STEVENSON] a'pi^'^lashiwanni 589 



and limbs bare; also a red belt, a string of silver beads around the 

 neck, and silver bangles. The hair is done up in the usual manner. 

 The dancers at the east end stand upon a rectangular wooden slab, 

 8 feet in length and 15 inches wide, laid in the floor, facing the choir, 

 with their feet close together, their arms hanging and their hands 

 clasped. Those at the west end have similar positions. 



While the choirs pray, the drummer at the east end of the room 

 gives one loud stroke upon his drum, which is returned by a stroke 

 from the other drummer, in obedience to the command given at Hiin'- 

 Mipinkia," that the beings who appeared from below the earth at that 

 time shall hear and be present. The drummer at the east end now 

 begins an accompaniment to the song, which is low and slow during 

 the first stanza, the girls keeping time by motions with the knees and 

 arms. After a minute there is another single stroke at the east end, 

 which is returned by the drummer at the west, and the song and 

 dance begin in earnest. The girls at once turn and face the room. 

 The two at the west end extend their right upper arms outward and 

 the right lower arms upward, their left arms are extended slightly for- 

 ward, and hang. The arms of the girls at the east end are reversed, 

 their right arms pointing downward, their upper left arms upward, as 

 they begin. The positions of the arms are constantly reversed during 

 the dance. 



The pa'mosona, who stands north of the line of dancers in the east 

 end of the room, wears cotton trousers and shirt, with a red blanket 

 around him. The vice pa'mosona, who is attired in much the same 

 fashion, and the vice pa'mosono''kia, wearing her usual dress, including 

 moccasins, with black blanket, stand north of the line of dancers at 

 the west end of the room. Each of the three and each member of the 

 choir holds a bit of cedar bark in the left hand. 



The girls dance from south to north and back, sidewise, in unison 

 with the choir. At certain portions of the song, where the Gods of 

 War are appealed to to destroy the enemy, the cedar bark is spit upon 

 and carried around the head four times from left to right, when all 

 expectorate. When the dancers retire, no set remaining longer than 

 ten minutes on the floor, they return to their seats on the north or 

 south side of the chamber, when they immediately put on the pi'toni 

 and moccasins, and other girls fill their places. The choirs pray each 

 time the change is" made and after the dancers take their positions. 

 This dance closes at half past 1 o'clock in the afternoon, and the 

 pa'mosona and his vice place the drums side by side in the center of 

 the chamber. Removing the hide, they take from the inside of each 

 drum two chaparral cock feathers, diagonally crossed, and two pieces 

 of yucca leaf crossed in the same fashion, indicating the footprints of 

 the bird, and hold thiem in their left hands with the cedar bark while 



a See p. 36. • 



