AAA THE MOUNTAIN CHANT. 
with a skeptical twinkle in his eye, came into the dark circle. One of 
the party carried a deep Indian basket, from the top of which a number 
of spruce twigs protruded. They formed what has been designated as 
the ring of occultation, and while doing so they shouted and screamed 
and puffed the talismanie “ thohay ” in a way that left no doubt of their 
intention to ridicule; Their extravagant motions added to the signifi- 
cance of their intonation. When the ring opened the boys sat on the 
ground and began to sing and beat a drum. The old man sat at a dis- 
tance of about three paces west of the basket. Presently the nose of a 
little weasel (the image being probably a stuffed skin) appeared among 
the spruce boughs. All the timid, inquiring motions of the little animal 
were well mimicked: the nose was thrust forward and pulled back, 
the whole head would emerge and retreat, and at rare times the shoul- 
ders would be seen for a moment, to be quickly drawn in among the 
screening spruce twigs. All these motions were made in perfect time 
to the singing and drumming. The old man who pulled the actuating 
strings made no secret of his manipulations. The play was intended 
for a farce, and as such the spectators enjoyed it. 
THE GREAT PICTURES OF DSILYIDJE QACAL. 
154. A description of the four great pictures drawn in these ceremo- 
nies has been deferred until all might be described together. Their 
relations to one another rendered this the most desirable course to pur- 
sue. The preparation of the ground and of the colors, the application 
of the sacred pollen, and some other matters have been already consid- 
ered. 
155. The men who do the greater part of the actual work of painting, 
under the guidance of the chanter, have been initiated, but need not be 
skilled medicine men or even aspirants to the craft of the shaman. A 
certain ceremony of initiation has been performed on them four times, 
each time during the course of a different dance, before they are ad- 
mitted into the lodge during the progress of the work or allowed to 
assist in it. The medicine man receives a good present in horses for his 
work; the assistants get nothing but their food. This, however, is 
abundant. Three times a day the person for whose benefit the dance 
is performed sends in enough mush, corn cake, soup, and roasted mut- 
ton to satisfy to the utmost the appetites of all in the lodge. There are 
some young men who live well all winter by going around the country 
from dance to dance and assisting in the work of the lodge. 
156. The pictures are drawn according to an exact system. The 
shaman is frequently seen correcting the workmen and making them 
erase and reyise their work. In certain well detined instances the artist 
is allowed to indulge his individual faney. This is the case with the 
gaudy embroidered pouches which the gods carry at the waist. Within 
reasonable bounds the artist may give his god just as handsome a pouch 
al 

