COYOTE SHOWS TURKEY THE SCALP-OFFERING CEREMONY. 457 
fireplace, Coyote in front of Turkey, and both facing the fire, so that he 
could keep his eye on Turkey and finally hit him on the head with his 
stick. Each stood with the left foot forward, while they grasped a stick 
with both hands, the left hand being in front of the right. First they 
pointed the forward ends of their sticks obliquely upward, then obliquely 
downward; they then made one or two up-and-down motions of the body, 
raising the heels from the ground, the body being bent forward; all in 
imitation of the old priests they had seen making fire for the sacrifices of 
scalps, and all accompanied by the following song: 
Listen! Attention! 
Who will eat, who will eat up 
That neck hanging there? 
They went to the northwest side of the fireplace, and they went 
through the same performance as that of the northeast side, keeping time 
in their dancing to the following song: 
Listen! Attention! 
Who will eat, who will eat up 
That which sits inside the breast? 
They repeated the dance on the southwest side of the fireplace in a 
similar manner, while Coyote sang this song: 
Listen! Attention! 
Who will eat, who will eat up 
That end of the backbone which carries the tail? 
While Coyote was getting ready to kill him, Turkey began to suspect 
something and ran away to the timber on the south side of the open field 
where they were dancing. When Coyote opened his eyes Turkey was 
gone. He called himself names, and said: ‘‘What a fine neck he had; 
what a fat Turkey! If I had only killed him instead of fooling my time 
away. Now I have nothing for my children to eat, for I have let him 
slip away.”’ Then Coyote hallooed to Turkey and said: ‘‘Let’s com- 
plete the ceremony; you must not be scared; my songs did not mean 
anything.”’ But Turkey never came back. 
134. COYOTE AND THE DANCING TURKEYS." 
A bunch of Turkeys were dancing, when Coyote came up to them. 
**Grandchildren, you are not singing a good song; I can teach you a good 
song,’’said he. ‘‘Very well,” all the Turkeys said; “‘sing us a good song.”’ 
Coyote sang: 
1Told by White-Eagle, Skidi. The story is told to the children so that they 
might imitate the dancing of the turkeys and should dance this dance when playing 
in the night, 
