Hoffman] CLAW AND MIRROR TRICK 99 



trick; hi fact, lie pretended to make a bear's claw stand upright on the 

 polished surface of a small mirror, and then to cause the claw to hang 

 to the same surface while the mirror was turned toward the earth. 

 Perfect silence prevailed in the medicine wiko'mik as Kime'an arose 

 and approached the eastern middle of the iuclosure. Taking from his 

 medicine bag a small, round, old-fashioned pocket mirror, he held it up 

 so as to give everyone an opportunity of satisfying himself that there 

 was nothing mysterious apparent; turning around in every direction, 

 he then produced the claw of a black bear, which he grasped about the 

 middle and held up toward the audience. Then, while slowly and 

 softly chanting, he gradually brought the mirror, which was in his left 

 hand, to a level before him, then slowly brought the claw down to the 

 surface of the mirror, stood it up on end and left it there, while he 

 continued to turn in every direction, so as to exhibit the trick, at the 

 same time pretending to take great care lest the claw fall over. In a 

 few moments he stooped a little lower, and with a quick movement of 

 the left hand turned the glass so as to place the claw in the position 

 of being suspended from the glass, without any visible means of sup- 

 port or attachmentto the mirror (figure 10), Turning round and round, 

 carefully watching the magic claw, he quickly swung his hand over on 

 its back so as again to bring the mirror surface uppermost. The claw 

 was then removed and the glass put back into the medicine bag, but not 

 quickly enough to deceive at least one of the spectators, for the spot of 

 resin which had held the claw was observed. The resin had previously 

 been placed on the end of the claw, where its presence was visible only 

 under careful inspection. 



This trick had great effect on the audience, and gave additional 

 notoriety of the powers of the old juggler. 



After the various medicine men had participated again in a cere- 

 monial smoke (partly to allow sufficient time to regain order within the 

 wiko'mik), the three sets of shamans, twelve in number, arose, and as 

 the senior quartette began to move westward, along the northern side, 

 the three lower in rank took the drum and rattles and began to chant. 

 As these shamans reached the place occupied by the second group of 

 shamans, they too arose and followed the leaders, as did also the third 

 set of four on the south, until the entire set of shamans were slowly and 

 impressively marching around the interior of the inclosure, chanting in 

 unison a song of but few notes, though often repeated so as to prolong 

 it as much as possible. 



The musicians continued to inarch until they had made the circuit of 

 the inclosure four times, when they retired to their seats, as did also 

 the medicine men from the southern side, leaving only the second group 

 of four medicine men to continue the performance, which now assumed 

 a serious character, and which was most important of all to the candi- 

 date, as he was about to receive the new life. The four medicine men 

 now began to move more rapidly toward the candidate, dancing along 



