MATTHEWS.] CEREMONIES: STICK SWALLOWING; SUN SHOW. 437 
joined in the chant; some brought in wood and replenished the waning 
fires; some, wrapped in their serapes, stretched themselves on the 
ground to catch short naps. 
138. Fifth dance. It was after midnight when the blowing of a hoarse 
buffalo horn announced the approach of those who were to perform the 
fifth dance, the teohanoai alili or sun show. There were twenty-four 
choristers and a rattler. There were two character dancers, who were 
arrayed, like so many others, in little clothing and much paint. Their 
heads and arms were adorned with plumes of the war eagle, their necks 
with rich necklaces of genuine coral, their waists with valuable silver 
studded belts, and their loins with bright sashes of crimson silk. One 
bore on his back a round disk, nine inches in diameter, decorated with 
radiating eagle plumes to represent the sun. The other carried a disk, 
six and a half inches in diameter, similarly ornamented, to symbolize 
the moon. Each bore a skeleton wand of reeds that reminded one of 
the frame of a great kite; it was ornamented with pendant eagle plumes 
that swayed with every motion of the dancer. While the whole party 
was passing round the fire in the usual manner wands were waved and 
heads bowed towards the flames. When it stopped in the west the 
choristers sat and sang and the rattler stood and rattled, while the 
bearers of the sun and the moon danced at a lively rate for just three 
minutes. Then the choristers rose and all sang and danced themselves 
out of sight. A second performance of this dance came between the 
first and second repetitions of the next show. 
139. I have recorded one story (but have heard of another) accounting 
for the origin of this dance; it is as follows: When Dsilyi‘ Neydni vis- 
ited the mountain of Bistcagi, the home of Estsan @igini, these divine 
beings had for ornaments on their walls the sun and the moon. When 
the great mythic dance was given they were among the guests. They 
brought their wall decorations, and when the time for their alili came 
they wore the sun and the moon on their backs when they danced. 
140. The Sixth dance, that of the standing ares, was both picturesque 
andingenious. The principal performers were eight in number, as usual 
with scanty clothing. Their hair fell loose and long over back and 
shoulders and each bore in front of him, held by both hands, a wooden 
are, ornamented with eagle plumes. The ends of the are (which was a 
full semicircle) showed tufts of pinion twigs, and they were evidently 
joined togetber by a slender string, which was invisible to the audience. 
Besides the eight principal actors, there was a rattler, a bearer of the 
groaning stick,andachorus. While all were making the fourth cireuit of 
the fire, frequent shouts of “Gohe ! Cohe!” (Englished, Thohay—“ Stand! 
stand!” or ‘Stay! stay!”) were heard, the significance of which soon 
became apparent. When they stopped in the west, the eight character 
dancers first went through various quadrille-like figures, such as were 
witnessed in the third dance, and then knelt in two rows that faced one 
another. Ata word from the rattier the man who was nearest to him 
