Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1899-08-29
INDIAN LOVERS STRUGGLING FOR THE BAs-
KETS.

INDIAN LOVERS STRUGGLING FOR THE BAs-
KETs.
women Of all ages. married women,
maids and young girls. Each wore a
small feather on her head, and the maids
had their hair done up in two character
istic whorls above the ears. All were
clothed In white blankets, with red Dor
ders, and wore necklaces, ear pendants
and other ornaments. The four chief
priestesses led the procession, the girls
closing the line as it entered the plaza.
Each woman, adult or girl, carried fat
basket, which she held vertically in both
hands by the rim so that the concave
side was outermost. After marching
into the plaza a circle was formed by the
women, and all sang in chorus a song.
parts Of which were not audible. As the
song continued the baskets were slowly
raised and then brought slowly down.
ward to the level Of the hips, in cadence
with the songs. At the same time the
body was slightly inclined forward, but
the feet were not raised from the ground.
After the basket bearers had sung their
songs q brief time the basket throwers
approached the circle, led by the Lakone
tQka, who retired at that point.
The basket throwers were two In num-
Der, and at each presentation during the
day were personated by different women.
Each woman wore two white ceremonial
blankets, one wrapped about the Shout
der, the other on the loins. The latter
was tied about the hips with knotted
girdle. These women wore anklets, but
no moccasins, ear pendants and profu-
sion of necklaces, and their faces, arms,
legs, feet and hands were painted yellow,
with black lines on their cheeks.
Each Lakone mana carried Ia her
hands corncobs In which eagle feathers
were inserted and on her back bundle,
done up In a piece Of calico, containing
the objects she later threw to the spec
tators. These two women entered the
plaza after the basket bearers had begun
their songs and posturing and were led
by the Lakone man. His arms. legs and
body were painted yellow, and he wore
a white ceremonial kilt with knotted
sash. He was profusely decked out Nth
necklaces and other ornaments and car
ried in one hand fat basket containing
yellow pollen, with which he drew sym
bols Of rain clouds on the ground. Upon
these symbols the women threw their
corncobs with attached feathers. and the
man picked up these objects and laid
them in a row upon the meal figures
which he had made. after which, as the
women advanced. he handed these OBJ
jects to them.
This was repeated several times until
the Lakone manas entered the circle of
basket holders. The priest then left
them, and they united their bundles and
took positions at opposite points of the
space inclosed by the basket bearers.
Each one then held basket high in the
air and crossed to the other side, ex-
changing positions with the woman oppo-
site. This was repeated a few times,
and finally the basket throwers hurled
their baskets high in the air, SO that they
fell in the crowd o. young men, who
struggled for possession. This was re-
peated several times, and then the wo-
men fled off to their kivas. The struggle
of the men for the baskets continued
long after the women had withdrawn.