FEWKES] PALULUKONTI, OR ANKWANTI 47 



their heads behind the flaps, and the performance ended with a 

 prolonged roar from behind the screen. In the darkness which 

 followed, made by hanging blankets before the lire, the actors packed 

 their paraphernalia, gathered their effigies, and quieth' left the room. 

 The accompanying plate" represents this fifth act. or the struggle 

 of the mudhead with the serpent effigies. The framework, which 

 is supported by two men, is decorated with zigzag symbols repre- 

 senting lightning; the row of semicii-cular bodies on the crossbeam 

 symbolizes the rain clouds, from which descend parallel marks, the 

 falling rain. These six semicircular rain-cloud s^vmbols are of differ- 

 ent colors, yellow, green, red, and white, corresponding to the sup- 

 posed colors of the ' cardinal points, and all have animal designs 

 representing frogs and l)irds painted upon them. The manipulators 

 of the serpent effigies are hidden from view by pine or cedar boughs 

 inserted into a log on the floor, which is covered with figui'es of rings, 

 s3'mbolic of the earth. At the right of a median vertical line a ser- 

 pent eflig\' is seen protruded through an opening, above which is a 

 circular flap raised to a horizontal position. The serpent effigy on 

 this side is searching for a j-outhful "mudhead," who has crawled 

 below the disk. The left-hand serpent is represented in conflict 

 with an adult mudhead, who has grasped it about the body and 

 neck; the serpent appeal's to be biting at its opponent. We are look- 

 ing at this strange contest from the raised spectators' floor of the 

 kiva; the miniature cornfield, which one of the serpents knocked 

 down a short time before, has been removed, and the clay pedestals 

 which remained are distributed among the spectators. The weird 

 effects of the light from the fireplace in the middle of the room have 

 been brought out by the artist. Airs Gill, who has successfullv drawn 

 these screens from the author's kodak photographs and sketches. 



sixth Art 



There was yet another exhibition of serpent effigies in this con- 

 tinuous performance, and the actors were announced in much the same 

 way as their predecessors. They appeared shortly after the depar- 

 ture of the Spider woman and her associates, and arranged their 

 paraphernalia in the darkened room, holding up an additional lilanket 

 to conceal their preparations. When the blankets were dropped from 

 before the fire, a miniature field of corn was seen on the kiva floor, 

 and back of it were two vases surrounded, except on the side toward 

 the fire, by a row of squatting mudheads. A song immediately began, 

 and suddenly the four lappets '' which covei'ed the orifice of each 

 vase were turned back automaticalU', when out of the vases slowly 



"Plate XXXIII, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., vol. ii, 1900. 



&The.se four semicircular flaps, symbols of rain clouds, were painted in four colors, yellow, green, 

 red, and white. On the necks of the vases were parallel lines, symbols of falling rain, and on their 

 sides were stars and tadpole decoration. Each vase was placed on a bed of cedar or pine boughs to 

 make it more stable. 



