ORIGIN OF THE BASKET DICE GAME. 45 
lodge and there at the altar sat four old men, who were daubed with 
ointment mixed with red clay. The woman who invited them was none 
other than the Moon, who had many children. All these children seemed 
to be girls. The dance began and they told the young man to learn the 
songs and to watch what they did, for in time he would do the same. 
He watched their movements and learned their songs. After singing 
then corn was brought in and they all ate. These two people received 
the seeds from the people who were living in the lodge. 
After the dancing then different games were taught these people, and 
they got the basket game at this time. In their dancing the four old 
men who were singing were none other than the Wind, Clouds, Lightning, 
and Thunder. The woman who danced in the west was the Evening- 
Star and was the god of storms, whose permission they obtained in order 
to create. For this reason she stood in front of the four old men. She 
was dancing and had the basket representing the moon. The four other 
dancers were also women who were stars. These were supposed to be 
the daughters of the Big-Black-Meteoric-Star who stands northeast in 
the heavens, and this star was to give in time the medicine-men their 
bundles and mysteries. As they danced these four moved towards the 
west, for they stood in the east in line. Towards the last the four dancers 
on the east moved up and each dumped into the basket what he carried. 
There were two swan-necks and two fawn-skins. This ended the dance. 
The basket woman was the one who gave permission to the gods to make 
the earth, and that is why the basket is made out of willow, for the earth 
is filled with timber. In making this particular basket a knife must not 
be used, but water and mud are used to help makeit. Everything was 
put in the earth, and what was not put in for mankind’s power was after- 
wards given by the Big-Black-Meteoric-Star. These women put the 
swan-necks and fawn-skins in the basket, for they represented the four 
gods in the west. 
In this ceremony these two people learned many things, and they 
finally got the basket and plum seeds, for the woman was afterwards 
told to get plum seeds and to put marks on them representing the stars. 
The basket was to represent the moon. This was done to remind them 
that Tirawa sent the stars in a basket (the moon), and that they fell 
to the earth so that they might teach these two people all they were to 
do upon the earth. The twelve sticks represent the twelve stars in a 
circle above the heavens who sat as chiefs in council. By moving the 
sticks they count and when done win the game. 
Basket-Woman is supposed to be the mother of all stars and she is 
the moon. When these people, who were really stars, saw that the two 
