Part 5

Upon the top of the head each wore a feather tuft. This was parted from front to rear, and the yellowhammer-feather forehead-band, which was attached to the hair so as to hang down to the eyebrows, passed through the part in this and hung down the back to about the hips. A feather skirt tied just under the arms, and entirely covering the back, completed the costume, except for a few green twigs which were held in both hands directly in front of the face while the dance was actually in progress. No whistle was used by these dancers.

The women painted the upper part of the body in the same way as the men and wore a feather tuft and the regular woman's forehead-band with bangles. They wore no feather skirt, but otherwise attired themselves as did the men.

The men were divided into two groups at A, A (fig. 8) on both sides of the rear of the dance-house, the women dancers being likewise divided into two groups at F, F on each side of the drum.

When all was ready for the dance, the head singer started an air and sang alone for several minutes. Then, at a given signal, the burden-singers joined in with the chorus, all accompanying their singing with split-stick rattles. This was the signal for the beginning of the first or preliminary division of the dance. The men went to a position about midway between the center pole and the drum, where they formed a line BC, the women forming a group in the position G, directly behind the line BC. Here was held the preliminary division of the dance, called tehe´sbax (E), in which the participants danced in place for a few minutes.

The men next moved to the position DE, passing on each side of the center pole, the women following them to the position HI. They thus formed two lines, facing the center pole. Here the principal part of the dance was held. The chief singer again started the air, being joined at the proper time by the burden-singers. Simultaneously with the latter, the master of ceremonies gave the signal for the dancers to begin. During the dancing he repeated the proper dance formula[24] four times, finally saying, "ī, ī´ ..." and the dance stopped. At the beginning of the dance, upon the signal from the master of ceremonies, the dancers, both men and women, whirled around and faced the fire, and as the dance stopped at the above signal they whirled back again so as to face the center pole. The dancers moved sidewise back and forth four times in all, along the lines DE and HI. Standing in their original positions, they then performed for the second time the movement first described, thus ending the dance.

This entire dance might be repeated as many times as desired, no definite number being prescribed; but when each set of three divisions, as above stated, was finished, the dancers returned to A, A and F, F, retracing as nearly as possible the courses which they had traversed in coming from these two positions. After the last set of this dance, they removed their dance costumes near the drum.

_hō´hō ke._--The hōh´ō or hō´hōwa dance, which may be taken as a type of many of those dances which follow, lasted from one-half to three-quarters of an hour and could be danced at any time of year. The men were dressed as follows: The lower part of the face (i.e., below a line running from just under the ear to a point just under the nose) was painted black. A black band, about four fingers in width, ran from each of the acromia to the sternum. Four similar bands encircled each arm, two above and two below the elbow, while four such bands were placed upon each leg. Upon the head each man wore a feather tuft, a yellow-hammer feather forehead-band and a pair of trembler plumes, and upon the back a feather skirt. Each dancer carried a bone whistle also.

Each woman wore a feather tuft and the usual woman's forehead-band. In each hand she carried a small bunch of shredded tule. These bundles, called kato´hle (E), were made by tying together at one end several stems, perhaps six or eight inches long, and then shredding the loose ends with a basketry awl. This dance was a very lively one and took its name, as did several others, from some of the words of the song accompanying it. Part of the burden of this song is a high-keyed "hō, hō, hō, hō ..." very rapidly spoken by the burden-singers in unison.

The music was provided by a head singer, several burden-singers, and a drummer. Each of the singers used a split-stick rattle.

_cō´kin ke._--The cō´kin dance was very similar, in many respects, to the hō´hō ke. One informant said that the dress and painting were exactly the same, except that the upper arm and thigh bore one painted band each, instead of two as in the hō´hō ke.

_dūtū´ka ke._--The same might be said of the dūtū´ka ke (C), or dūtū´ga xe (E). The dress of the men was identical with that of the hō´hō-dancers. The men used no whistles. The women wore the regular woman's forehead-band. From one to perhaps eight or ten persons danced at once, and the dance had no stated duration. As one informant expressed it, they simply danced until they were tired.

_ya´ya ke._--Little could be learned concerning the ya´ya dance, except that it was danced by both men and women, and that the painting and attire were the same as for the hō´hō. The feather skirt was worn, but no whistle was used.

_yō´ ke._--The men decorated themselves for this dance as for the hō´hō dance, except that there were three stripes around the arm instead of four, and with the addition of some down scattered over their heads and faces. Each woman had a narrow, black line running down the chin and a similar line running out from each corner of the mouth toward the ear. Otherwise her decorations consisted of a feather tuft and a yellow-hammer feather forehead-band. A considerable number of men and women sang, each keeping time with a split-stick rattle.

_matcō´ ke._--In the matcō´ dance the music was provided by one man, who accompanied his song with a split-stick rattle. The dancers painted themselves as in the yō´ dance. Each wore a feather skirt.

_lēhū´ye ke._--The lēhū´ye dance was sometimes called the ka´tcaha. The term lēhū´ye is the correct one for this dance. In fact, the term ka´tcaha has been applied to it only recently and was derived from the fact that whenever certain of the Pomo men became intoxicated they almost always sang the songs of this dance; hence the name "whiskey dance," or ka´tcaha ke. If paint was employed it usually consisted of a coat of black on the lower part of the face and three bands about each arm and each leg. Other designs were used, however. Upon the head the dancer wore a feather tuft, a yellow-hammer feather forehead-band, and a very large trembler plume, worn erect at the back of the head. Each man wore a feather skirt. The women painted the lower part of the face and wore a feather tuft and a yellow-hammer feather forehead-band.

_kalī´matōtō ke._--The kalī´matōtō or kalī´mataūtaū, the thunder dance, was danced each morning and each evening during four successive days. It could be danced at other times of the day in addition if desired, and other dances might meanwhile be performed at any time of the day except morning and evening. The men painted their naked bodies with vertical stripes. Upon the face but one stripe appeared, running from ear to ear and just below the nose. Upon the head each man wore a down head-net, a feather tuft, and a pair of trembler plumes. No yellow-hammer feather forehead-band, down, or feather skirt was used. The women dressed very simply. They wore the same stripe on the face as did the men, and upon the head a head-net of down and a feather tuft. Both men and women had bone whistles, and each man had a light staff[25] four or five feet long, with one or more cocoons attached as a rattle at its upper end.

_īwī´ ke._--In the īwī´ (C) or Coyote dance the men were nude except for a coat of white paint over the entire body. Upon the head there was a feather tuft, parted from front to rear to permit the passage of a large yellow-hammer feather forehead-band from the root of the nose over the head and down the back. The women were similarly painted and attired, except that each wore an ordinary skirt of shredded tule or other material. Each dancer carried a small bunch of green twigs in the hand, so held as to obscure the face as much as possible. This perhaps typified the crafty and slinking nature of the coyote. The music was provided by one singer, who used a cocoon rattle.

_gūnū´la xe._--In the gūnū´la xe (E) or Coyote dance the women dressed as in the hō´hō dance. The men painted themselves as did the performers in the ghost dance, and wore the parted feather tuft with the yellow-hammer feather forehead-band passing through the part and down the back. They also wore feather skirts, and used whistles.

_he´lehela ke._--The painting for this dance was the same as for the hō´hō. Each man wore upon his head a down head-net, a pair of trembler plumes, and a yellowhammer-feather forehead-band. Each had a bone whistle and a ke´cīge. Neither whistles nor feather skirts were used. Each woman wore a feather tuft and a down head-net.

A fairly high pole similar to the one employed in the initiation rite of the Gū´ksū ceremony was erected in the area directly in front of the dance-house. The participants gathered about its base and each man attempted to climb it, while the women danced in a circle about its base. The wife of the climber, and sometimes other women, threw balls of "pinole" (grass-seed meal) at him as he ascended.

_da´ma ke._--Concerning the da´ma dance, little could be learned save that it was connected with some sort of esoteric organization and was very rarely danced. There was but one woman who was said to know all the details of this dance, but the opportunity did not present itself to interview her. She is now deceased.

_dja´ne ke._--The dja´ne dance was always danced by two men and four women, the men forming the middle of the line, two of the women being at each end. They wore similar costumes, which were very simple. All that could be learned concerning the details, however, was that the mouth was painted black with a short line running out from each corner, and that each dancer wore a feather skirt upon his back and used a whistle.

_kara´iya ke._--The kara´iya dance was danced by two men and two women, and only once during any given ceremony. Men and women dressed alike, except that the women wore the ordinary woman's skirt. No paint was used. Upon the head was a feather tuft, a yellowhammer-feather forehead-band, two trembler plumes and some down. Each dancer carried a bone whistle.

_sawe´t ke._--No details were learned concerning this dance.

DANCES IN WHICH ONLY MEN PERFORMED

There are known among the Pomo at least five dances in which the performers were always men. They are the hī´we, the ī´dam, and the xō or fire dance and the ghost and the Gū´ksū dances mentioned above.

_hī´we ke._--While this was danced by men only, women were privileged to witness it. The dancers first painted the entire body black and then added many white spots irregularly placed all over the body. Each dancer carried a staff six or seven feet long and similarly painted. The face of the dancer was painted black, and each wore a large feather tuft on his head. This was, however, not so large as that worn by the Gū´ksū-dancer. The music for this dance was quite unusual in that the drum was not used. The head singer also acted as master of ceremonies. The dancers formed a straight line and danced in place without any forward or lateral motion, and all joined in the singing.

_ī´dam ke._--Little could be learned of the ī´dam dance, except that it was danced by men, with women participating in the singing. One unique feature was that while it was in progress no one in the village might keep water in his house. Also if any one ate meat during a ceremony in which this dance was used he would become insane and could be cured only through the ministrations of the chief dancer of the ī´dam. While no further evidence was obtained in substantiation, these facts point to the existence of an esoteric society connected with this dance. One informant maintained that the last man who knew the details of this dance died some years ago.

_xo ke._--The xo ke, or fire dance, was held at any desired time during a ceremony. It usually followed the feast of welcome, as it may be called, which was tendered the guests immediately after their arrival. It required no special paraphernalia. In fact, it amounted to little more than a regular sweat-bath, such as was taken in the sudatory,[26] except that it was on a larger and more elaborate scale.

_xahlū´īgak ke._--See under Ghost Ceremony, above.

_gū´ksū ke._--See under Gū´ksū Ceremony, above.

DANCES IN WHICH ONLY WOMEN PERFORMED

Two dances are still remembered which come under this heading. They are the ma´_t_a and the lo´le.

_ma´ta ke._--One man acted as master of ceremonies and another sang to the accompaniment of a cocoon rattle. The dancers painted the cheeks and lower part of the face black and then scratched vertical lines in the paint. The only headdress worn was the yellowhammer-feather forehead-band. In each hand was held a small green branch. The arms hung down, but with a flexure at the elbow which brought these green sprigs directly in front of the dancer. The dancers formed a line and danced back and forth sidewise over a short, straight course. This is one of the very few dances which may yet be seen, though in a modernized form, at Fourth of July celebrations.

_lo´le ke._--As before, a man acted as master of ceremonies and another man sang, accompanying himself with the cocoon rattle. The informant was not certain just what kind of costume was worn, but knew that no paint was employed.

ADDITIONAL DANCES

The names of several other dances are remembered, but nothing in regard to detail. These are mo´mīmomī, _toto_, ta´ūgū, badjū´ca, and sīta´iya. The last of these was said by one informant to make up, along with the gī´lak and hō´hō and dūtū´ka dances, a special ceremony, about which nothing further is known.

FOOTNOTES:

[24] Any dance formula such as this was called _bakū´mhwakil_ (E).

[25] The general term xe´ dakōik (E), signifying anything held in the hand while dancing, is applied to this staff.

[26] See the article on "Pomo Buildings," in the _Holmes Anniversary Volume_, mentioned above.

THE MESSIAH CULT

During the latter years of the nineteenth century a "Messiah" cult has been introduced among the Pomo by the Wintun of the Sacramento Valley. In comparatively recent times the "prophets" of this cult acquired great importance and, while the cult flourished, to a certain extent superseded the leaders of the old ceremonies. This cult first appeared among the Pomo at Upper Lake, then at Sulphur Bank, then at Long Valley, and finally in the Ukiah Valley. The function of the prophet, or dreamer, as he is commonly styled by the Indians, was to have dreams or waking visions concerning dances and other matters in which the people were interested. The prophets were supposed to receive through these visions direct revelations from presiding spirits, and the people formerly gave much credit to their teachings. They virtually formed a priesthood which replaced the old "captains" in the direction of all ceremonial matters.

One of the characteristic features of this cult was the painted designs upon the interior of the dance-house. The last truly primitive dance-house of this type in the Pomo region was photographed by the author in 1901, 1902, and is described and illustrated elsewhere.[27]

Another important feature was the erection before the dance-house of a pole bearing banners and streamers decorated with the particular designs which the priest had seen in his vision.

CONCLUSION

Pomo ceremonies were in general quite simple and the ceremonial life was characterized by an absence (1) of any fixed ceremonial season or sequence of ceremonies, and (2) of any extensive priesthood or secret order controlling ceremonial matters. Some of the ceremonial performances possessed certain esoteric features, such as initiation rites and special restrictions on the part of the uninitiated.

We note the presence of a few fairly elaborate ceremonies and a considerable number of dances, some of which were employed as integral parts of certain ceremonies, others as merely incidental to them. These dances usually followed one another without any definite order or relation, though in certain cases definite dances were prescribed as parts of given ceremonies.

One ceremony has a definite mythological background, but this has been lost elsewhere. No myths are told today to account for the other performances.

In most of the dances an indefinite number of both men and women might participate. In two dances the number of performers of each sex was definitely prescribed. In five, only men might participate, and two were strictly women's dances. In other words, there is patent in Pomo ceremonies a rather thorough going democracy regarding the positions of the sexes.

_Transmitted September 21, 1916._

Vol. 7. 1. The Emeryville Shellmound, by Max Uhle. Pp. 1-106, plates 1-12, with 38 text figures. June, 1907 1.25 2. Recent Investigations bearing upon the Question of the Occurrence of Neocene Man in the Auriferous Gravels of California, by William J. Sinclair. Pp. 107-130, plates 13-14. February, 1908 .35 3. Pomo Indian Basketry, by S.A. Barrett. Pp. 133-306, plates 15-30, 231 text figures. December, 1908 1.75 4. Shellmounds of the San Francisco Bay Region, by N.C. Nelson. Pp. 309-356, plates 32-34. December, 1909 .50 5. The Ellis Landing Shellmound, by N.C. Nelson. Pp. 357-426, plates 36-50. April, 1910 .75 Index, pp. 427-443. Vol. 8. 1. A Mission Record of the California Indians, from a Manuscript in the Bancroft Library, by A.L. Kroeber. Pp. 1-27. May, 1908 .25 2. The Ethnography of the Cahuilla Indians, by A.L. Kroeber. Pp. 29-68, plates 1-15. July, 1908 .75 3. The Religion of the Luiseño and Diegueño Indians of Southern California, by Constance Goddard Dubois. Pp. 69-186, plates 16-19. June, 1908 1.25 4. The Culture of the Luiseño Indians, by Philip Stedman Sparkman. Pp. 187-234, plate 20. August, 1908 .50 5. Notes on Shoshonean Dialects of Southern California, by. A.L. Kroeber. Pp. 235-269. September, 1909 .35 6. The Religious Practices of the Diegueño Indians, by T.T. Waterman. Pp. 271-358, plates 21-28. March, 1910 .80 Index, pp. 359-369. Vol. 9. 1. Yana Texts, by Edward Sapir, together with Yana Myths collected by Roland B. Dixon. Pp. 1-235. February, 1910 2.50 2. The Chumash and Costanoan Languages, by A.L. Kroeber. Pp. 237-271. November, 1910 .35 3. The Languages of the Coast of California North of San Francisco, by A.L. Kroeber. Pp. 273-435, and map. April, 1911 1.50 Index, pp. 437-439. Vol. 10. 1. Phonetic Constituents of the Native Languages of California, by A.L. Kroeber. Pp. 1-12. May, 1911 .10 2. The Phonetic Elements of the Northern Paiute Language, by T.T. Waterman. Pp. 13-44, plates 1-5. November, 1911 .45 3. Phonetic Elements of the Mohave Language, by A.L. Kroeber. Pp. 45-96, plates 6-20. November, 1911 .65 4. The Ethnology of the Salinan Indians, by J. Alden Mason. Pp. 97-240, plates 21-37. December, 1912 1.75 5. Papago Verb Stems, by Juan Dolores. Pp. 241-263. August, 1913 .25 6. Notes on the Chilula Indians of Northwestern California, by Pliny Earl Goddard. Pp. 265-288, plates 38-41. April, 1914 .30 7. Chilula Texts, by Pliny Earle Goddard. Pp. 289-379. November, 1914 1.00 Index, pp. 381-385. Vol. 11. 1. Elements of the Kato Language, by Pliny Earle Goddard. Pp. 1-176, plates 1-45. October, 1912 2.00 2. Phonetic Elements of the Diegueño Language, by A.L. Kroeber and J.P. Harrington. Pp. 177-188. April, 1914 .10 3. Sarsi Texts, by Pliny Earle Goddard. Pp. 189-277. February, 1915 1.00 4. Serian, Tequistlatecan, and Hokan, by A.L. Kroeber. Pp. 279-290. February, 1915 .10 5. Dichotomous Social Organization in South Central California, by Edward Winslow Gifford. Pp. 291-296. February, 1916 .05 6. The Delineation of the Day-Signs in the Aztec Manuscripts, by T.T. Waterman. Pp. 297-398. March, 1916 1.00 7. The Mutsun Dialect of Costanoan Based on the Vocabulary of De la Cuesta, by J. Alden Mason. Pp. 399-472. March, 1916 .70 Index, pp. 473-479. Vol. 12. 1. Composition of California Shellmounds, by Edward Winslow Gifford. Pp. 1-29. February, 1916 .30 2. California Place Names of Indian Origin, by A.L. Kroeber. Pp. 31-69. June, 1916 .40 3. Arapaho Dialects, by A.L. Kroeber. Pp. 71-138. June, 1916 .70 4. Miwok Moieties, by Edward Winslow Gifford. Pp. 139-194. June, 1916 .55 5. On Plotting the Inflections of the Voice, by Cornelius B. Bradley. Pp. 195-218, plates 1-5. October, 1916 .25