Page:String Figures and How to Make Them.djvu/91

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58
STRING FIGURES

This figure differs from "Many Stars" only in the Sixth and Seventh movements; each thumb loop is slipped over the two index loops, instead of both the thumb and index loops being slipped over the loop common to the thumb and index.

TWO-HORNED STAR

This pattern is known to the Navahos as Son-bi-tere. I learned it from the same source as the preceding figures. In the Culin collection in the Philadelphia Free Museum of Science and Art a finished pattern, 22716, from St. Michael's Mission, Arizona, is labelled So-bide-hulonni=Horned Star. At Grand Canyon, Arizona, a Navaho called it "Cow's Head."

The first five movements are the same as the first five movements of "Many Stars."

Sixth: Withdraw each thumb from the loop passing around both thumb and index, and keep this loop high up on the index (Fig. 118). You now have two loops on each index and a single loop on each thumb.

Seventh: With the fight thumb and index pick up from the back of the left index the left lower index loop (whereof the near string passes under the thumb

loop and nearest to the thumb), and lift it up, over the left upper index loop, entirely off the left index, and let it drop on the palmar side. With the left thumb and index in like manner lift the right lower index loop over the right upper index loop, entirely off the right index, and let it drop on the palmar side.

Eighth: Put each thumb from below into the index loop (Fig. 119) and, with the thumb and index of the other hand, in turn, draw the lower thumb loop over the upper thumb loop entirely off the thumb, and let it drop on the palmar side (Fig. 120).

Ninth: Put each middle finger from below between the strings forming the thumb loop, and then up on the far side of the upper straight string which passes