZUNl INDIANS [eth. a.nn. 23 



to the east and then to the west, the dancers facing first south and 

 then north. The members of the *Hle'wekwe dance between these 

 lines. The *Hlem'mosona is the first of the *Hle'wekwe on the floor. 

 He swallows his sword several times while dancing. He is followed 

 b}^ the aged warrior, who runs his sword, which has the arrow 

 point, a number of times down his throat. The dancing is more 

 violent on this occasion than in the plaza, and therefore the sword 

 swallowing more diflicult and dangerous. The officers of the fra- 

 ternity are followed to the floor by all the members (except two or 

 three young children), generally two at a time, sometimes three. 

 Some hold the sword down the throat twenty seconds, others ten 

 seconds, the usual time being five seconds. One man holds two 

 swords at once in his throat seven seconds. On three occasions the 

 swords are run down one another's throats during the most violent 

 motions of the dance. '^' Toward the close of the dance a director of 

 the Mu'waiye visits the "Hle'wekwe and joins in the dance. 



The novices do not take their seats from the beginning to the close 

 of the night ceremonial. The male novice becomes so exhausted dur- 

 ing the night as to be in danger of fainting,* and a small blanket is 

 laid under his feet as a rest for them. Popcorn water and the red 

 medicine previously referred to are drunk frequently during the night, 

 and one or two members of -the choir are stimulated Avith whisky 

 brought in by the old woman of the house. Shortly after midnight 

 the drinking of whisky begins in the back room. It is dealt in by 

 both male and female members of the family. One woman buys a 

 horse with a small glass of whisky and a handsome string of beads 

 with half a glass. The morning star is carefully watched for, and its 

 appearance above the horizon is the signal for the ceremonies in the 

 chamber to cease. The aged warrior closes the dance, holding the 

 po'nepoyanne '^ in his right hand and a bow and arrows in his left. 



The "Hle'wekwe and dancers now leave for the house where the 

 et'-towe were placed and those who are not too drunk to stand venture 

 from the back room into the ceremonial chamber and join in drunken 

 revelry. Though the conduct of many of the guests in the house of 

 the et'towe during the night is, in a quiet way, most insinuating and 

 indecorous, those associated with the fetishes perform their duties in 

 great seriousness. The four et'towe are still side by side in their 

 baskets of meal on the ledge on the north side of the room, about mid- 

 way. The aged woman having charge of the et'tone of the Ai'yaho'kwe 

 clan sits west of the line of et'towe, and the old woman having charge of 

 the et'tone of the To'nashikwe clan sits on her right, the bearers of 



a While accidents seldom happen from swallowing the sword, death is sometimes the result. This 

 is attributed to a bad heart or to the unfortunate having been touched by another. 



b Such an exhibition of weakness, were he to succumb, would be unfortunate for his standing in 

 the fraternity. 



<^See p. 417, note a. 



