, and one blue. These were placed in a basket
half filled with meal; the basket stood in the niche behind the
song-priest. Two men personated Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni.
Naiyenesgony's body was painted black (from the embers of a burnt weed
of which specimens were procured) and on the outside of his legs below
the knee, on the upper arms, breast and scapula were bows in white but
without arrows. Tobaidischinni had his body painted with the scalp knot
in white in relative positions to the bows on Naiyenesgony. A third man,
personating the turquois hermaphrodite Ahsonnutli, wore the usual
squaw's dress with a blanket fastened over the shoulders reaching to the
ground. Her mask was blue. The three left the lodge carrying their masks
in their hands. Passing some distance down the avenue to the east they
put on their masks and returned to the lodge. A buffalo robe had been
spread in front of the lodge. Just as the maskers returned, the invalid,
wrapped in a fine red Navajo blanket and bearing a basket of sacred
meal, stepped upon the robe; he had before stood in front of the lodge
by the side of the song-priest. The many spectators on foot and
horseback clad in their rich blankets formed a brilliant surrounding for
this ceremony, which took place just at the setting of the son.
Naiyenesgony carried in his right hand a large lava celt which was
painted white. Tobaidischinni followed next carrying in his right hand
the black wood stick which had been prepared in the morning, and in his
left hand the red stick. Ahsonnutli followed with bow and arrow in the
left hand and an arrow in the right with a quiver thrown over the
shoulder.

Naiyenesgony drew so close to the invalid that their faces almost
touched and pointed his celt toward the invalid. Tobaidischinni then
approached and in the same manner pointed the sticks toward him, after
which he was approached by Ahsonnutli with her bow and arrows. This was
repeated on the south, west, and north sides of the invalid; each time
the invalid partially turned his arm, shoulder, and back to sprinkle
meal upon the gods. The gods then rushed to the entrance of the medicine
lodge repeating the ceremony there, when they hurried to the south side
of the lodge (the invalid having returned to the lodge; the buffalo robe
was carried in by an attendant). The gods went from the south side of
the lodge to the west and then to the north performing the same
ceremony. As the invalid had spent m