Prized necklaces (paliget) made of small strands of twisted silver wire, are placed on the neck of a corpse, and on some occasions are worn by the living.  During dances the hair is adorned with notched chicken feathers attached to sticks, while circlets made of boar’s tusks are placed on the arms.

Dances.—­Two dances, one ceremonial, the other suitable for all occasions, are very popular.

The ceremonial dance known as da-eng takes place at night, and is carried on to the accompaniment of a song. [246] An equal number of men and women take part.  The women form a line facing a similar row of men, about twenty feet distant.  Locking arms about one another’s waists and with one foot advanced, they begin to sway their bodies backwards and forwards.  Suddenly they burst into song, at the same time stepping forward with the left foot.  Keeping perfect time to the music, they take three steps toward the men, then retreat to their original positions.  The men then take up the song and in a similar manner advance and retreat.  This is repeated several times, after which the two lines join to form a circle.  With arms interlocked behind one another’s backs, and singing in unison, they begin to move contra-clockwise.  The left foot is thrown slightly backward and to the side, and the right is brought quickly up to it, causing a rising and falling of the body.  The step, at first slow, becomes faster and faster till the dancers have reached the limit of their vocal and physical powers.

The da-eng is sacred in character, is danced only at night and then under the direction of the mediums.  It is, however, in great favor, and often so many of the younger people wish to take part that double lines, or two or more groups, may be dancing at the same time.  It sometimes happens, when the basi has been flowing freely, that the participants become so boisterous and the pace so fast that spectators are run down or the dancers are piled in a heap, from which they emerge laughing and shouting.

The common dance, the tadek, is a part of nearly all gatherings of a social and religious nature.  The music for this dance usually is made with three gansas [247] and a drum.  The gansas are pressed against the thighs of the players who kneel on the ground.  Two of the coppers are beaten with a stick and the palm of the hand, while the third is played by the hands alone (Plate LXXXI, Fig. 2).  The stick or left hand gives the initial beat which is followed by three rapid strokes with the right palm.  A man and a woman enter the circle, each holding a cloth about the size of a skirt.  The man extends his cloth toward the woman, and bringing it suddenly down, causes it to snap, which is the signal to begin.  With almost imperceptible movement of the feet and toes and a bending at the knees, he approaches the woman, who in a like manner goes toward him.  They pass and continue until at a distance