Ax).
venient exposed situation upon one of the highest cliffs, he conceals
himself near by and begins to sing in a low undertone the songs to call
down the eagles from the sky. When the eagle alights upon the car-
cass, which will be almost immediately if the singer understands his
business, he shoots it, and then standing over the dead bird, he
addresses to it a prayer in which he begs it not to seek vengeance
upon his tribe, because it is not a Cherokee, but a Spaniard (Askwa'ni)
that has done the deed. The selection of such a vicarious victim
of revenge is evidence at once of the antiquity of the prayer in its
present form and of the enduring impression which the cruelties of
the early Spanish adventurers made upon the natives.
MOONKYl THE EAGLE — THEand then return to the settlement, leaving the
body of the dead eagle upon the ground, together with that of the
slain deer, the latter being intended as a sacrifice to the eagle spirits.
On reaching the settlement, the feathers, still wrapped in the deer-
skin. arc 1 hung up in a small, round hut built for this special purpose
near the edge of the dance ground (detsdnHfl'li) and known as the
place "where the feathers are kept," or feather house. Some settle-
ments had two such feather houses, one at each end of the dance
ground. The Eagle dance was held on the night of the same day on
which the feathers were brought in. all the, necessary arrangements
having been made beforehand. In the meantime, as the feathers were
supposed to be hungry after their journey, a