/T 



sTEVENsoNj ma"ke 'hlan nakwe 505 



carried in the left hand and the rattle in the rip-ht. After one sono- 

 is sung, the *Hlem'mosona addresses his people, saying: ""My grand- 

 fathers, my uncles, my sons, my elder brothers, my younger brothers, 

 to-night I commence my dance. Are any of my people sorry? 1 

 want everybody to be happy to-night." The dance now begins, all 

 passing around the altar from the south side. 



A woman of the order takes the novice by the left arm and leads him 

 through the line of dancers to the middle of the room, facing him east, 

 and stands behind him with her hands on his shoulders, moving one 

 and then the other forward, while the hands of the novice hang by his 

 side. After the dancers pass around the altar a second time, the woman 

 who leads them approaches the novice, the other woman at once retir- 

 ing, and places her mi'li to his right shoulder, head, left shoulder, and 

 mouth, that he may draw in the sacred life breath of A'wonawil'ona,'' 

 and returns to her place as leader of the file. Then the 'Hlem'mosona 

 stands before the novice, and after swallowing his sword draws it 

 before the right shoulder, head, left shoulder, and lips of the novice, 

 as was done with the mi'li, and returns to his place. Each member 

 repeats the ceremon}^ with his sword over the novice, the dancers in 

 the meantime continuing around the altar. 



The fraternity father now stands before the novice, and after swal- 

 lowing his sword'' hands it to the novice, who makes an effort to pass 

 the sword down his throat. The sword is supposed to be swallowed 

 four times by the novice, and each time he returns it to the fraternit}^ 

 father, who breathes four times upon it.^' 



On the present occasion, the novice failing each time to pass the 

 sword down his throat, his fraternity father swallows it instead. 

 After the sword swallowing, the novice, following his fraternity father, 

 joins the dancers, who remain but a short time longer on the floor. 

 After each one prays before the altar he hands his sword to the 'IIlrMu'- 

 mosona, who deposits it on the buckskin which has been placed close 

 to the altar, the tips of the swords pointing to the west. The buck- 

 skin is folded over the blades, leaving the handles exposed. After 

 arranging the swords, the *Hlem'mosona takes his position near the 

 ladder, and, beginning with the 'hle'pekwin (deputy) to the 'HlrMu'- 

 mosona, deposits blossoms and bits of root of yarrow in the palm of 

 the left hand of each member of the Sword order who stands m line 



a See p. 22. 



&Thpse Indians are so elever at legerdemain that when first observed the sword swallowing was 

 thought to be one of their trieks. To convince herself, the writer induced a member of this order, 

 after long persuasion, to visit her camp and swallow the sword. Groat secrecy was observed while 

 the head-kerchief and leather pouch were removed and the .sword swallowed, and the Indian to this 

 day feels that he was guilty of a great wrong in swallowing the sword without the ceremony wliicli 

 should attend it. 



c Unlike the 'Hle'wekwe fraternity, it is exceptional, so a prominent member of the Great Fire fra- 

 ternity states, for a novice to succeed the first night in swallowing the sword. He adds: " I failed 

 in every effort to swallow the sword the night of my initiation. 1 tried four times, but could not 

 succeed." 



