The theurgist occupied his usual seat, surrounded by his corps of
attendants. The man personating Naiyenesgony had his body and limbs
painted black. The legs below the knee, the scapula, the breasts, and the
arm above the elbow were painted white. His loins were covered with a fine
red silk scarf, held by a silver belt; his blue knit stockings were tied
with red garters below each knee, and quantities of coral, turquois, and
white shell beads ornamented the neck. The man representing Tobaidischinni
had his body colored reddish brown, with this figure
[Illustration: scalp knot symbol]
(the scalp knot) in white on the outside of each leg below the knee, on
each arm below the shoulder, each scapula, and on each breast. This design
represents the knot of hair cut from the heads of enemies, and the style
is still in use by the Navajo. The man wore a red woolen scarf around the
loins, caught on by a silver belt, and his neck was profusely ornamented
with coral, turquois, and white beads.(1) Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni
left the lodge, carrying with them their masks. (See Pl. cxv, 1, 2, 3.)
Bunches of pine boughs, which during the forenoon had been made into
wreaths by joining pieces together with yucca in this fashion were
[Illustration: scalp knot symbol]
laid across each end of the rug.
After the two men personating the gods left the lodge the invalid entered
and took his seat on the rug with his back to the theurgist. Two
attendants dressed him with the wreaths, beginning with the right ankle; a
piece was then tied around the calf, thigh, waist, around the chest, right
wrist, elbow, upper arm, throat, forehead, then around the upper left arm,
elbow, wrist, thigh, left knee, calf, and ankle. Thus the man was
literally obscured with a mass of pine. He sat in an upright position with
the legs extended and arms falling by his sides. A chant was sung by the
song priest, and in a few minutes Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni
appeared. Naiyenesgony drew his stone knife in front of the invalid over
the forehead to the feet, then down the right side and down the back and
down the left side. He then began to remove the pine. As each wreath was
taken off the clusters were partly separated with the stone knife.
Tobaidischinni assisted Naiyenesgony by holding the wreaths while they
were being cut.
When all the evergreen had been removed the personators of the gods
exclaimed, "Now, my people, we have killed all enemies!" and immediately
left the lodge. The song priest placed a small wreath of the pine on the
sick man's head, and holding in his left hand a bunch of eagle plumes, and
in his right hand a rattle, he sang the ten songs and prayers, assisted by
the choir, that were given by Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni to the
Navajo to bring health and good fortune. After the pine-bough wreaths had
been separated the bits of yucca-strings were picked up by the attendant
and handed to Naiyenesgony, who held them over the sick man's head, after
which the bits were again divided with the knife. After the ten songs and
prayers had been chanted the invalid left the rug and sat a little to the
northeast, of it, with his knees drawn up. The song priest placed two live
coals in front of the invalid and sprinkled chopped herbs on the coals,
the fumes of which the invalid inhaled. The pines were carried off and
placed in the shade of a pine tree, that the disease might not leave the
pine and return to the invalid.(2)