hoffman] CEREMONIAL CHANTS 81 



the four had responded those who had passed went to their places and 

 before seatiug themselves looked around the inclosure, as if address- 

 ing a number of invisible persons present, and said, "Nika'ni, nika'ni, 

 nika'ni, kane'," to which the others again responded, "Hau'kii." Each 

 visitor then seated himself and took a ceremonial smoke. He took his 

 seat, as did all subsequent visitors, either on one or the other side of 

 the structure, according to the phratry of which he was a member. 



It has already been stated that a second group of four medicine men 

 had been selected to assist in the ceremonies of initiation; and these, 

 having by this time dressed themselves in their ornamented head- 

 dresses, with beaded medicine bags suspended at their sides, and with 

 beaded garters and other ornaments adorning their persons, now ap- 

 peared at the eastern entrance, entering in single file, keeping step to 

 a forward dancing movement, which consisted of quick hops on the right 

 and left foot alternately. These medicine men were Ni'aqtawa'pomi, 

 Mai'akint'VT, Na'qpatii, and Kime'an. All of them had gourd or tin 

 rattles, with which to accompany the singer. The four passed along 

 before the others, who were already seated, holding their hands toward 

 the latter, and saluting them by expressing such terms of relationship 

 as existed, or by terming one an elder brother or a younger brother, as 

 their relative ages demanded. They then continued their dancing step 

 down on the right side to the west, where they gradually turned to their 

 left side so as to return on the opposite (southern) side of the inclosure 

 to the inside of the eastern entrance, where they halted and faced west- 

 ward. The leader, Ni'aqtawa'pomi, then began to keep time with his 

 rattle, addressing those present by saying, "Nika'ni, nika'ni, nika'ni, 

 kang';" whereupon all present responded by saying, "Hau'kii," when he 

 began to chant the words: 



"I am glad you are all working at that, of which the old medicine 

 men taught me. It puts back my thoughts to bygone years, when I 

 was young and just about to be made a member of this society. This 

 is the way all of you feel at realizing how the many winters have 

 whitened our hair." 



Then the singer, accompanied by his three assistants, renewed his 

 dancing along the path to the western end of the mita'wiko'mik, where 

 they halted and, facing eastward, Ni'aqtawa'pomi continued his chant: 



"'Take pity on your poor,' is what the old people always told me to 

 do; that I now say to those within the hearing of my voice; my sou, 

 you will be happy when you dance with the dead today." 



At the conclusion of this chant the four medicine men again started 

 on their dancing step to make the circuit of the interior of the inclos- 

 ure, but as they approached the east, the one who first chanted quietly 

 stepped to the rear of the line, leaving the second one, Mai'akine'u v , to 

 become the leader, and as they took their former position at the eastern 

 entrance, facing westward, he also addressed those present with the 

 14 eth 6 



