he singing of the birds, the cooing of the dove, the croaking of
the frog, the chirping of the cricket, all the sounds uttered by the
denizens of the greensward, are to the Indian appeals to the deities
for rain. For what other reason should they sing or call? For the
strange behaviour of many animals in the early spring the Tarahumares
can find no other explanation but that these creatures, too, are
interested in rain. And as the gods grant the prayers of the deer
expressed in its antics and dances, and of the turkey in its curious
playing, by sending the rain, they easily infer that to please the
gods they, too, must dance as the deer and play as the turkey.

From this it will be understood that dance with these people is a very
serious and ceremonious matter, a kind of worship and incantation
rather than amusement. Never do man and woman dance together, as in
the waltz and polka of civilised people. The very word for dancing,
"nolavoa," means literally "to work." The wise old man may reproach
laggard, inexperienced younger ones, saying, "Why do you not go to
work?" meaning that they should go to the dance and not stand idly
about while the feast is going on. If the Tarahumares did not comply
with the commands of Father Sun and dance, the latter would come down
and burn up the whole world.

The Indian never asks his god to forgive whatever sin he may have
committed; all he asks for is rain, which to him means something to
eat, and to be free of evil. The only wrong toward the gods of which
he may consider himself guilty is that he does not dance enough. For
this offence he asks pardon. Whatever bad thoughts or actions toward
man he may have on his conscience are settled between himself and
the person offended. I once asked a prominent heathen shaman why the
people were not baptised, and he said: "Because Tata Dios made us
as we are. We have always been as you see us. People do not need to
be baptised, because there is no devil here. Tara Dios is not angry
with us; why should he be? Only when people do bad things does he
get angry. We make much beer and dance much, in order that he may
remain content; but when people talk much, and go around fighting,
then he gets angry and does not give us rain."

Dancing not only expresses prayers for rain and life, but also
petitions the gods to ward off evil in any shape, as diseases of man,
beast, or crops. The people may dance also in case too much rain is
falling, or for luck