Stránka:roll 1931.djvu/92

76 Woodcraft Birch Bark Roll place, as indicated by the X in the Figure. (1 meas.). They raise both hands in silence to the Great Spirit (7 meas.) ; then sit in place. (2 meas.) A chorus of eagle whistles is heard off-stage. Enter four Sun Dancers, in breech clouts, each wearing a sun wreath; and in his mouth a bone whistle hung by a cord around his neck. The whistles symbolize the breath or life of man. Each dancer carries at waist level in front of him, a buf- falo skull. Looking straight ahead, they march briskly around the circle, to a single, measured beat of the drum. There is no music to this, but a steady blowing of the whistles. When they reach their appointed places, as indicated by the horns in the Figure, they stand still, and stop blowing. They let the whistles fall from their mouths. After a pause of a moment, they suddenly, in unison, raise the skulls at arms’ length, and sing the Sun Dance Song. (24 meas.) Then, to the same music, but in strong dance rhythm, they begin to dance in four straight lines toward the pole and back. From now on, they do not try to keep together. The ob- ject is for each to hang his skull on the sun-pole. After a few moments one of them staggers, but recovers. He is to be the first one to succumb. Now and again, one shows signs of weakening, but struggles back into the dance until he actually falls prone to the ground, then crawls off, dragging his skull after him. One remains longer than the rest. He must be a good actor as well as a vigorous-bodied dancer. After several vain