274 NAVAJO CEREMONIAL OF HASJELTI DAILJIS. 
painted white and were nude, excepting the silk scarfs and mountain 
lion and other skins worn around the loins. Just before the stamping 
of the feet in the beginning of the dance, a rattle was shaken by all 
the male dancers, which was the signal for a peculiar back motion of 
the right arm and body and one which preceded the actual dancing. 
The six males lean their bodies to the right side extending the right 
hand backward, and then bringing it forward in a circular under sweep 
around to the mouth with a hoot. They then turn and face the east, 
and bending their bodies toward the south perform the same motion as 
before, when they turn to the west and repeat it in that direction. At 
the same time the leader and follower repeat their peculiar performance 
with the fawn skin and wands to the east and west. Dancing promis- 
cuously for a few moments to song and rattle, the men representing 
women singing in feminine tones, they form again in two lines, the wo- 
men as before on the north side. The man at the west end of the male 
line and the woman at the same end of the female line, meeting each 
other midway between the lines she passes her right arm through the 
arm of her partner, his arm being bent to receive it; they pass between 
the line and are met a short distance from the other end of the line by 
Hasjelti and Hostjoghon, who dance up to meet them, the movement 
resembling closely the old-fashioned Virginia reel. The couple then 
dance backward between the lines to their starting point, then down 
again, when they separate, the man taking his place in the rear of the 
male line and the woman hers in the rear of the female line. This 
couple starting down the second time, the man and woman immedi- 
ately next in line lock arms and pass down in the same manner, Has- 
jelti and Hostjoghon scarcely waiting for the first couple to separate 
before dancing up to meet the second couple; the remaining couples 
following in like order until the first couple find themselves in their 
former position at the head of the lime. Now a group dance is indulged 
in for a minute or two when lines are again formed, and a second figure 
exactly like the first is danced. This figure was again repeated with- 
out variation, after which the men and women fell into single file, and, 
led by Hasjelti and followed by Hostjoghon, left the dancing ground. 
They did not go to the green, however, but moved off a short distance 
to rest for a moment and returned. Upon each return the invalid 
passed down the line on the north side sprinkling each dancer with 
meal, Hasjelti and Hostjoghon performing with the fawn skin and 
wands. This dance of four figures was repeated twelve times, each 
time the dancers resting but a moment. After the twelve dances the 
dancers passed to the green room, where they were relieved by a see- 
ond set of men. The second series of dances were exactly like the 
first. There were twenty-one dances, four figures in each dance, and 
each time the dancers appeared they were sprinkled with meal by the 
invalid, while Hasjelti and Hostjoghon performed their antics with 
fawn skin and wands. The third series embraced all the dances ex- 
