748 BUREAU OF AMERICAK ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 137 



Their Dancing is perform'd either by few or a great Company, but with- 

 out much regard either to Time or Figure. The first of these is by one or 

 two persons, or at most three. In the mean while, tlie Company sit about 

 them in a Ring upon the Ground, singing outrageously and shaking their 

 Rattles. The Dancers sometimes Sing, and sometimes look menacing and 

 terrible, beating their Feet furiously against the Ground, and showing ten 

 thousand Grimaces and Distortions. The other is perform'd by a great num- 

 ber of people, the Dancers themselves forming a Ring, and moving round a 

 Circle of carv'd Posts, that are set up for that purpose; or else round a 

 Fire, made in a convenient part of the Town ; and then each has his Rattle 

 In his hand, or what other thing he fancies most, as his Bow and Arrows, or 

 his Tomahawk. They also dress themselves up with Branches of Trees, or 

 some other strange accoutrements. Thus they proceed, Dancing and Singing, 

 with all the antick postures they can invent ; and he's the bravest Fellow 

 that has the most prodigious gestures. Sometimes they place three young 

 Women in the middle of the Circle, as you may see in the Figure. [See pi. 93.] 

 (Beverley, 1705, bk. 3, pp. 53-54.) 



And Strachey : 



As for their dauncyng, the sport seemes unto them, and the use almost as 

 frequent and necessary as their meat and drynck, in which they consume much 

 tyme, and for which they appoint many and often meetings, and have tiiere- 

 fore, as yt were, set orgies or festivalls for the same pastyme, as have yet at 

 this daye the merry Greekes within the Arches. At our colonies first sitting 

 downe amongst them, when any of our people repaired to their townes, tlie 

 Indians would not thinck they had expressed their welcome sufficyentlie 

 enough untill they had shewed them a daunce, the manner of which is thus : 

 One of them standeth by, with some furre or leather thing in his leaft hand, 

 upon which he beats with his right hand, and sings with all as if he began 

 the quier, and kept unto the rest their just tyme, when upon a certaiue 

 stroke or more (as upon his cue or tyme to come in) one riseth up and begynns 

 to dawnce; after he hath daunced a while stepps forth another, as if he came 

 in just upon his rest ; and in this order all of them, so many as there be, one 

 after another, who then daunce an equall distaunce from each other in ring, 

 showting, howling, and stamping their feete against the ground with such 

 force and paine that they sweat agayne, and with all variety of Strang 

 mymick tricks and distorted faces, making so confused a yell and noyse as 

 SO many frantique and disquieted bachanalls, and sure they will keepe stroak 

 just with their feete to the tyme he gives, and just one with another, but with 

 the hands, head, face, and body, every one hath a severall gesture; and who 

 have seene the darvises, in their holy daunces, in their mosces, upon Wednesdayes 

 and Frydayes in Turkey, maye resemble these unto them. Strachey, 1849, pp. 

 80-81.) 



Beverley has the following fragment of myth : 



They have likewise in other cases many fond and idle Superstititions, as 

 for the purpose, by the falls of James River upon ColloneZ Byrd's Land, there 

 lies a Rock which I have seen, about a mile from the River, wherein is fairly 

 imprest several marks like the footsteps of a Gigantick Man, each step being 

 about five foot asunder: These they aver to be tlie track of their God. 

 (Beverley, 1705, bk. 3, p. 44.) 



But the longest myth recorded among these Indians is contained 

 in the following quotation from Strachey, which also gives an idea 



