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INDIAN GAMES AND DANCES                 93
The Contest
A contest now takes place between the two persons chosen by the Judges to be the two Guessers, one for each side, to decide which shall begin the game. The Judge for the north side calls the name of the person chosen to be the Guesser for that side and the Cus­todian escorts him to his place within the circle. The Judge for the south side calls the name of the person chosen to be Guesser for that side, and the Custodian escorts him to his place within the circle. The Cus­todian then gives to each the wand belonging to his side and also one of the small balls.
The Guesser from the north side hides his ball in one of his hands, shifting it behind his back, then he holds out both hands in front of him with all the fingers closed except the index finger, which is extended as if pointing to the other Guesser. Both hands and fore­arms must be rhythmically moved up and down. The south side Guesser watches for a moment and then points with his wand to the hand he thinks has the ball. As soon as he points to a hand, it must be immediately opened, palm upward. Should the ball be in the other hand, it must be shown to be lying there. If the guess was correct, the ball being in the hand pointed at, it counts one. Three correct guesses must be made by one of the Guessers in order to secure for his side the right to open the game. In this contest the Guessers must alternate, first the north side Guesser, then the south side Guesser, and so on until one of the Guessers has won three correct guesses. That decides it. His
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