Brazil-wood, brought from the vicinity of San Ignacio,
the hikuli country. The shaman holds the notched stick in his left
hand, a little away from himself, so that it touches the vessel at a
point below the middle of its length, the part between the shaman's
hand and the point of contact being a little longer than the portion
from that point to the end of the stick.

The notched sticks which are shown in the illustration, from a
Tarahumare burial-cave, are apparently of considerable age. The Indians
to whom I showed them did not know them, but they all affirmed that
they were rasping-sticks. On two sides of one of them are slanting
lines, which symbolize the road of Tata Dios; on the intervening sides
are transverse lines which represent falling rain. As the implements
were found near Baborigame, they may possibly have belonged to the
Tepehuanes, the northern members of whom also have the hikuli cult.

When the shaman begins to rasp, he starts from the farther end
of the notched stick, though not quite at the point, and runs his
rasping-stick quickly and evenly, about twenty-six times, toward
himself, and away again; then he makes three long strokes down and
outward, each time throwing out his arm at full length, and holding
the stick for a second high up toward the east. This is repeated
three times, and is the prelude to the ceremony. Now he begins to
sing, accompanying himself with even strokes on the notched stick,
playing regularly, one stroke as long and as fast as the other,
always first toward himself, then down again. His songs are short,
lasting only about five minutes.

Presently the shaman's assistants, men and women, rise. They carry
censers filled with burning charcoals and copal, and emitting a heavy
smoke, and proceed toward the cross, to which they offer the smoking
incense, kneeling down, facing east, and crossing themselves. This
feature, if not wholly due to Catholic influence, is at least strongly
affected by it.

Having offered incense to the cross, they return to the shaman. The
women now sit down again in their previous places. The men receive
from the shaman rattles (_sonajas_) consisting of deer-hoofs tied with
bits of reed to a strap of leather. They are either held in the right
hand or slung over the shoulder. When there are not enough rattles
for all assistants, a bell may be substituted.

Finally everything is ready for the dance to commence. The men wear
white blankets, in which they