MATTHEWS. } SACRIFICES OF DSILYIDJE QAGAL. 453 
paragraph immediately preceding. About the middle of the cord is a 
long white shell bead, shown in the cut. The breast feathers of the 
turkey and the downy feathers of the eagle are attached to the sticks. 
This kethawn I saw once in the possession of a Navajo qacali. I was 
permitted to sketch it, but could not purchase it. The interpretation 
given of its symbolism is that of the qacali who owned it. In the myth 
of klédji-qagal it is said that the beneficent god Qastcéélci used this 
kethawn when he removed from the prophet Co the evil spell which 
had been cast on the latter by the wind god. 
179. In Schooleraft’s Archives of Aboriginal Knowledge, Philadel- 
phia, 1860, Vol. III, page 306, is a cut illustrating an article undoubt- 
edly of a similar nature to that shown in Fig. 59. It is a sacrificial 
plume stick of the Moki. The Moki interpreter explained to Mr. School- 
craft that it contained a message from the Indians to the President 
and the. particulars of this message are fully set forth in his text. At 
first I doubted if the object could have any other purpose than a sac- 
rificial one and was inclined to discredit the statement of the Moki inter- 
preter. But on learning that the Navajo had a similar arrangement of 
sticks and feathers, which was called by the significant name of kecan- 
yalgi‘, or talking kethawn, I was more inclined to believe that some of 
these kethawns may answer a double purpose and be used to convey 
messages, or at least serve as mnemonic aids to envoys. 
180. The cae-bikecan (bear kethawn) spoken of in the myth consisted 
of two sticks, each a span long, one painted black (male), the other 
painted blue (female). Each had red and blue bands at the ends and 
in the middle. There were no feathers or beads. (Paragraph 40.) 
181. The gloi-bikeg¢an, or sacrifices to the weasels, were four in number, 
two yellow and two white. In preparing the sticks one end was always 
to be held to the north, the other towards the south. At each end a, 
narrow circle of red and a narrow circle of blue were painted; the red. 
being to the north, i. e., outside of the blue at one end and inside of it: 
at the other. The weasel men directed that the sticks should be buried 
jn the ground in the same direction in which they were held when being 
made, lying from north to south with the outer red ring at the north. 
(Paragraph 41.) 
182. Four sticks pertained to the klictsd-bikegan: one was black, with 
four white deer tracks painted on it; another was blue, with four yellow 
deer tracks; a third was white, with four black deer tracks; the fourth 
was yellow, with four blue deer tracks. The Great Serpent said to the 
Navajo prophet: ‘There are certain moles who, when they dig in the 
ground, scatter the earth in a long winding heap like the form of a crawl- 
jng snake. In such a heap of earth will you bury these kethawns.” 
(Paragraph 42.) 
183. There are two sticks belonging to the kethawn of the lightning 
god (i¢ni‘-bikegan}. One is black, with a white zigzag stripe from end 
