STEVENSON] MA^'^KE "^HLAN NAKWE 501 



the motion with the plumes over the body. The theurgist who 

 extracts the cause of the disease distorts his face and bod}-^ in his 

 efforts to be rid of the foreio-n material. Finally he draws many 

 yards of yarn from his mouth. Again the leader with his followers 

 approaches an invalid and rubs his plumes over the body with a 

 peculiar tremblino- motion; and placing the crystal, which he holds in 

 the left hand, against the bod3', he touches the plumes held in the 

 right hand to the spot indicated by the crystal, and with the tip ends 

 of the plumes draws disease near the surface and sucks the spot, and 

 after great distortions he gradually succeeds in *' drawing" several 

 yards of string. 



Most of the extracting of disease is done by sucking, l)ut in some 

 instances the plumes only are used to draw disease to the surface, 

 when the material is caught with the hand. The best manipulating is 

 near the writer. Stones var3nny in size from minuter to that of a 

 pigeon's egg^ bits of old cloth, and strings of various kinds are exhib- 

 ited by the theurgists. The men alwa3'S show what they are sui)p()sed 

 to have extracted, the hand being tirst waved toward the in\alid, and 



with the exclamation, "Hu hu hu hu uh."' 



Usually each theurgist waves the hand containing the extracted mate- 

 rial before the altar previous to depositing it in the large bowl pro- 

 vided for the purpose, but the women, except the Great Mother, keep 

 their hands closed while weaving them, and no sound is heard when the 

 hand is opened over the bowl. Though generally the theurgist casts 

 the supposed extracted material into the bowl, the tirst time lie usu- 

 ally throws it into the lire; then he takes a pinch of meal from the 

 basket before the altar and leaves the chamber to spriidvle it outside 

 with a pra3^er. Sometimes a theurgist wears the skin of a bear's foot 

 on his left hand; again one is worn on each hand. When a dozen oi- 

 more theurgists are on the floor, their bodies thrown forward luitil 

 they appear like the animals they personate, growling and wrangling 

 with one another, the scene is weird and impressive. 



At half past 3 o'clock the healing performances close for a time. 

 The dance ceases and the novices form in line behind their fraternity 

 parents, who, facing south, extend an eagle plume over each shoulder, 

 the ends of which are caught by the novice, while the wife or sister 

 of the fraternity parent is behind and rests a hand on each shoulder 

 of the novice. In this way they advance several steps toward the 

 south and stand for a moment, when the Great Mother, who is ;it 

 the west end of the line, turns toward the east, and they all swing 

 wheel fashion. The shoulders of the novices are moved in time with 

 the choir, and the novices make a similar motion with the plumes. 

 Again they wheel jiround by the north and face west, when they receive 

 consecrated water from the a'kwaraosi, who administers it from a 

 shell. 



