STEVENSON] shu'maakwe 535 



and tive oirls sit on the north ledj^e, nearer the eastern side of the 

 room, the Great Mother of the fraternity sitting to the east end of the 

 line. The choir, which is grouped in its usual place, begins the song 

 in low tones. After the first stanza two men leave the choir and carry 

 away to ofl'er to the gods the food which was placed ])efore the altar 

 when the evening meal was served. 



A woman of the fraternity, who has been absent from the village, 

 now appears for the first time. She takes her seat with the others of 

 her sex and at once removes the moccasins, and each of the four 

 novices gives her a pinch of meal from his husk, which she receives 

 in the palm of her left hand. She wraps it in a bit of husk, forming 

 a rectangular package, as the others did on the first afternoon of the 

 ceremonial. Her fraternity father hands her a prayer plume, and 

 then she leaves the chamber, accompanied by the fraternity father, 

 and proceeds to Ku'shilowa, where she plants her plumes and sprin- 

 kles the meal. Though the night is cold and the wind piercing, she is 

 not deterred from complying with the demands of her cult. After the 

 first song the choir enjoys a social smoke and chat for fifteen minutes. 

 When the second song begins two j^oung men start the dance by pulling 

 several of the girls to the floor, and these are joined by three of the 

 choir. Other women (one who is soon to become a mother has her 

 belt so arranged by the acting Great Mother as to hide the form as 

 much as possible) are induced to join the ring, until all the women 

 excepting the Great Mother are dancing. Others from the choir step 

 in until a circle of twenty is formed. They dance around from left 

 to right, all but two holding hands. There is always a l)reak in the 

 circle, symbolic of the road or passagewa}^ of life. Two ,young men 

 who are to personate Sai'apa gods are in the center of the circle. 

 They take their positions, wearing their cotton trousers and shirts, 

 but almost immediately each of the two removes his clothing and 

 fastens around his waist a fringe of buckskin 6 inches deep and tipped 

 with bits of conical tin. The two men dance back and forth in the 

 circle, which is constantl}" moving, with a moiiotonous side step. This 

 dance continues thirty minutes, when all the dancers pass to the altar 

 and inhale the sacred breath of life. Cofiee is now served to the men, 

 and after a ten-minute chat the song is resumed, the personator of the 

 Sai'apa of the previous ev^ening being joined by a companion. The 

 balancing on one foot is varied by jumping and hopping about the 

 room, crying out in wild, weird tones. The two men are cheered by 

 the others, who cry in a similar way. After dancing thirty minutes 

 the dancer of the previous evening leaves the floor and his place is 

 filled by a warrior of the fraternit}', who is far from graceful in the 

 springing motion. An aged woman and two girls now begin dancing. 

 They aim to follow the men in the springing figure, but their feet are 

 raised only a few inches above the floor. The women, as well as the 



