This Principal One Consists Of Moving In A Circle Around The Sacrificial Offering, Which Is Lying At The Foot Of An Upright Rod To The Top Of Which A Piece Of Cloth Is Tied, Or At The Base Of A Sacred Jar (Blanga).

The participants join hands, and the movement is slow because an essential feature consists in bending the knees - heels together - down and up again, slowly and in time; then, moving one step to the left and bringing right heel to left, the kneeling is repeated, and so on.

The men danced for a long time, at first by themselves, then the women by themselves, but most of the time the circle was made up of alternate men and women. The latter, most of them stocky and somewhat coarse-looking, danced with surprising excellence. Though children of nature may be without good looks, there is decided attraction in their grace and easy movements.

It did not look difficult, so I joined in the dancing, as I have done many times among other races. Greatly to the amusement of the natives I demonstrated that I had caught the right steps, and then seated myself in a chair which was the pride of the kapala and which had been brought out for my benefit. While watching the performance I was surprised to see two of the women, about the only ones who possessed any charm of appearance, coming toward me, singing as they advanced. Each took me by a hand and, still singing, led me forward to the dancing circle, where a man who had been offering rice brandy to the people from a huge horn of the water-buffalo adorned with wood shavings, stepped forward and offered it to me.

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