,,anthropological ,,papers ,,of ,,the ,,american ,,museum ,,of ,,natural ,,history ,,vol4 ,,xvi1 ,,part ,,iii ,,the ,,sun ,,dance ,,of ,,the ,,blackfoot ,,indians ,,by ,,clark ,,wissler ,illustration ,,new ,,york ,,published ,,by ,,order ,,of ,,the ,,trustees #aiah ,,the ,,sun ,,dance ,,of ,,the ,,blackfoot ,,indians4 ,,by ,,clark ,,wissler4 ,,preface4 ,the ,blackfoot tribes1 particularly the ,piegan1 have been more extensively studied than most other ,plains ,indians4 ,the writer began a systematic investigation of their culture in #aijc4 ,at that time1 the only works treating them seriously were those of the younger ,henry1 ,maximilian1 and ,grinnell4 ,there were some good fragmentary articles by ,mc,lean and ,hale4 ,yet1 since we began work on this problem1 a number of excellent books have appeared4 ,first1 the long-forgotten journals of ,mathew ,cocking and ,anthony ,hendry who went to the ,blackfoot country in #aged were printed4 ,then followed ,mc,clintock's delightful book1 ,the ,old ,north ,trail and later1 ,curtis's highly illustrated account of the ,piegan4 ,linguistic studies had been undertaken by ,tims1 but later1 ,michelson1 ,uhlenbeck1 and ,josselin de ,jong brought out studies of the language and some aspects of social organization4 ,of more popular books1 the only one to be considered here is ,schultz's1 ,my ,life as an ,indian1 which1 though in the form of fiction1 is full of true pictures of ,blackfoot life and thought4 ,one unfortunate thing about all this subsequent activity is that it centered on the ,piegan and as the writer's work was largely with that division before these publications appeared1 there was no chance to rectify this asymmetry4 ,the publication of this study of the sun dance has been long delayed in the hope that circumstances would permit a more intensive study of the ceremony among the ,canadian divisions4 ,but the time for making such a study has really passed1 since those natives who had the knowledge essential to an accurate exposition of the sun dance are now dead4 ,it seems advisable1 therefore1 to publish the data as they stand4 ,the writer saw the ,piegan ceremony twice1 so that this study is based both upon objective observation and discussion with the native authorities on the subject4 ,later1 ,mr4 ,duvall checked over the data and conclusions with these and other informants4 ,a large series of photographs was taken1 but the important phases of the ceremony are so well shown in the published works of ,mc,clintock and ,curtis that a repetition here is unnecessary4 ,,clark ,,wissler4 ,may1 #aiah4 ,,contents4 ,,page4 ,,preface #bbe ,,the ,,sun ,,dance #bbi ,,preparation ,,period #bbi ,,program ,,by ,,days #bcj ,first ,day #bcj ,second ,day #bcj ,third ,day #bcj ,fourth ,day #bcj ,fifth ,day #bcj ,sixth ,day #bca ,seventh ,day #bca ,eighth ,day #bca ,,the ,,vow #bca ,,ceremony ,,of ,,the ,,tongues #bcd ,,the ,,medicine ,,woman #bdj ,,the ,,procession ,,to ,,the ,,dancing ,,lodge #bdh ,the ,offering of ,cloth #bdi ,,the ,,hundred-,,willow ,,sweathouse #bej ,,the ,,dancing ,,lodge #beb ,,cutting ,,the ,,thongs #bed ,,raising ,,the ,,sun ,,pole #bef ,,the ,,weather ,,dancers #beh ,,dancing #bfj ,,society ,,dances #bfb ,,the ,,torture ,,ceremony #bfb ,,sun ,,dance ,,songs #bfg ,,the ,,sun ,,dance ,,camp #bfh ,,mythological ,,notes #bfh ,,the ,,blood ,,and ,,north ,,blackfoot #bgj ,,illustrations4 ,,text ,,figures4 #a4 ,the ,offering of ,human ,flesh4 ,drawn from a native sketch #bff ,,the ,,sun ,,dance4 ,in our earlier paper upon the bundles of the ,blackfoot1 we have concerned ourselves with ceremonial functions in which the ownership and chief responsibility1 in theory1 rested in a single individual4 ,we come now to an affair initiated1 it is true1 by the owner of the natoas bundle1 but yet a composite of other rituals and functions1 each of which has a definite place in a program carried out by the whole tribal organization4 ,the only trace of a similar tribal participation is in the now almost extinct tobacco-planting ceremonies conducted by the beaver owners2 but here there was no complex of other unrelated ceremonies and functions4 ,in short1 the sun dance was for the ,blackfoot a true tribal festival1 or demonstration of ceremonial functions1 in which practically every important ritual owner and organization had a place4 ,nevertheless1 there were certain rituals peculiar to it which gave it its character4 ,since the plan of this section is to give an ethnological presentation of the ,blackfoot sun dance1 rather than a logically unfolding description of the ceremony as seen at a specified time1 we shall present the general program now and take up later a somewhat analytical detailed discussion of the various phases of the ceremony4 ,by this method1 we shall be able to concentrate our attention upon a single ceremonial concept without the distraction arising from contemporaneous and intrusive procedures based upon other concepts1 for as we shall see1 this sun dance is a true composite4 ,the following schedule is not given as the one observed by the writer1 but as the one regarded as proper and believed to have been followed before the various divisions of the ,blackfoot were under the complete domination of the ,canadian and ,united ,states governments4 ,,preparation ,,period4 ,after making a vow to purchase a sun dance bundle1 the woman and her husband make the necessary arrangements and perform the prescribed rites4 ,this is an indefinite period4 ,at the approach of summer1 the invitation tobacco is sent to all the bands and the camp circle is formed4 ,,program ,,by ,,days4 ,first ,day4 ,the program opens with moving camp to a site previously selected4 ,on the morning of this day1 the medicine woman begins to fast1 which may be taken as the real beginning of the ceremony4 ,if the ceremony of cutting the tongues has not been previously performed or completed1 it is now in order4 ,in any event1 the father and any male assistants he may choose to invite1 spend a part of the day in praying and singing over the tongues4 ,a society brings in willows and a hundred-willow sweathouse is built4 ,second ,day4 ,in the morning1 the camp moves again to a site still nearer that proposed for the sun dance4 ,a few green boughs of cottonwood are kept around the base of the medicine woman's tipi as a sign of its sanctity4 ,a sweathouse is made1 as on the previous day4 ,praying and singing over the tongues continues during the day and evening4 ,third ,day4 ,the same as the second day4 ,fourth ,day4 ,the camp moves again2 this time to the site of the sun dance4 ,in the afternoon1 the fourth and last hundred-willow sweathouse is built and used4 ,the singing continues during the evening in the medicine woman's tipi4 ,fifth ,day4 ,this is an active day4#a ,the various bands cut and drag in the poles and green cottonwood boughs to be used in constructing the dancing lodge4 ,the center1 or sun pole1 is selected and brought in with the ceremonies pertaining thereto4 ,during the day1 the holes for the posts are dug and the sides of the dancing lodge put in place and prepared for the raising at sunset4 ,a wind-break is erected at the west side1 facing the forked end of the sun pole4 ,later in the day1 some medicinemen take up their stations here to receive offerings to the sun and place them on the pole4 ,in the forenoon1 the ceremony connected with the opening of the natoas bundle begins in the medicine woman's tipi4 ,this is completed by the middle of the afternoon when there is a procession from the tipi to the wind-break facing the sun pole4 ,the thongs for the poles are cut4 ,while these are taking place1 some food is distributed among the poor people4 ,those women1 who1 during the past season1 promised to come forward to the tongues now fulfil their vows by public declarations addressed to the setting sun4 ,the pole raisers then approach from the four quarters1 erecting first the sun pole and then the rafters1 with as much speed as possible4 ,the medicine woman then returns to her tipi and the father with his male companions goes into a sweathouse4 ,sixth ,day4 ,in the morning1 a booth is erected in the dancing lodge for the medicinemen1 or weather dancers4 ,later in the day1 they approach1 with processions made up of their respective bands1 and take their places in the booth4 ,at various times during the day1 they dance to the sun4 ,people also come up to be painted and prayed for4 ,as a rule1 the medicine-pipes are brought out for these men to bless and smoke4 ,during the afternoon1 the digging dance occurs1 when the fireplace is made and the fire kindled4 ,seventh ,day4 ,people still come to be painted or prayed for by the medicinemen4 ,later in the day1 the dancing of the societies begins4 ,eighth ,day4 ,the dancing may continue on this day2 otherwise1 camp is broken and the bands go their several ways4 ,the dancing may continue several days1 there being no definite time for closing the ceremony4 ,indeed1 to the ,blackfoot mind1 the really vital part of the ceremony closes on the evening of the fifth day4 ,the dancing of the societies is free to take its course as the various organizations see fit4 ,in former times1 however1 it was customary to break camp any time between the seventh and tenth days4 ,according to our information1 the four camps of the medicine woman was the rule in olden times and a hundred-willow sweathouse was made at each camp4 ,in recent times1 but two moves seem to have been made2 the first day marking the move from the regular home camp to the temporary one where the second day is also spent4 ,but one of the hundred-willow sweathouses is now made--the one on the third day4 ,also1 where formerly they used the ordinary type of sweathouse1 at the close of the fourth day1 the men now return to the hundred-willow sweathouse4 ,the time then was when the service berries are ripe1 perhaps ,august1 instead of ,fourth-of-,july week1 as in recent years4#b ,even the fast is much abbreviated1 usually but of two days' duration4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,as in many other cases1 there is a difference of opinion as to what was1 or is1 the correct schedule4 ,some maintain that the timber and sun pole are brought in on the fourth day and the fifth day given over to the erection of the dancing lodge only4 ,this is1 however1 a matter of no great moment4 #b ,see ,grinnell1 ,george ,bird1 ,blackfoot ,lodge ,tales 7,new ,york1 #aijc71 #bfd1 for program4 ,,the ,,vow4 ,the most important functionary in the ,blackfoot sun dance is a woman1 known among the whites as the medicine woman1 and upon a clear comprehension of her functions and antecedents depends our understanding of the ceremony itself4 ,accordingly1 we shall proceed with as complete an exposition of her office as the information at hand allows4 ,in the first place1 a sun dance cannot occur unless some woman qualifies for the office4 ,on the other hand1 it was almost inconceivable that there should be a summer in which such a qualification would not be made4 ,this attitude of our informants implies that public opinion had sufficient force to call out volunteers against their own wills4 ,there was a feeling that an annual sun dance was1 from a religious and ethical point of view1 necessary to the general welfare1 for which some individual ought to sacrifice personal comfort and property to the extent required by custom4 ,as we shall see later1 this was no small price to pay for a doubtful honor4 ,this feeling was sure to express itself in the subtle ways peculiar to ,indian society1 if need be1 to the direct suggestion of a candidate who in turn felt impelled to come forward as if prompted entirely from within4 ,as a rule1 however1 the woman qualifies by a vow4 ,oftimes1 when a member of the family is dangerously ill1 one of the women goes out of the tipi and raising her eyes to the sun calls upon it that health may be restored to the ailing one4 ,in such an appeal she offers to make gifts to the sun1 usually specifying that she will sacrifice a piece of cloth1 a dress1 a robe1 an ax1 etc41 which are after a time1 provided the sick one improves1 hung in trees or deposited upon a hill4 ,such appeals are still made with great frequency4 ,it is believed that unless the woman has been industrious1 truthful1 and above all1 true to her marriage vows1 her appeal will not be answered4 ,sometimes1 when the woman addresses the sun she promises to be the medicine woman at the next sun dance4 ,she herself may be ill and promise such a sacrifice in case she receives help4 ,again1 she may1 out of gratitude for the satisfactory way in which her prayers have been answered1 announce her intention to take this step4 ,in such a case1 a formal announcement is made to the sun4 ,in company with a man1 usually a medicineman experienced in the ceremonies1 she steps out into the camp1 where they face the sun whom the man addresses1 explaining that as this woman asked for help in time of need and that inasmuch as it was granted1 she in turn promises to be the medicine woman at the first opportunity4 ,some such formal announcement is made in every case where the prayers have been answered4 ,by this formality1 the vow receives public registry4 ,as indicated above1 the prayers are not always granted4 ,in such cases1 the promises are not only not binding1 but to proceed with the sun dance1 or to take a secondary part in it1 would be to the detriment of all concerned4 ,the fault is said to lie in the woman's life and that only the wrath of the sun would be invoked by her participation in the ceremonies4 ,it may be asked if a man can make such a vow4 ,he may and does often call upon the sun1 promising gifts of property or even scalps and may promise to furnish the material support for a wife1 mother1 sister1 or in fact any woman who will come forward to perform the ceremony4 ,thus1 a ,blood chief once told us that he had been very ill all winter2 that he had tried all kinds of doctors without relief1 until he was stripped of all his property4 ,at last1 he recovered and then made a vow that with the help of his wife he would give the sun dance4 ,this he did1 but1 as he expressed it1 with great difficulty because he was then poor and did not receive adequate help from his relatives4 ,again1 it must be noted that women who do not feel equal to the responsibility of the medicine woman's office1 make a vow to announce publicly their virginity or faithfulness to their marriage vows1 as the case may be1 though for an unmarried woman to make such a pledge is the exception4 ,this is spoken of as the going forward to the tongues1 the full meaning of which will appear later4 ,the manner and occasion of making this vow are in most respects similar to the preceding4 ,at a certain stage of the sun dance proceedings1 all the women who made such a promise to the sun1 come forward and make their statements subject to the challenge of any man present4 ,this bears some resemblance to the virginity tests of the ,dakota1 but applies more particularly to married women and marital virtue than otherwise4 ,naturally1 the number of women making promises of this kind was much greater than for the more important ceremony4 ,thus1 we have a custom of calling upon the sun in time of need which is an almost universal practice1 a more restricted form of such appeal peculiar to women in so far that sexual morality is a necessary qualification1 the more specific vow of going forward to the tongues1 and the exceptional vow to perform the medicine woman's functions at the sun dance1 a fair illustration of the way in which most complex folk ceremonies are supported by a pyramid of less and less differentiated practices4 ,in passing1 it should be noted that when the vow is made to perform the medicine woman's functions1 it is literally an obligation to purchase a natoas bundle1 or if already the owner of a bundle1 to perform its ritual4#c ,a woman may own more than one of these bundles at a time2 indeed1 we have heard of a woman purchasing new ones at several successive sun dances4 ,this purchase is a fundamental feature in all bundle ceremonies to which the sun dance bundle offers no exception4 ,on the other hand1 the vow means more than the mere purchase of a bundle4 ,we are told that the requirement as to virtue holds strictly for the vow and the tongue ceremony4 ,a woman can buy a natoas in the ordinary sense and have it transferred with the ritual even though she has not been true to her husband4 ,we are reminded that ,scabby-round-robe's wife#d was not true to her former husband and that when her husband received a beaver bundle there went with it a natoas and accessories2 but that while she could use them by virtue of her relation to a beaver bundle1 she was not competent to make a vow and initiate a sun dance4#e ,this is consistent with the tradition that the natoas was once bought from a beaver bundle by a woman who gave the sun dance for that year and used instead of a wreath of juniper as in former ceremonies4 ,it also throws some light on the relation of the natoas to the beaver and the sun dance rituals4 ,,footnotes3 #c ,this series1 volume #g1 #bae4 #d ,this series1 vol4 #b1 #hc4 #e ,for example1 we were told that some few years ago the widow of ,spotted-eagle took the part of the medicine woman and borrowed a natoas from the mother of ,curly-bear4 ,recently 7#aiaa71 the latter died4 ,then the former claimed the natoas on the grounds that she had paid full value for it at the time and that she had now the most right to it4 ,curly-bear consented4 ,then1 after an interval1 this woman transferred it to the wife of ---- who made no vow to give the sun dance1 for it was generally known that the reputation of the new owner permanently disqualified her for the function of medicine woman4 ,,ceremony ,,of ,,the ,,tongues4 ,while it is obvious from the preceding1 that the medicine woman takes her vow at no fixed period in the year1 the order of procedure is such that as a rule1 she must have taken her vow not later than the spring of the year in which the sun dance occurs4 ,there is no absolute prohibition to qualifying at a later time1 as is often the case at present when the consent of the ,indian ,agent must be obtained before the ceremony is permitted1 but the normal order seems to be as just stated4 ,any way1 in the spring1 the medicine woman calls upon her relatives for buffalo tongues 7in recent years1 those of cattle74 ,these are then saved as requested4 ,in passing1 it may be noted that in all ceremonies1 the persons upon whom the burden of responsibility falls have not only an inherent right to call upon their blood relatives1 but these in turn are under obligations to respond4 ,the number of tongues required is uncertain1 some informants claiming that there should be an even hundred1 others1 that four to five full parfleches was the standard4 ,naturally1 in recent years1 the number has been much less4 ,these tongues are to be sliced1 parboiled1 and dried like meat4 ,the slices1 however1 must be perfect1 without holes1 and come from the interior of the tongue4 ,the slicing of these tongues appears to have been the first ceremony of the cycle4 ,it is conducted by a man1 usually the father1 who formally announced the woman's vow and who conducts all the ceremonies in which the medicine woman takes part4 ,there is no stipulation that the same man must direct all parts of the ceremony1 but1 by custom1 this office is performed annually by the same man so long as he is physically capable4 ,to this ceremony are called the medicine woman1 the women who have promised to go forward to take the tongues1 and sometimes those having previously performed these functions4 ,the manner of formally registering the vow and of collecting the tongues is stated as follows3-- ,now the woman who made the vow calls on a man and woman who have been through the medicine lodge ceremony to announce it4 ,the man and woman come to her tipi and paint her clothes and face and those of the relative for whom the vow was made with red paint4 ,prayers are offered for them and a few songs sung4 ,after this1 the four stand in front of the tipi and the man announces the vow4 ,he says1 ,sun1 she is going to make a sun lodge for you4 ,i think you and those who are above can hear what is said4 ,then they move in turn to the south1 west1 and north side of the tipi1 repeating the same words at each stop and finally enter the tipi4 ,in the spring of the year1 when the people run buffalo1 the woman has her tipi a little towards the front or center4 ,it may be that she is only with one of the bands1 while the rest are camped elsewhere4 ,her tipi stands alone a little to the west of the others4 ,the people are then notified that the tongues are to be given to the woman4 ,her husband mounts his horse and sets out1 taking a pipe and tobacco1 but no weapons with him4 ,when he finds a man butchering1 he sits down on a robe1 fills his pipe1 prays for those present1 and smokes with them4 ,the butcher cuts out the tongue1 wipes it off with sagegrass1 and places it near the man1 who has spread some buffalo dung with sagegrass on top of it in a row before him4 ,the tongues are placed on the sage and dung4 ,the man then takes the tongues and rides to where the next man is butchering and goes through the same procedure4 ,after he has gathered up all the tongues he takes them home4 ,each time buffalo are killed the man rides out to gather in tongues until he has accumulated a hundred4 ,the tongues having been collected1 an important ceremony follows with their boiling and slicing4 ,an experienced man and woman are invited to direct2 these are spoken of as the father and the mother4 ,also1 all the women having made a vow to go forward to the tongues are invited4 ,in addition1 a number of women and men familiar with the ceremonies are called4 ,the woman making the vow 7the daughter7 and her husband 7the son7 sit at the back of the fire2 next to the former1 sits the mother and then the other women2 next to the latter1 sits the father and then the men in order4 ,the men sit on the north side and the women on the south4 ,at the proper moment1 the mother brings in the tongues1 passing around to the south side1 and lays them in rows on a half rawhide back of the fire4 ,all the women having made vows are now called upon to slice the tongues4 ,their husbands must be present4 ,the tongues are slit open and the women are invited to slice and boil them4 ,when all the guests are present1 one of the tongues is taken and painted black on one edge and red on the other1 and given to the woman who made the vow4 ,the rest of the tongues are handed to the women for skinning and slicing2 if there were more tongues than women1 each was given more than one to slice4 ,after all the women have the tongues1 the woman with the painted tongue makes a confession1 saying1 ,sun1 ,i have been true to my husband ever since ,i have been with him and all my life4 ,help me1 for what ,i say is true4 ,i will skin this tongue without cutting a hole in it or cutting my fingers4 ,the next woman also makes a confession1 and so on4 ,after all have confessed1 they commence to skin the tongues4 ,as the first woman takes up the knife1 the song runs3 ,a sharp thing ,i have taken2 it is powerful4 ,the knife is painted1 one half red1 the other black4 ,should any of the women cut a hole in the tongue skin or cut their fingers1 it is a sign that they must have lied and they are ordered from the tipi4 ,at the outset1 each woman carefully examines her tongue to see if the skin is perfect4 ,should a hole be found1 the tongue is passed to the director who marks it with black paint4 ,after the tongues are all skinned and sliced1 they are passed back to the woman who distributed them and placed in a wooden bowl4 ,the skins of the tongues are tied in bunches with sinew so that they can tell to which woman the skins belong4 ,the skins are to be boiled by two women4 ,two sticks are given to one woman and one to the other4 ,all this time singing is going on4 ,the woman who has the two sticks paints them black1 while the woman who has the other1 paints it red4 ,the three sticks are tied together at one end and are used as a tripod for hanging the kettle in which the skins of the tongues are to be boiled4 ,the legs of the tripod1 the wooden kettle hook1 and all other sticks are painted half in red and half in black4 ,also1 the kettle is marked with four vertical bands of black and four of red4 ,the four blunt sticks for stirring the pot are painted in pairs1 red and black4 ,a red and black painted stick is slipped through the bail1 passed around to the north of the tipi1 and handed to the two women4 ,during all these movements there is praying and singing4 ,the women each take hold of one end of the stick and go for water4 ,they make four pauses on this journey1 each time praying to the sun and asserting their marital rectitude and recounting such occasions as they have been improperly approached by a man4 ,all this time1 the father and his assistants sing in the tipi4 ,one of the women takes a cup1 makes four movements with it and dips the water4 ,at this moment the song runs3-- ,the water that ,i see4 ,water is sacred4 ,on the return1 the women make four pauses as before4 ,when the pail is finally within the tipi1 incense is burned between the fireplace and the door and the pail held in the smudge4 ,the father takes up the board upon which some of the tongues lie and while holding it up in one hand1 shakes the cup about in the water1 meanwhile making a noise like the buffalo1 finally striking the pail a blow with the cup4 ,here the song runs3-- ,buffalo will drink4 ,this may be taken as marking one stage of the ceremony4 ,the boiling of the tongue is now in order4 ,when all is ready1 the father starts the songs in the next series4 ,the two women hook the kettle on the tripods and while the kettle is heated1 there are other songs and incense burned and the song runs3-- ,where ,i 7buffalo speaking7 sit is sacred4 ,while the water boils1 the director takes up a tongue1 holds it above the kettle1 lowers it slowly1 making a noise as if something were drinking4 ,after this1 the women place the tongues in the kettle and proceed with the boiling4 ,here or elsewhere1 songs accompany the ceremonial acts4 ,the pot must not boil over4 ,when the tongues have cooked1 the two women rise and stand by the fire as the songs begin4 ,at the proper moment1 they remove the kettle and place it on the spot where the smudge was made4 ,first1 they take out the painted tongues and then the others4 ,the father takes up a small piece1 singing3-- ,old ,man 7sun71 he wants pemmican4 ,he wants to eat4 ,old ,woman 7moon71 she wants back fat4 ,she wants to eat4 ,morningstar1 he wants broth4 ,he wants to eat4 ,then the painted tongue is passed to the daughter4 ,now1 each of the women tears off a bit of the tongue skin and all hold up the pieces and pray4 ,after the prayers1 the pieces are placed in the earth and the tongues are hung up to dry4 ,first1 the rope is taken up and a song sung4 ,the woman who made the vow1 rises and ties one end of the rope to the tipi pole on the north side and the other end to the tipi pole on the south side1 a little to the west of the fireplace4 ,all the tongues1 both painted and unpainted1 are hung on this rope4 ,during all these ceremonies there is no regular smudge4 ,the smudges are made with sweetgrass on the grass near the rear of the tipi4 ,the tongues are left to hang for two days before they are taken down to be cooked4 ,when the tongues have been hung1 all return to their homes1 the women taking the tongue skins with them for their relatives to eat1 as they are considered to be blessed and supposed to bring good luck4 ,after two days1 all meet again in the same tipi4 ,the two women who went for the water place the tripods over the fire and while songs are sung1 the pot is passed to them with the red painted sticks4 ,the two women1 each holding one end of the stick1 go for water1 praying on the way4 ,when they return to the tipi a smudge1 over which they hold the bucket of water1 is made between the door and the fireplace4 ,then the bucket is placed beside the smudge4 ,while the others sing1 the woman who made the vow rises and first takes the painted tongue and then the others from where they were hung4 ,they are then placed on a buffalo hide and the woman returns to her place4 ,four women sit down near the tongues2 each one takes a tongue1 one of which is the painted one4 ,kneeling and swaying their bodies in time with the songs1 they sing the buffalo songs4 ,the painted tongue is placed in the kettle first and a song is sung3 ,when buffalo go to drink2 it is powerful4 ,where buffalo sit is powerful 7natojiwa74 ,then the rest of the tongues are placed in the pot which is hooked on the tripod over the fire4 ,songs are sung and four sticks1 about the length of the forearm1 for stirring the tongues1 are placed where the tongues were first placed4 ,one of the cooks takes a pair of the sticks and stirs the tongues with them4 ,when removing the tongues from the kettle they are held between two of these sticks4 ,another song1 called the song of rest is sung1 and all rest for a time and smoke4 ,when the tongues are cooled1 another song is sung1 the two cooks rise1 and taking the pot1 place it over the smudge place near the door4 ,to the singing of songs1 the painted tongue first1 and then the others1 are taken out and placed on half a rawhide4 ,the soup is poured into wooden bowls and distributed among those present4 ,no tin cups must be used in drinking this soup4 ,while all sing1 the woman who made the vow rises and first takes the painted tongue and then all the others and hangs them up as before4 ,this ends the ceremony4 ,two days later1 the same participants are called together to the same tipi and the woman rises and takes first the painted tongue and then the others from where they were hung4 ,a parfleche is brought and a buffalo song sung3 ,buffalo ,i take4 ,where ,i sit is powerful4 ,the painted tongue and then the others are placed on the parfleche4 ,wild peppermint is put in with the tongues1 the parfleches are tied up and placed at the rear of the tipi4 ,sometimes tongues are dried in front of the tipi on a stage made by setting up two travois with a lodge pole tied between them4 ,the man and woman who lead the ceremony must not have any metal about them4 ,brass rings1 earrings1 and all such trinkets must be taken off4 ,nor must there be any knives in the vicinity4 ,even the knives with which the tongues are cut are taken out4 ,no one must spit in front of him1 but always close to the wall under the beds4 ,if they do1 it will rain4 ,no water is brought into the medicine lodge and when water is brought1 it is covered4 ,the only time when it is permitted to eat or drink is before sunrise and after sunset4 ,they must be given food by the instructors4 ,the prayers in this ceremony are prayers for good luck for everyone in the camp4 ,this closes the preliminaries to the ceremonies leading to the sun dance and may be designated as the cutting of the tongues4 ,as in most other cases1 there seems to have been considerable variation in this procedure1 both as to time and order4 ,certainly1 for a number of years1 it has been much abbreviated4 ,as implied in the program1 this ceremony may be performed on the first day4 ,the gathering of tongues was dependent upon circumstances and after the days of the great buffalo drives was a matter of gradual accumulation4 ,thus1 it was explained that by necessity1 the cutting was often repeated1 though naturally with less ceremony4 ,the parfleches containing tongues are kept in the medicine woman's tipi where they are prayed and sung over during the first and second days of the program4 ,the underlying thought seems to be that they are consecrated to the sun4 ,in the procession of the fourth day1 the parfleches are carried behind the medicine woman by her attendants4 ,in former years1 these were the women who had promised to go forward to the tongues4 ,they are present at the ceremony in the medicine woman's tipi and may be said to be in attendance during the entire fasting period4 ,at the time indicated in the program1 the parfleches are opened and the women in turn step out with some of the dried tongue1 face the west1 and each holding up a piece1 address the sun then nearing the horizon4 ,they declare their innocence of adultery1 as at the time of making the vow and cutting the tongues4 ,they also pray for themselves and their relatives after which they distribute dried tongue among them4 ,finally1 there is a general distribution of tongues among the people4 ,however1 there is another aspect of their appearance at this point4 ,the ,blackfoot assume that many women have at one or more periods of their lives been invited by a man to commit the offence and that often the occasion is one of great temptation or calls for great presence of mind and will power4 ,now1 when addressing the sun1 if so approached1 the woman narrates the circumstances1 naming the men committing the offence1 and recounts the manner of her refusal4 ,in naming the offender1 they usually say1 ,i suppose he hears what ,i say4 ,these women are also subject to challenge of their having committed adultery4 ,it will be seen from this that the part they take in the ceremony is an ordeal for which most women have little liking and one which they will not undertake lightly4 ,the ,blackfoot1 themselves1 regard it as one of the most solemn occasions in the ceremony4 ,so far as we could learn1 no one now living was ever present when one of these women was challenged1 but the naming of men who were guilty of improper advances was not unusual4 ,a retrospect of the concept of the tongues indicates that the entire ceremony1 or their association with the medicine woman and those who are sexually pure1 gives them a potency that may be acquired by eating4 ,they seem most closely associated with sexual purity since they are less primary in the function of the medicine woman than in case of those who go forward1 the former being required to possess many virtues1 the latter but one4 ,while the medicine woman fasts and keeps to her tipi1 the others do not4 ,,the ,,medicine ,,woman4 ,we shall now give our attention to the medicine woman4 ,as previously stated1 she is in most respects the central figure in the whole ceremony1 around whom centers its more serious and solemn aspects4 ,on the fifth day1 an elaborate ritual is demonstrated in her tipi1 culminating in the procession to the dancing lodge4 ,to this ritual belongs a medicine bundle with accessories1 known as the natoas1 though the name is primarily that of the headdress which the bundle contains4 ,this bundle is transferred in the ritualistic way to the medicine woman by the ceremony and thus becomes hers to care for and guard until used again at another sun dance ceremony4 ,the ritual and the bundle have been discussed in detail in ,volume #g of this series4 ,in addition to the contents of the bundle1 there must be a special robe of elkskin1 a dress of the same material1 and wristlets of strong elk teeth4 ,a new travois must be provided for moving the medicine woman outfit4 ,sometimes she herself rides on it4 ,this travois is made by the past medicine woman1 her attendant in the ceremonies4 ,as previously stated1 the natoas ritual in the sun dance has for its mythical basis the ,elk-woman and the ,woman-who-married-a-star1 though ,scar-face1 ,cuts-wood1 ,otter-woman1 and ,scabby-round-robe are said to have made minor contributions4 ,versions of these myths may be consulted in ,volume #b1 part #a of this series4 ,the ,woman-who-married-a-star is credited with bringing down the digging-stick and the turnip1 together with the songs pertaining thereto 7p4 #fa71 also a wreath of juniper formerly worn in place of the natoas and the eagle feather worn by the man4 ,it is also interesting to note that the ,crane-woman who transfers the ritualistic attributes of these objects makes a formal declaration of her marital virtue4 ,in the case of ,elk-woman1 we have again the incident of the ,crane and the digging-stick where it is implied that the latter symbolizes the bill of the former4 ,we are informed that many animals were present at this transfer1 each contributing something to the regalia4 ,we also find it suggested that the bunches of feathers on the natoas represent the horns of the elk1 the elk robe and elk teeth wristlets further symbolizing that animal4 ,in one version of this myth is the antagonistic implication that ,elk-woman was not quite up to the standard of marital virtue4 ,in the ,cuts-wood myth the going forward to the tongues is accounted for4 ,scabby-round-robe is credited with adding the necklace and the arrow point to the natoas and ,otter-woman with the wild cat-tail4 ,the following statement of an informant has a bearing upon this point3-- ,the natoas is said to have come from the ,elk4 ,it was first owned by beaver bundle men1 but it was the custom for the medicine woman in the sun dance to borrow it for her ceremony4 ,this continued for a time1 but ultimately the medicine woman bought it and kept it in a bundle of her own4 ,the feathers on the front of the natoas are said to represent the horns of ,elk and the plumes at the sides1 the leafy top of the large turnip4 ,this is the same turnip which the woman who went to the sky land is supposed to have dug up4 ,the digging-stick which accompanies the natoas also represents the stick with which she did this digging4 ,some of the songs in the natoas ritual speak of little children running about and this refers to the ball-like image on the front of the natoas1 for this image is stuffed with tobacco seeds1 which1 as you know1 are often spoken of as children1 or dwarfs 7p4 #bja74 ,the broad band upon which the natoas is mounted is said to represent the lizard4 ,all these things1 it is said1 were added to the natoas1 one at a time1 by some of the beaver men4 ,so it came about that we have the natoas as it is4 ,now1 as to the story about the ,elk giving the ,natoas the robe and the wristlets used with it4 ,the objection is sometimes made that this first woman who ran away from her husband to join the ,elk was not a true woman and that the facts are therefore inconsistent with the ideal of the natoas ritual4 ,yet1 some of our people claim that the woman was true and that though she went away with the ,elk it was merely for the sake of receiving the ritual and that this is evident because in the story it tells how she was able to hook down trees by her magical powers and it is not conceivable that she could do this if she had not been a true woman4 ,the ceremonial transfer of the sun dance bundle really begins with the fasting of the medicine woman on the first day4 ,neither she nor her husband are supposed to eat or drink while the sun is visible1 and then but sparingly4 ,on the evening before1 they are put to bed by the father and mother4 ,the mother places the daughter on the south side of the fire and the father the son on the north side4 ,they must remain in the same position until morning4 ,before the sun rises the father and mother go to the medicine woman's tipi1 stand by the door and sing4 ,they sing as they formally enter1 the father raising up the son2 the mother1 the daughter4 ,the man is taken out by the father and the daughter by the mother for the morning toilet4 ,when they return a small amount of food is fed to the son and daughter1 after which the father and mother take a little food and drink4 ,this must be before sunrise4 ,during the day the son and especially the daughter must sit quietly in their places with bowed heads and eyes cast down4 ,she wears a buffalo robe1 hair side in1 painted red1 covering her head as well as her body4 ,her hair is not braided1 but hangs down freely except for a horizontal band around the head4 ,the hair may be allowed to conceal the entire face4 ,the daughter must do nothing for herself4 ,if she wishes to speak it must be in almost a whisper in the ear of the mother or other attendant1 who in turn will announce the import1 if necessary4 ,a fire is kept burning in the middle of the tipi1 the ears are closely drawn around the smoke hole1 the door closed1 and the tipi cover securely staked down at the edges4 ,though this keeps the temperature high1 the medicine woman cannot use a fan1 but may use the skin of a muskrat to wipe the perspiration from her face and hands4 ,during the fasting period no noise must be made in the tipi4 ,all the attendants must avoid unnecessary conversation and speak in a very subdued tone2 utensils must not be rattled or struck together4 ,visitors may enter1 but respectfully and quietly4 ,no noises should be made in the vicinity of the medicine tipi and boisterous acts abstained from in all parts of the camp circle4 ,if water is brought in the vessel must be covered4 ,no one should spit in the tipi nor do the other things forbidden at the ceremony of the tongues4 ,throughout the whole period there is a male attendant4 ,he keeps the fire alive during the night and until camp is moved4 ,he can only start the fire with an ember from some other tipi1 striking fire in the tipi being strictly prohibited4 ,pipes can only be lighted from the fire by this attendant with service berry sticks4 ,a blaze must be avoided as much as possible4 ,the attendant cuts the tobacco and fills the pipe and when burnt out he must empty the ashes into a small hole in the ground near his seat4 ,everyone is expected to sit quietly1 leaving the moving to him4 ,he remains on duty during the night also4 ,formerly1 the tipi of the medicine woman was moved three times1 four different camps resulting1 the last being at its position in the circle for the sun dance4 ,as a considerable journey was often necessary to reach the sun dance site these camps might be far apart4 ,theoretically1 the camp is pitched late in the afternoon of each day4 ,at the sun dance a special sweathouse ceremony takes place4 ,this will be discussed later4 ,after this the evening and greater part of the night are spent by those in attendance at the medicine woman's tipi in rehearsing the songs and instructing the son and daughter4 ,like everything else1 moving the camp of the medicine woman is a formal matter4 ,the travois is made1 painted red1 and reserved for the special use of the medicine woman4 ,when the time for breaking camp in the medicine woman's band arrives1 she and her husband are led out and seated upon a robe at the west or rear of their tipi1 facing in the direction to move4 ,the parfleche of tongues and other paraphernalia are brought out by the attending women and put down beside the couple4 ,the mother directs the attending women in taking down the tipi and hitching the horse to the travois4 ,the parfleche of tongues is packed on the travois4 ,when all is ready1 the woman and man are led to their horses and assisted to mount1 the woman riding the horse to the travois4 ,the father and the son go ahead in single file1 next the mother and the daughter1 or medicine woman4 ,they pause four times1 as songs are sung4 ,after they get some distance out1 they stop and wait for the camp1 now moving for the first time4 ,this procession of four always leads1 the two men side by side and behind them the two women likewise4 ,at noon1 when they stop for lunch1 the two are again seated on a robe1 the travois unhooked and laid down before them4 ,then follows the camp some distance behind4 ,the old men form a circle and smoke near the pair4 ,at this time the father orders one of the men's societies to go forward and mark out a camp site4 ,when this spot is reached1 tipis are pitched and when everything is in place the medicine woman and her husband are taken inside4 ,on the morning of each day a society is given instructions to make the sweathouse at the camping place1 a man to get the creeping juniper and another to cut out the smudge place4 ,as the sweathouse procedure is a distinct ceremony1 it will be treated under another head4 ,the following account of the evening ceremonies in the medicine woman's tipi was given by ,red-plume3-- ,in the evening1 after sunset1 the first sweathouse is made4 ,all those who took part in the ceremony before and a few other old men are invited4 ,the man who fills the pipes and tends to the smoking during the ceremony remains on duty during the whole sun dance ceremony4 ,four-bears is told to tell the mosquito society to sing that night in their own tipi which is inside of the circle4 ,this society is to sing the sun dance songs1 the weather-makers dancing songs1 the rest of the people remaining quiet through the night4 ,in the medicine lodge they sing until a little before day-break4 ,the smudge place in the medicine lodge on the first day and for the first sweathouse is a square marked in the soft earth with a crescent in the middle of it4 ,it is not painted4 ,under the crescent is a dot where the smudge is made4 ,when all the guests are assembled in the tipi the ceremony for the evening begins4 ,food is given to all2 the medicine woman and her husband have their meat cut up for them4 ,while a song is sung a piece of meat is held over the smudge1 four passes made with it1 and then fed to the man and woman4 ,the same thing is done with water4 ,after this they may help themselves to the food4 ,after the meal is over the singing begins4 ,the sweetgrass is taken up and a song sung3 ,old man1 takes spring grass4 ,old woman comes in with her body4 ,another man takes the smudge stick and places a live coal on the smudge place4 ,the singer holds the grass over head and then brings it down on the coal4 ,this song is for the morningstar3 ,morningstar says let us have a sweathouse4 ,seven songs are sung for the sun and moon which are spoken of as the old man and old woman4 ,these with the seven sung for the morningstar make fourteen sung thus far4 ,since the men have been in the sweathouse where the paint has all washed off1 five songs are sung to re-paint the man and woman4 ,as the man sings1 he takes some red earth paint with a ball of fat which he rolls in the palms of his hands4 ,the song is3 ,old man says red face ,i take4 ,he makes a streak crosswise on the man's forehead1 vertically on his cheeks1 and across the chin4 ,the entire face is then covered with the same red paint4 ,the robe is then taken from the man's shoulders4 ,he sings another song as he takes up the sagegrass and brushes one side of the man's head1 his arm1 and then his body4 ,at the same time1 the woman is painted on the other side of the tipi4 ,another song is sung and he takes the paint1 rubs it in his hands1 and sings3 ,this man ,i am making his body holy1 powerful4 ,the same words are sung for the woman4 ,the man's body and robe are then painted4 ,when the tongues were first taken in to be sliced1 two round buffalo dungs together with a ball of sweetgrass were given to the man and woman4 ,they keep these to wipe the paint from their hands4 ,a song is sung for the dung4 ,the two men and the two women hold their hands over the dung4 ,they make four motions with the closed fists and then touch the ground to the southeast1 southwest1 northwest1 and northeast of the dung4 ,the words in this song are3 ,this may help me to live long1 and help me through life4 ,there is also part of a buffalo dung4 ,the smudge stick is taken up1 with the song3 ,timber ,i am looking for8 ,timber ,i have found and taken4 ,the two men and the two women all grasp the forked stick4 ,they sing as they take up the dung with it and gradually move it up the stick until it rests on the fork4 ,then it is held over the fire4 ,someone knocks the dung into the fire and it is covered with ashes4 ,the song is3 ,powerful1 ,i start4 ,powerful where ,i sit4 ,to throw the dung off into the fire is a sign that enemies will be conquered4 ,four songs are now sung for the muskrat skin used to wipe the faces of the man and woman3 ,man says1 my medicine1 ,i am looking for4 ,i have found it4 ,the skin is taken up4 ,two songs are sung for the parfleche with tongues in it4 ,it is taken up very slowly and the singing continues during all the movements made with it4 ,it is held over the smudge and placed to one side1 the cords untied1 and the tongues taken out and distributed to all who are now in the tipi4 ,the two medicinemen and women also eat4 ,the song when first taking up the parfleche is3 ,buffalo ,i am powerfully starting4 ,it is powerful where ,i sit4 ,when undoing the cords the words are3 ,buffalo ,i take some4 ,when the first tongue is taken out1 a little piece is held up by everyone1 prayers are said1 the small pieces are placed on the ground1 and they begin to eat them4 ,seven songs for the eagle tail feather with which the sun is supposed to have brushed off the scar from ,scar-face's face and is supposed to be the feather brought down from the sun by ,scar-face follow3 ,old man says1 hand me a feather4 ,the feather is passed to the man4 ,another song follows3 ,old man says he wants a hundred feathers4 ,old woman wants different kinds of feathers4 ,seven more songs are sung1 the words of some of them are3 ,this man says that above have seen me4 ,it is powerful4 ,the ground ,i see is powerful4 ,old man1 says1 white buffalo robe ,i want4 ,old woman1 says1 ,elk ,i want4 ,old man says1 don't fool me4 ,old woman says1 don't fool me4 ,the meaning of this is to be sure and give them what they ask for1 that is1 offerings made at the sun dance to the sun1 moon1 etc4 ,seven songs are sung before they take up the rattles and the rawhide and five songs for the raven4 ,at this time1 the man takes hold of one of the rattles by the ball part touching it to the ground1 while he holds the end of the handle straight up4 ,the raven songs are3 ,raven says1 buffalo ,i am looking for2 buffalo ,i take4 ,the wind is our medicine4 ,the brush is our home4 ,buffalo ,i take4 ,the man pecks the rattle handle with one finger on both sides and crows4 ,then they begin to beat the rattles on the rawhide and shake them in a circle once4 ,now seven songs are sung for the smudge which is made of a species of fungus that grows on a kind of willow4 ,the songs3 ,old man says1 all right1 may my lodge be put up4 ,old woman says1 all right may my lodge be put up or built4 ,these words mean that the sun and moon are speaking and want the sun dance lodge built without any accidents4 ,the next songs are for the natoas bundle which is not opened4 ,the songs3 ,old man comes in1 he says1 ,i am looking for my bonnet4 ,i have found it4 ,it hears me4 ,it is medicine4 ,the old woman sings and uses the same words in her songs4 ,there are six of these bonnet songs4 ,the songs for the badger skin follow3 ,the man above hears me2 he is powerful4 ,the ground is my home2 it is powerful4 ,there are four songs for the badger4 ,the badger skin and other things are not handled1 the songs about them are simply sung4 ,the songs for the natoas are3 ,old man says ,i am looking for my bonnet4 ,i have found it3 it is powerful4 ,the woman then sings a song with the same words1 which is followed by a song about the stone arrow points on the natoas4 ,there is a song for everything which makes up the bonnet which is as follows3 the leather band1 the blue paint on the band1 the stuffed weasel skin tied crosswise on the bonnet1 the weasel tails hanging from the bonnet1 two feathers in front1 and two behind1 two plumes on each side of the bonnet1 a flint arrow point1 a buffalo calf tail1 a snipe1 and a small doll the head of which is stuffed with tobacco seed4 ,the song for the doll on the bonnet is3 ,children are running about4 ,they are running from us4 ,they are running towards us4 ,they are boys4 ,they are powerful4 ,the man says1 ,give me the child1 and makes the movement of reception4 ,another song is sung3 ,child is crying1 and the man imitates the crying of a child4 ,the song for the little birds is3 ,bird says water is my medicine2 it is powerful1 for the calf tail3 ,man says calf tail ,i want1 and for the arrow point3 ,sharp points are on both sides4 ,then follows the song for the leather band which represents the lizard3 ,yonder man1 ,i am angry and mad at you4 ,this song of the lizard refers to the prairie dog chief4 ,the blue paint on the band represents water and the song for it is3 ,the blue waters are our medicine4 ,the song for the feathers is3 ,feathers ,i want4 ,another song for the plume on the feathers3 ,red ,i want4 ,this closes the evening ceremony4 ,the man and woman are put to bed and all go home4 ,this is the ceremony after the first sweathouse is made4 ,three more moves of the entire camp and three more sweathouses must be made4 ,the fourth move and sweathouse is where the sun dance takes place4 ,nowadays1 only one sweathouse is made for the sun dance4 ,it seems that the final camp is marked out by a society laying rocks around its bounds1 according to which the arriving bands find their proper places4 ,at the fourth camp and on the fourth day1 the natoas bundle is opened1 or its formal ritual demonstrated4 ,early in the day another tipi is pitched before the medicine tipi and the covers are joined1 thus enlarging the space and providing for a few spectators4 ,a few men and women are invited to assist in the ceremony3 the men use the rattles and with the women aid in the singing4 ,the father and other men sit on the north side of the tipi1 the former next the medicine woman's husband2 and the other women sit on the south side1 the mother next to the medicine woman4 ,she directs the medicine woman and the singing of the other women4 ,the ceremony opens at about ten ,a4 ,m4 with the first series of songs in the ritual4 ,three men hold a rattle in each hand1 beating them upon the rawhide by a vigorous downward forward stroke1 the seventh rattle is used by the father4 ,the ritual of the natoas will be found in ,volume #g1 pp4 #bae-bbj4 ,normally1 this ceremony transfers the natoas to the daughter4 ,she may1 however1 waive the right1 in which case the bundle returns to the former owner4 ,yet1 she seems to enjoy all the privileges accorded to one having been an owner4 ,theoretically1 no one can perform a transfer ceremony without having first owned the bundle in question4 ,in case of the natoas1 even now1 a beaver owner is regarded as competent to conduct the proceeding1 though he may never have gone through the ritual with his wife4 ,this is consistent with the tradition that formerly the natoas was a part of the beaver bundle4#f ,yet1 the conditions here are slightly different from those for other bundles in that the father must provide or is charged with the responsibility to see that a natoas is provided4 ,following the vow1 either he or the son makes formal application to the owner of a natoas by the usual presentation of a pipe4#g ,when the daughter begins her fasting1 the father has the natoas brought to her tipi4 ,as a rule1 the father's wife owns a natoas4 ,some informants claim that even should the daughter own a natoas1 the father must provide another4 ,on the other hand1 the daughter can select the eligible natoas4 ,in any case1 the father furnishes the daughter with a dress and an elk robe for which he must be paid liberally4#h ,in conclusion1 it may be remarked that anyone can make up a natoas1 if he has a dream so directing him2 also1 if he owned a natoas that was lost or otherwise destroyed2 if he gave it away1 without receiving payment2 or if it was buried with someone4 ,having owned a natoas and transferred it1 he cannot duplicate it2 should the new owner lose it1 he may1 if called upon1 replace it2 likewise1 if buried1 the surviving husband or wife could call upon him4 ,in all such cases fees are given4 ,when one transfers a medicine bundle and has been paid for it1 he has no more right to it and cannot duplicate it on his own motion4 ,should one sell the bundle without the ceremony of transfer1 the ritual remains with him and he can again make up the bundle2 should one make the transfer and fail to receive the pay1 or waive the pay1 he can make it up again4 ,the relatives of one buried with a bundle can call upon a former owner to make it up1 after which it must be formally transferred to one of them4 ,men were sometimes killed on the warpath and their bundles lost2 such were replaced as noted above4 ,in every case these must be true duplicates2 it is only a dream that authorizes new creations1 or variations1 however slight4 ,an interesting sidelight is thrown upon the idealized qualities of this woman's function by the following narrative3-- ,once while a medicine woman was sleeping in the sacred tipi during the fasting1 a nephew of her husband stole in and made improper advances4 ,being a good and true woman1 like all others who give the sun dance1 she spurned him4 ,next day she told her husband the whole story4 ,he was very angry4 ,he was not satisfied with the confession she made1 but suspected that she must have given the young man some encouragement4 ,so when all the medicinemen and women had come into the tipi to rehearse the songs as usual1 he made a statement of these suspicions and as he had two wives1 he proposed to have them change places4 ,the medicinemen pleaded for the first wife because they believed her innocent1 but the husband was obdurate4 ,so the second wife was called in to take the place4 ,then the first wife said1 ,it was ,i who saved this man's life when he was ill4 ,i made the vow to give the sun dance and he got well4 ,i have suffered much in fasting1 all for him4 ,now he disgraces me before all the people4 ,but ,i will put my virtue to a test4 ,if ,i am true1 ,i have already acquired power4 ,she filled a pipe1 went outside and standing now on the east side of the tipi1 then on the south1 the west1 and the north1 she addressed the sun4 ,the day was clear1 but soon after the woman entered the tipi1 thunder was heard4 ,a storm came down with hail and blew over many tipis4 ,but in spite of these proofs1 her husband was obdurate and the second wife went on with the ceremony4 ,not long after the sun dance this same man became ill again4 ,finally1 as a last resort1 he called upon the first wife to save him again4 ,this woman told him to call upon the other woman as he seemed to have so much faith in her4 ,so he died and was properly punished for so unjustly treating his faithful wife4 ,,footnotes3 #f ,in former times1 the natoas and the medicine woman's costume were owned by a beaver man4 ,when a woman gave a sun dance she gave a horse for their use4 ,she just borrowed them4 ,later on1 a beaver man transferred them1 whence they became a separate bundle4--,tom ,kiyo4 #g ,should the woman already own a natoas and the transferrer 7father7 own one2 the woman must say which bundle shall be used4 ,she can use her own1 borrow1 or purchase of the transferrer4--,curly-bear4 #h ,a ,piegan informant comments as follows3 ,the woman can either buy or borrow a natoas4 ,in the olden times she often borrowed because the natoas1 the dress1 the elk tooth wristlets1 and the robe were owned by a beaver man's wife4 ,after a time1 however1 these were transferred to a medicine woman and were thus separated from the beaver bundle4 ,,the ,,procession ,,to ,,the ,,dancing ,,lodge4 ,in our account of the natoas ritual we told how the father1 son1 etc41 emerge from their tipi4 ,the file is headed by the father1 followed by the son1 next the mother1 then the medicine woman followed by women bearing the tongues4 ,the father and the son are muffled in blankets 7robes72 the latter walks with bowed head1 leaning heavily on a staff and bearing over his head a wild rhubarb stalk4#i ,the medicine woman wears the natoas on her head1 an elkskin 7often buckskin7 dress and an elkskin robe1 with the digging-stick on her back4 ,for a staff1 she uses one of the smudge sticks4 ,the women in her rear bear parfleches containing the tongues1 together with blankets and other ordinary objects4 ,two or three old men act as conductors1 or flankers1 keeping the way clear of spectators1 etc4 ,the procession moves slowly and by stages4 ,the four principal personages in it keep their eyes upon the ground4 ,the course is southward past the entrance 7east side7 to the dancing lodge1 around the south side1 the rear of the shelter and entering from the north side4 ,here the medicine woman remains until the dancing lodge is raised at sunset1 when she returns to her tipi and breaks her fast with berry soup4 ,the father and the son go to a sweathouse after which their responsibilities also end4 ,during the continuance of the ceremonies in the sun lodge1 the medicine woman cares for the natoas bundle1 now her property1 until transferred to another1 but is otherwise free to do as she likes4 ,she usually remains quietly at home receiving guests and resting4 ,the part of the medicine woman is truly a sacrifice4 ,she and her husband must pay liberally everyone called upon for ceremonial service directly connected with the tongues and the natoas ritual4 ,they must also pay a considerable amount of property for the natoas itself4 ,to give the ceremony means the sacrifice of all personal property4 ,on the other hand1 there is compensation1 aside from fulfilling the vow4 ,her relatives are very proud of her since she is so virtuous4 ,she is highly respected by her husband and family4 ,in a measure those who take the tongues are also respected4 ,the medicine woman may act as the mother in a future sun dance for which she will receive presents and she may eventually realize something by transferring the natoas to another4 ,should anything go wrong during the ceremony1 the weather be unfavorable1 etc41 people will look with suspicion upon her and say she must have lied in her confession to the sun4 ,should she become ill or have deaths in the family1 the same charge will be made4 ,the ,offerings of ,cloth4 ,after the procession headed by the father and he is in position at the west side of the dancing lodge1 offerings of cloth and clothing are brought up by the people4 ,a man making such an offering hands the father a filled pipe and the cloth4 ,the father holds the pipe and offers prayers for the giver and lights and passes the pipe to other old men sitting around4 ,the cloth he lays in a pile4 ,then he paints the giver3 first the face is smeared over with red1 then black spots are daubed on the cheeks1 nose1 forehead1 and chin1 four in all4 ,a black circle is marked around each wrist4 ,women bringing offerings and pipes go to the mother who prays for them and paints their faces red with a black spot on the nose and a black circle around the face4 ,there is also a black circle around each wrist4 ,,footnotes3 #i ,scar-face is said to have made a whistle 7flageolet7 of such a stalk4 ,the pith of the growing plant is sometimes eaten for food4 ,,the ,,hundred-,,willow ,,sweathouse4 ,as stated before1 a sweathouse of special form is constructed on the third day4 ,this is said to have originated with ,scar-face1 it being the house into which he was taken by the sun4 ,about the middle of the day a society is sent out for the willows4 ,these were usually those of the younger men2 the pigeons and mosquitoes4 ,there is a belief1 however1 that in former times only warriors could be sent upon this errand4 ,these persons are mounted and return in procession1 singing and circling the medicine woman's tipi in the direction of the sun1 and deposit their willows at the west side of the camp circle4 ,they must not drink water while on this duty4 ,an older society is called to build the sweathouse4 ,they must not drink water while engaged in this operation and receive some of the tongues after the ceremonies of the fourth day4 ,formerly1 these men must have had a coup to their credit as a qualification and some informants claim that the sum total for the society should have totalled at least one hundred1 the number of willows4 ,the work begins some time before sunset by which time the sweathouse should be completed4 ,the willows are stuck into the ground in an oval and their tops bent over and interlocked over the top4 ,the ends point toward the east and the west1 an opening or door being provided at each4 ,the willows are then painted1 one side red and the other black4 ,next1 a hole is dug in the center of the structure for the heated stones4 ,in the meantime1 a small heap of stones mixed with firewood has been placed some distance to the east4 ,a buffalo skull is painted with red spots on one side and black on the other4 ,sagegrass is thrust into the nose and eye-sockets4 ,robes are then thrown over the willows and all is ready for the procession from the medicine woman's tipi4 ,the procession from the medicine woman's tipi consists of the father and another man experienced in ceremonial affairs1 the husband1 the mother and the medicine woman4 ,they approach slowly and by stages1 passing around the south side of the sweathouse to the north and then to the east or entrance4 ,all keep their eyes on the ground4 ,the husband walks with a heavy staff2 the medicine woman carries the natoas bundle with a smudge stick4 ,the men enter the sweathouse1 while the two women go to the west side and sit down facing the east4 ,the medicine woman is on the north side with the bundle before her4 ,after the men have entered1 the fire is lighted and some of the attendants 7builders of the sweathouse7 lift the buffalo skull to the top of the sweathouse where it faces the east4 ,prayers and the usual sweathouse procedure now follow while the stones and a pail of water are passed in by an attendant4 ,the covers are then drawn down and the vapor bath taken4 ,after the ceremony the procession returns to the medicine woman's tipi4 ,the cover is removed from the sweathouse and the buffalo skull placed on top where it remains4 ,should there be more than one medicine woman1 another sweathouse is made on the east side of the camp circle and the others grouped around them equally4 ,since after the sweathouse ceremony there is formal singing in the tipi until far into the night1 it may be said that during the four days of the fast the ceremonies begin with the sweathouse at sundown1 while on the fifth day the ceremony begins in the morning and ends at sundown4 ,to this generalized statement the following account from a ,piegan may be added3-- ,now1 when the first sweathouse is to be made1 orders are given in the morning to one of the societies to get the willows to make the hundred-willow sweathouse4 ,another man is to get the creeping juniper to use in the smudge place in the medicine lodge1 and still another is to cut out the smudge place4 ,the moves are short4 ,the people all move camp1 as before1 and the society goes on ahead and stakes out the camping ground4 ,when the tipis are pitched at the new camping ground1 the society comes in with the willows and the rocks for the sweathouse4 ,they circle once around to the right of the lodges and stop outside of the circle1 west of the medicine lodge4 ,they must neither eat nor drink while building the sweathouse4 ,they gather wood from among the tipis until they have enough to heat the rocks4 ,robes for covering the sweathouse are borrowed from the people of the camp4 ,one man goes to the medicine lodge and digs out the smudge place4 ,when the sweathouse is ready for the medicinemen1 four of the men who helped in the construction go and inform the men and women4 ,they carry the parfleche with the tongues in it on a robe1 each man holding a corner4 ,the two medicinemen take the lead1 the two women follow1 then come the four men with the parfleche4 ,four stops are made before they reach the sweathouse4 ,the instructor leads1 and is followed in single file by the other man1 and the two women walking very slowly and singing4 ,they march once around the sweathouse in the direction of the sun4 ,the other old men who are to join them and the two medicinemen go in while the two women remain seated on a robe just west of it with the parfleche beside them4 ,a smudge is made with sweetgrass1 and a crescent-shaped place marked out between the square hole and the rear of the sweathouse and live coals are placed on the dot in front of the crescent4 ,a song is sung while the smudge stick is taken up and a man goes after the coal for the smudge4 ,the sweetgrass is placed on the live coal and the two songs for the smudge are sung3 ,spring grass ,i take4 ,where ,i sit is powerful4 ,a pipe is handed in and the pipe bowl and stem painted red4 ,the man holds the pipe over the smudge and prays for the one who gave it to him and then passes it to the last man to his right who lights it and all smoke it4 ,when the pipe is all burnt out1 the man who blessed it1 takes it1 and with a red-painted stick loosens the ashes and empties some of them on the southeast corner of the square hole in the sweathouse1 then on the northwest corner1 on the northeast1 and finally in the center4 ,after this the buffalo skull is brought in and the songs of the buffalo sung while the same man paints it with black and red dots1 the left half black and the right half in red4 ,grass is stuffed into the eyes and nose of the skull which is passed out through the west of the sweathouse and placed on the earth taken out of the hole in the sweathouse4 ,an extra buffalo horn wrapped with swamp grass is brought in and given to the man who paints it red and sings while doing so3 ,chiefs of other tribes ,i want to hook4 ,he throws the horn out and all the men of this society who remain near the sweathouse try to catch it4 ,the one who captures it is considered lucky and he is supposed to capture a gun in the next battle he witnesses4 ,the men in the sweathouse all undress and as they pass their robes and moccasins out through the west of the sweathouse and the door1 the buffalo songs are sung4 ,the two medicinemen only wear a robe and moccasins when they go into the sweathouse4 ,while singing1 the forked stick is taken up and one of the outsiders goes for the heated stones1 stopping four times before he brings them in4 ,one of the men who is inside takes the stone with two straight sticks and places it on the southeast corner of the hole1 the same is done with four more stones which are placed on the southwest1 the northwest1 the northeast corner and the fifth is placed in the bottom of the hole at the center4 ,when a sixth stone is placed in the hole1 they are all rolled to the bottom of the hole4 ,water and a horn spoon or wooden bowl is brought in4 ,a little water is thrown on the stones to wash them1 the curtains are lowered1 and prayers to the sun1 moon1 and stars1 and earth begin4 ,in groups of four1 sixteen medicine lodge songs are sung4 ,the curtains are raised and four more songs are sung2 the sweathouse is opened and four songs are sung1 until the sixteen have been completed4 ,the two medicinemen go out through the west of the sweathouse while the rest go through the door4 ,the men dress1 and the parfleche containing the tongues is opened and the tongues given to the members of the society who made the sweathouse4 ,the medicinemen and women do not eat4 ,after all are provided with the tongues a piece is broken off each and while all hold the pieces up a prayer is said and the piece of tongue placed on the ground4 ,then they all begin to eat4 ,after this the robes are all returned to their owners1 the buffalo skull placed on top of the frame of the sweathouse with the nose pointed towards the east and the medicinemen and women return in single file while four men follow behind carrying the empty parfleche4 ,the men who belong to the society may now eat and drink as they wish4 ,,the ,,dancing ,,lodge4 ,the dancing lodge may be said to take its origin on the fourth day1 by which time the medicine woman has her tipi in place near its site and the camp circle has been formed4 ,in construction1 nine forked tree trunks about nine feet in height are set in a circle4 ,across their tops1 except the eastern face1 are laid stringers about fifteen feet long of the same material4#aj ,in the center1 is another forked tree trunk much higher than the other 7this we shall call the sun pole7 connected with each of the stringers by a rafter4 ,green boughs are placed thickly against the outside of the lodge4 ,on the inside1 at the rear1 is a booth screened and roofed with boughs4 ,the material is cottonwood4 ,that other woods were occasionally used1 is attested by the fact that a locality is known as the place of sweet pine dancing lodge4 ,some informants claim that in former years each band was required to furnish two rafters1 a post1 a rail1 and their proportionate amount of boughs4 ,two rafters were used instead of one as now1 each band furnishing the section opposite their place in the circle4 ,the contradiction between the number of bands and the size of the dancing lodge seems not to have troubled our informants4 ,now1 the young men go out during the early part of the fourth day to cut the poles and boughs4 ,this is done without ceremony4 ,a crier usually rides around the camp circle reminding the various bands of their duty4 ,formerly1 the young women went out on horseback to drag in the poles and brush4 ,on this occasion1 they dressed in the best costumes and used the finest horse trappings obtainable4 ,the men cut the poles and brush1 hitching them to the drag ropes with their own hands4 ,as the procession galloped toward the camp circle1 the men rode behind1 shooting and yelling4 ,in recent years1 the men bring the material in on wagons without demonstration4 ,men of some prominence are selected to dig the holes for the posts4 ,the posts are erected and the stringers put in place1 excepting one on the west side nearly opposite the entrance4 ,the rafters are leaned against the stringers1 ready to be pushed in place and the green boughs piled up at convenient places near by4 ,the cutting of the sun pole is attended with some ceremony4 ,some informants claim that formerly this was to be carried out by the medicine woman's band2 others that one of the men's societies was called upon for this service4 ,in any event1 they go out as a war party and locate a suitable tree4 ,a man with a war record1 preferably one having struck an enemy with an ax1 comes forward1 takes an ax1 paints the blade as he recounts some event in which he killed an enemy1 and then strikes the tree4 ,four such deeds must be told before the tree can be felled4 ,then one or two men cut the tree as the others stand around4 ,as the tree begins to fall all give the war cry and shoot at its top1 then rush up1 and tearing off branches1 wave them in the air as if they were trophies from an enemy4 ,indeed1 the whole proceeding1 from start to finish1 is a mimic attack on an enemy4 ,the pole is cut to approximate form and taken to the site of the dancing lodge4 ,one end is placed on a travois 7in recent times on a wagon71 while the riders assist with their ropes1 their horses massed around the travois horse4 ,the hole for the sun pole is dug without ceremony by relatives of the medicine woman4 ,when it is in place1 they tie a bundle of green boughs in the fork1#aa making everything ready for the raising in the evening4 ,the sun pole now lies on the ground with the butt over the hole and the forked end supported by a piece of timber4 ,the fork points to the west4 ,it seems that formerly the pole was painted4 ,just below the fork it was circled by two black bands and two red ones beneath these4 ,,footnotes3 #aj ,obviously1 this would make the dancing lodge very large4 ,in reply to this objection it was said that they were large2 that it was necessary to select as a site places where very long rafter poles could be cut2 that formerly societies and others performed evolutions within on horseback4 ,the late ,little-plume is credited with having introduced the present custom of reciting deeds1 requiring horses1 outside the dancing lodge4 ,it may be of interest to note that the ,arapaho also made very large sun dance shelters4 ,in #aijh ,mr4 ,duvall measured the dancing lodge4 ,the sun pole stood sixteen feet from the ground to the fork4 ,the posts were eight feet and approximately sixteen feet apart4 ,the diameter of the whole was fifty-two feet4 ,the fireplace was east of the sun pole six feet and was four feet by two feet and five inches deep4 ,the booth for medicinemen was five feet eight inches wide by seven feet six inches deep4 ,the two holes were about a foot forward from the sod walls1 eight inches across and six inches deep4 ,the man who has been marking out the site for the lodge during the last few years1 begins by selecting the place for the sun pole and stepping off seven paces as the radius4 #aa ,the bundle of boughs is neither spoken of as the thunderbird's nest nor given a name of any kind2 though some old men seemed to know that other tribes so designated it4 ,we made diligent inquiry on this point and feel that the above statement is correct4 ,reference to published photographs will show that the brush is merely gathered into a bundle and not made into the form of a nest as in case of the ,crow4 ,,cutting ,,the ,,thongs4 ,a fresh cowskin 7formerly two buffalo hides7 is provided that thongs may be cut for binding the rafters to the stringers and the objects placed on the sun pole4 ,there seems to have been no hunting ceremony for providing this hide and there is now no symbolic hunting4 ,after the medicine woman is in the shelter1 the ceremony of cutting the thongs takes place4 ,if no one volunteers1 men are caught4 ,the men who cut the thongs last year may do the catching or engage representatives to do it4 ,formerly1 this function was exercised by old warriors who had captured enemies alive4 ,the catchers go quietly about the camp looking for eligibles4 ,while pretending to pass one by without notice1 they suddenly lay hold of him4 ,the victim may pull back1 but is not allowed to resort to other means of resistance4 ,he is then led up to the hides near the front of the medicine woman's shelter4 ,in former times1 four such men were brought up for the ceremony4 ,they must have coups to their records1 otherwise they would not have been selected4 ,in the ceremony of #aijd we observed an attempt to catch a man on horseback1 but the struggles of the horse enabled him to escape4 ,in former times1 the friends of the interested party would have gathered around the rear and sides of the horse forcing him forward in the lead of the catcher4 ,this whole catching procedure is said to symbolize the capture of an enemy4 ,in order to understand the ceremony that now takes place1 it is necessary to know that the right to cut the thong is to the ,blackfoot a medicine to be transferred for gifts of property as in case of other medicines4 ,the men who did the cutting in the previous year are to sell1 or transfer1 this year4 ,it is they who do the catching1 either in person or by deputy4 ,should no one be brought forward1 those who performed the rite on the previous year must again serve4 ,as soon as a man is caught1 his relatives are notified2 they come out with all kinds of property to support him in the transfer4 ,the initiate is brought into the presence of the present owner of the right1 his hands and face are painted1 accompanied by ritualistic prayers4 ,while this proceeds1 an old man 7usually a relative7 stands somewhat apart and shouts out praise for the initiate4 ,however1 this may be done by a woman1 if no man comes forward4 ,a horse and other property is then given to the former owner of the right1 whence it ceases to be his4 ,the deputy catcher1 if there is one1 then receives a small present or two from the former owner4 ,the cutting of the thong then takes place4 ,the new owner of the right1 standing up by the hide1 shouts out his coups4 ,he holds the knife in his hand and while pointing in different directions with it1 he tells of a war deed4 ,at the end of each tale he makes a pass with the knife as if to cut the hide4 ,after four deeds are told1 he cuts the hide4 ,for example1 he may say1 ,at such a place ,i captured a horse which gives me the right to cut this1 etc4 ,if there are other men with the right1 they follow in turn4 ,after this1 the thongs are cut with the assistance of other men and distributed at the places where they will be needed4 ,a thong with the tail attached is used to bind the bunch of boughs to the sun pole1 the tail hanging down4 ,while this ceremony is going on1 gifts of flour1 beef1 etc41 made by white people are distributed among the old poor people4 ,this is regarded as a recent intrusion4 ,the following extract from an unpublished version of the ,scar-face myth accounts for the thong-cutting ceremony3-- ,her husband could tell by her eyes that she had been crying and he said1 ,i told you not to dig up that turnip1 but nevertheless you have done so4 ,since you are lonesome and wish to return to your people1 ,i will take you back4 ,then ,morningstar went out and killed some buffalo4 ,after he had skinned all of them he cut the hides into long strands1 fastened them together1 and tied the woman and her child to one end and let her down from the sky to where her people were4 ,before she reached the earth1 a little sore-eyed boy was lying on his back1 looking up at the sky and saw a very small object coming down4 ,the boy told the men who were playing the wheel gambling game what he saw1 but they laughed at him and threw dirt in his eyes and said1 ,you must see the gum on your eyelids or lashes4 ,as the falling object came closer others noticed it and when it came among the group they knew that it was the woman who was missing from the camp4 ,they untied the rawhide strand and noticed that some of the buffalo tails were on the ends of the long rope which lay piled up high before them4 ,this woman came down with her digging-stick4 ,as she was not a wicked woman and only lived with ,morningstar as her husband1 she gave her digging-stick to the medicine lodge woman and the natoas was named for the turnip she dug up4 ,when the sun dance was held1 this woman told them always to cut up a rawhide into strands and tie the posts with them4 ,also that the center post and the birch on it must be tied with them4 ,the tail of the hide is to hang down from the center post4 ,these rawhide strands are a representation of the rawhide rope with which this woman was let down to the earth4 ,later1 the moose hoofs are tied to this digging-stick4 ,the plumes on the natoas are to represent the leaf of the large turnip this woman dug up while in the sky4 ,,raising ,,the ,,sun ,,pole4 ,while the hide is being cut1 all the woman who made vows to take some of the tongues come forward to the parfleche placed near the medicinemen and women4 ,each woman takes one of the tongues and stands with the person for whom her vow was made and makes a confession to the sun in a loud voice1 so all may hear4 ,then she prays to the sun for the beneficiary4 ,after all the women have taken their tongues1 some of the men tie the cloth offerings to the ends of the poles and a bunch of birch is tied between the forks of the center pole4 ,the preceding ceremony comes to a close as the sun gets very low4 ,about time for the sun to set1 a procession of pole raisers starts from each of the four quarters of the camp circle4 ,tipi poles are tied near the small ends in pairs1 each pair carried by two men4 ,the four parties advance in unison by four stages and at each pause sing a special song4 ,in the last move1 they rush upon the sun pole and raise it in place4 ,in the meantime1 the father and son go and stand on the center pole while their wives stand to the west4 ,the men make wing movements with their arms toward the east4 ,according to some informants1 the medicine woman may make hooking motions at the pole1 to symbolize the mythical ,elk-woman4 ,four men are called upon to assist the father and son4 ,as the latter stand upon the pole1 they encircle and screen them with their blankets and join the father in singing4 ,the songs call for good luck in erecting the dancing lodge4 ,the son does not sing4 ,four songs are sung4 ,at the end of each the father blows a whistle while someone shakes the pole4 ,the last time they jump off the pole4 ,the son drops his blanket 7some say the father also1 some add moccasins7 painted black as a sun offering4 ,another blanket is handed him at once4 ,as soon as the men leave the pole the advancing raisers rush in1 raise the center pole1 put on the rafters1 tie them with the rawhide strands and place brush all around to form the wind-break4 ,this is accompanied by much shouting1 but without shooting4 ,while the sun pole is being raised the daughter and mother stand watching it4 ,they pray and make movements with the corners of their robes as though steering the rising pole4 ,as it sways from side to side1 they gesture as if righting it4 ,as soon as the pole is set1 the natoas1 robe1 and moccasins are taken off the daughter by the mother4 ,she may call on someone to do this and pay a gun or a horse for the service4 ,the mother and other attendants then lead the daughter to her tipi where she resumes her ordinary routine4 ,the father and son go to a sweathouse where all the paint is washed off4 ,this is not the hundred-willow sweathouse and is the fifth sweathouse1 if it were counted4 ,the two men go in and some sagegrass being handed to the father1 he takes off the feathers tied to the son's hair1 the hair necklace1 and whistle4 ,after the first opening of the sweathouse he takes the sagegrass and wipes off the black paint on the son and hands out through the west side of the sweathouse the necklace1 whistle1 and feathers which are to be taken home4 ,at the same time1 the two women are in the ceremonial lodge1 the mother caring for the daughter4 ,when the men have completed the sweathouse ceremony they go to the medicine woman's tipi4 ,the father and his wife wrap up the natoas and place it in the badger skin4 ,after this is done1 they no longer have to eat sparingly4 ,this ends the ceremony of the medicine woman4 ,early the next day she and her husband must obtain the cottonwood brush with which the booth for the weather dancers is made4 ,another man digs out the place in the booth1 making it the same as the smudge place in the medicine woman's tipi1 with the sod on three sides and creeping juniper on top of it4 ,the fireplace is dug out to the west of the center post and is made as in the medicine woman's tipi4 ,when going for and returning the brush1 the woman rides one horse and leads the one dragging her travois4 ,while when the other brush was brought in there was much shooting and shouting1 there are now no demonstrations of any kind1 but absolute silence4 ,,the ,,weather ,,dancers4 ,early on the fifth day1 a booth is built inside the dancing lodge opposite the entrance4 ,a slight excavation about six feet square is made over which is erected a shelter of green cottonwood boughs1 open on the side facing the sun pole4 ,before the middle of the day1 a procession of one or more men supposed to have power over the weather1 attended by drummers1 proceeds by stages from the medicine woman's tipi to this booth4 ,they pause four times and dance1 facing alternately the east and the west4 ,they hold whistles of bone in their mouths1 which are sounded in unison with the dancing4 ,the procession is of two transverse lines1 the dancers1 in front1 the drummers and singers behind4 ,a great deal of dancing is done between the entrance to the dancing lodge and the booth4 ,at intervals during the day they stand before the booth and dance to the east and west3 the drummers are now stationed on the south side of the booth where women also assemble for the singing4 ,the dancing is chiefly an up and down movement produced by flexing the knees1 the eyes are directed toward the sun and wing-like movements of the hands are made in the same direction4 ,the dancers wear breechcloth and moccasins and usually a robe around the waist4 ,their faces and bodies are painted according to their own medicines and medicine objects worn on their heads4 ,it is stated that there is but one weather dancer1 but others may join under certain conditions4 ,in practice this seems to amount to there being a director or leader in the dance1 at least such was the case in #aijc and #aijd4 ,in #aijd the two assistant dancers went to the medicine woman's tipi to paint themselves and began their procession from there1 while the leader approached in a similar manner from his own tipi1 the two forming one procession before the east side of the dancing lodge was reached4 ,the leading dancer wore a special ceremonial robe1 headdress1 and several medicine objects1 which have been described in ,volume #g 7pp4 #ih-ii74 ,these objects and their medicine functions may be regarded as esoteric in so far as they are not absolutely essential to the office of leading dancer4 ,yet1 this same individual seems to have performed this function for a number of years4 ,clark mentions strings of feathers tied to the finger of this dancer4#ab ,in #aijd there were two assistant dancers4 ,both wore headdresses somewhat like that of their leader4 ,one was fully dressed with a blanket around his waist2 the other was nude to the belt4 ,the latter was painted chiefly in red with a circle in blue on the back and one on the breast4 ,the former had a pair of horizontal lines on each cheek1 those on the right1 black1 on the left1 red4 ,it is said that formerly these dancers were nude1 except for the breechcloth and moccasins4 ,the entire body was painted4 ,there seemed to have been no fixed painting1 but the sun1 moon1 and stars were usually represented4 ,around the head1 they wore a wreath of juniper and bands of sagegrass around the neck1 wrists1 and ankles4 ,the weather dancers are not permitted to eat or drink during the day4 ,formerly1 they remained in the booth continuously until the evening of the fourth day of their dancing2 in recent years1 they spend the night at home and return to the booth in the morning4 ,the functions of these dancers are not clearly understood4 ,they seem to be held responsible for the weather3 i4 e41 upon them falls the duty of preventing rain from interfering with the dancing4 ,whether they do this because they happen to have independent shamanistic powers or whether it is a mere function of their temporary office in the ceremony1 cannot be determined4 ,other medicinemen often attempt to control the weather during the days preceding the formal entry into the booth as well as during the later days4 ,in #aijc 7,piegan7 there was a contest between a number of rival medicinemen some of whom conjured for rain1 others for fair weather3 strange to say1 clouds would threaten and then pass away during these days1 which coincidence was interpreted as proof of evenly matched powers4 ,several times one of the partisans of fair weather came out near the site of the dancing lodge and danced to the sun1 holding up a small pipe and occasionally shouting4 ,he wore no regalia and danced in a different manner from that observed among the weather dancers at the booth4 ,however1 the man who led the weather dancers for many years until his death in #aijh1 was famous for his control over the weather4 ,once1 it is told1 he became enraged at the power making the weather bad1 shouting out ,now1 you go ahead1 if you want to4 ,i have great power and can stop you when ,i will4 ,in former times1 the dreams of the weather dancers while sleeping in the booth were considered of special supernatural significance1 since1 it is said1 they were en rapport with the sun4 ,this rapport may account for what seems to be one of their chief functions--blessing the people4 ,during the days they are in the booth1 individuals come to them to be prayed for4 ,they come up and stand before the booth4 ,the dancer takes black paint and paints their faces4 ,then he prays to the sun for their welfare4 ,during this part of the ceremony the recipient faces the sun4 ,again1 the medicine-pipes and other ritualistic objects are brought up for the dancer to present to the sun4 ,the pipes he holds up with the stems towards the sun1 whom he addresses at some length1 offering him a smoke1 making requests1 etc41 after which he smokes the pipe4 ,all the persons present are then permitted to put their lips to the pipe from which they are supposed to derive great benefits4 ,the dancer also receives offerings made to the sun4 ,a young man may fill a pipe and approach with his offerings4 ,the dancer takes the pipe1 smokes1 prays1 paints the man's face1 and makes the offering4 ,a woman or child may do this2 or a whole family4 ,formerly1 a great deal of old clothing was offered at this time1 a custom still practised by the ,blood4 ,also children's moccasins and clothing were offered in this way4 ,as they grew out of them they were given to the sun to promote well-being4 ,in last analysis1 it seems that while these dancers are spoken of as weather priests1 they are rather sun priests1 since through them appeals to the sun are made4 ,it should be noted that they are regarded as independent of and in no way associated with the medicine woman ceremonies or the erection of the dancing lodge1 but upon entrance to the booth1 the leading weather dancer is said to become the chief and director of all succeeding ceremonies4 ,the length of the ceremony depends entirely upon him and formerly continued as long as he kept his place4 ,like other rites this one was bought and sold1 but it was usual to continue in ownership many years4 ,anyone could make a vow to dance with the weather dancer and join him in his ceremonies1 but such vows were usually made by former owners of the rite4 ,when one makes a vow to purchase the rite1 its owner must sell1 however reluctant he may be4 ,the transfer must be in the sun dance4 ,it is said that two men once alternately sold to each other for many years so that both could appear in every sun dance4 ,,footnotes3 #ab ,clark1 ,w4 ,p41 ,the ,indian ,sign ,language 7,philadelphia1 #ahhe71 #gb4 ,,dancing4 ,the first ceremony of this character is named the cutting-out dance 7to cut out a hole in a robe74 ,it seems to have been performed by a society and occurs early on the fifth day4 ,about four or six old men dance in line with a rawhide which they hold in front of them1 singing and beating time on the rawhide with rattles similar to those of the beaver men4 ,the society now divides into two parties1 one placing itself north of the center pole1 and the other party standing in line south of the center pole4 ,the two parties dance back and forward in front of the pole shooting at it4 ,the old men on the west side of the center pole dance in their places4 ,the rawhide held in front of them1 hangs down like an apron4 ,they beat time on it1 holding the rawhide in one hand1 and the rattles in the other4 ,an old man counts deeds and marks out with a knife the fireplace and the booth for the weather dancers4 ,these are dug while the dancing and shooting take place4#ac ,the hole1 or fire pit1 is dug between the sun pole and the entrance to the dancing lodge4 ,it is about three feet by two and two hands deep4 ,a warrior is then called to start the fire4 ,warriors now come forward in turn to count their coups4 ,in this a man took a piece of firewood and holding it up1 called out in a loud voice how he once struck a ,sioux1 a ,snake1 etc41 then placed it in the fire4 ,when he had recounted all he gave way to the next4 ,stories are told of men having enough coups to make a fire large enough to threaten the destruction of the dancing lodge4 ,we were able to confirm the statement of ,clark#ad that the height of the flame as determined by a buffalo tail hanging down was the criterion for determining a great warrior4 ,one informant states as follows3-- ,there is always a cow tail hanging down from the center post4 ,in olden times this was a buffalo tail1 to the end of which a blackened plume was tied4 ,this hangs down over the fireplace which was used at night to furnish light for the proceedings4 ,the assembled people were entertained by narratives of warriors as they came forward to narrate their deeds2 each threw a stick on the fire for each deed counted and he whose fire blazed high enough to reach the tail was considered a great warrior4 ,it was a great honor when a man could tell enough war deeds to scorch the tail4 ,all this time there was singing 7the cheering songs7 and drumming1 while berry soup was served to all4 ,the persons taking part are designated as those who are about to make the fire4 ,in recent years1 this ceremony has been performed in a very perfunctory manner4 ,after the ceremony1 the fire was fed in the ordinary way and kept going during the greater part of the succeeding days4 ,the origin of this dance is often ascribed to ,scar-face4 ,,footnotes3 #ac ,it will be recalled that in the sun dance of the ,dakota type 7p4 #aaj7 there is a ceremonial shooting at the sun pole4 ,here the shooting takes place in a perfunctory way1 while the pole is dragged to the sun dance site4 ,yet1 ,mc,questen claims to have witnessed the driving of evil power from the sun lodge at a ,blood ceremony in #aiab4 7,the ,sun ,dance of the ,blackfeet ,rod and ,gun in ,canada1 ,march #aiab47 ,as this is not noted in older accounts and we failed to get information as to it1 we suspect it to be due to foreign influences1 or perhaps the author's own interpretation4 #ad ,clark1 ibid41 #gb4 ,,society ,,dances4 ,in former times1 the succeeding days were apportioned to the men's societies 7the ikunukats7 in the order of their rank1 beginning at the lowest4#ae ,there seems to have been no fixed allotment of time to each1 only the order of succession being adhered to4 ,the ceremonies were determined chiefly by the respective society rituals1 though the recounting of deeds in war was given great prominence4 ,as a rule1 each society closed its ceremonies by offering parts of its regalia1 etc41 to the sun1 a custom still observed by the ,blood 7,see vol4 #aa1 this series1 fig4 #ai1 p4 #daa74 ,after the highest society had completed its function1 the leading men of the tribe held a kind of a war dance in which coups were recounted4 ,in this dance1 again1 rattles were beaten upon a rawhide4 ,the organizations or persons having charge of the day's ceremonies must furnish the feast and all necessaries4 ,the medicine woman and her husband usually repair to the dancing lodge each day4 ,the man usually takes his pipe and tobacco and furnishes the smoking for the guests who sit around4 ,his wife wears the buckskin dress and elk robe1 but not the natoas4 ,they sit on the north or right side of the booth and merely are spectators4 ,this closes the ceremonies and camp is broken4 ,,footnotes3 #ae ,this series1 ,vol4 #aa1 #cfe-dgd4 ,,the ,,torture ,,ceremony4 ,the torture feature1 especially prominent in the ceremonies of the ,mandan1 ,hidatsa1 and ,dakota1 was formerly given a place among the dancing lodge ceremonies of the ,blackfoot4 ,the information we have seems to indicate that this ceremony had not become thoroughly adjusted to its place in this series at the time of its prohibition by the ,united ,states and ,canadian governments4 ,the claim is made by some of the ,piegan that it was borrowed from the ,arapaho and was not looked upon with much favor4 ,as one man expressed it1 ,none of those taking the cutting lived to reach old age4 ,it was said that a few ,blackfoot warriors once visited the ,arapaho at the time of their sun dance where they were put through the cutting ceremony4 ,according to the ,blackfoot mode of thought1 this means that the medicine rites 7and rights7 were transferred to them4 ,when they returned1 they induced others to take the cutting1 to whom1 of course1 the rites were transferred4 ,whether this historical statement is accurate or mythical1 we have no means of knowing1 but we are inclined to give it some weight as evidence4 ,it seems1 however1 that warriors took the cutting because of a vow1 similar to that of the medicine woman4 ,sometimes a man dreamed that the sun required it of him4 ,the giving of property and the conditions of the transfer were the same as for cutting the thong1 though we have no information that catching was permitted4 ,such may1 however1 have been tolerated4 ,the men taking the cutting were nude to the belt4 ,sage was tied around the wrists and ankles4 ,the hair hung down1 held in place by a wreath of cedar 7some informants say sage74 ,they were painted white4 ,rows of spots in blue extended down the sides of the face1 over the shoulders and down the arms4 ,wavy lines of the same color were also drawn down the arms4 ,a circle representing the sun1 was made on the breast1 also upon the chin and probably on the back opposite the one over the heart4 ,on the forehead was another circle representing the moon4 ,other informants say a crescent moon in black was used instead of these circles4 ,according to one informant1 vows were made to purchase this ceremony when ill or in great danger4 ,if the promise brought results1 the vow was fulfilled at the next dance4 ,the supplicant calls upon one having purchased the rite4 ,they enter the booth of the weather dancers1 a blanket is held up to shut out the gaze of the others4 ,the transferrer then paints the purchaser4 ,he cuts a hole through the skin of the right shoulder1 over the scapula1 and a hole over each breast4 ,a small sharpened stick is thrust through each4 ,a shield is hung on the back4 ,long cords were fastened to those on the breast1 the ends of which were tied fast1 high up to the center pole4 ,the purchaser goes up to the pole1 embraces it1 and cries for a time4 ,then he backs off1 and dancing1 throws his weight on the ropes4 ,the transferrer jerks the shield from his shoulders and if necessary1 assists him in tearing loose4 ,at once1 the purchaser goes out into the hills and sleeps in different places to receive power4 ,it is said that all who take this ceremony die in a few years1 because it is equivalent to giving one's self to the sun4 ,hence1 the sun takes them for his own4 ,the cutting was similar to that described by ,catlin and other writers as observed elsewhere4 ,some informants say the dancers held whistles in their mouths and gazed at the sun as they danced4 ,when all the thongs were torn out1 some of the lacerated flesh was cut off as an offering to the sun4 ,mc,lean reports the following observations upon this ceremony at a ,blood sun dance3-- 444 ,the chief attraction to the pale-face is what has been ignorantly termed making braves4 ,i desired very much to see this ceremony once1 that ,i might know the facts from personal observation1 and draw my own conclusions after conversing with the ,indians4 ,two young men having their whole bodies painted1 wearing the loin-cloth only1 and with wreaths of leaves around their heads1 ankles and wrists1 stepped into the center of the lodge4 ,a blanket and a pillow were laid on the ground1 and one of the young men stretched himself upon them4 ,as he lay1 an old man came forward and stood over him and then in an earnest speech told the people of the brave deeds1 and noble heart of the young man4 ,in the enumeration of his virtues and noble deeds1 after each separate statement the musicians beat applause4 ,when the aged orator ceased1 the young man arose1 placed his hands upon the old man's shoulders1 and drew them downward1 as a sign of gratitude for the favorable things said about him4 ,he lay down1 and four men held him while a fifth made the incisions in his breast and back4 ,two places were marked in each breast denoting the position and width of each incision4 ,this being done1 the wooden skewers being in readiness1 a double edged knife was held in the hand1 the point touching the flesh1 a small piece of wood was placed on the under side to receive the point of the knife when it had gone through1 and the flesh was drawn out the desired length for the knife to pierce4 ,a quick pressure and the incision was made1 the piece of wood was removed1 and the skewer inserted from the under-side as the knife was being taken out4 ,when the skewer was properly inserted1 it was beaten down with the palm of the hand of the operator1 that it might remain firmly in its place4 ,this being done to each breast1 with a single skewer for each1 strong enough to tear away the flesh1 and long enough to hold the lariats fastened to the top of the sacred pole1 a double incision was made on the back of the left shoulder1 to the skewer of which was fastened an ,indian drum4 ,the work being pronounced good by the persons engaged in the operation1 the young man arose1 and one of the operators fastened the lariats giving them two or three jerks to bring them into position4 ,the young man went up to the sacred pole1 and while his countenance was exceedingly pale1 and his frame trembling with emotion1 threw his arms around it1 and prayed earnestly for strength to pass successfully through the trying ordeal4 ,his prayer ended he moved backward until the flesh was fully extended1 and placing a small bone whistle in his mouth1 he blew continuously upon it a series of short sharp sounds1 while he threw himself backward1 and danced until the flesh gave way and he fell4 ,previous to his tearing himself free from the lariats1 he seized the drum with both hands and with a sudden pull tore the flesh on his back1 dashing the drum to the ground amid the applause of the people4 ,as he lay on the ground1 the operators examined his wounds1 cut off the flesh that was hanging loosely1 and the ceremony was at an end4 ,in former years the head of a buffalo was fastened by a rope on the back of the person undergoing the feat of self-immolation1 but now a drum is used for that purpose4 ,from two to five persons undergo this torture every ,sun-,dance4 ,its object is military and religious4 ,it admits the young man into the noble band of warriors1 whereby he gains the esteem of his fellows1 and opens up the path to fortune and fame4 ,but it is chiefly a religious rite4 ,in a time of sickness1 or danger1 or in starting upon some dangerous expedition1 the young man prays to ,natos for help1 and promises to give himself to ,natos if his prayers are answered4 ,upon his return1 when the ,annual ,sun-,dance is held1 he fulfills his vow1 gives himself to his god1 and thus performs a twofold duty4 ,of course the applause of the people and the exhibition of courage are important factors in this rite1 but its chief feature is a religious one4 ,instead of being a time of feasting and pleasure1 the ,sun-,dance is a military and religious festival1 in connection with which there are occasions for joy1 and the feast enhances the pleasure4#af ,it may be well to note that the offering of bits of flesh to the sun was a general practice not necessarily associated with the sun dance4 ,many comparatively young men now living 7#aijd7 bear numerous scars testifying to such offerings4 ,when in perilous situations a finger would sometimes be struck off with a call upon the sun for help4 ,among the ,blood1 such sacrifice of a finger by women as well as men was common at the sun dance4#ag ,these facts concerning the more general practice of mutilating the body to win the approval of the sun suggest that if the cutting ceremony is intrusive1 it either found on hand a series of analogous customs or brought with it a concept that afterwards gave birth to them4 ,it may be observed that the form of costume and dance is strikingly like that employed by the present weather dancers4 ,since there seems to be no good published data on the sacrificing of skin and fingers we append the narrative of ,split-ears3-- ,sometimes1 when warriors are on an expedition and come in sight of the enemy they will sit in a circle while the leader1 or the oldest member of the party1 offers prayers that they may succeed in their undertaking4 ,then they proceed to offer bits of their own skin to the sun4 ,the one who prayed sits down by one of the party1 takes up a needle or bodkin and a knife1 thrusts the former under a small section of skin and raising it1 cuts off a small slice with a knife4 ,this leaves a circular wound a quarter of an inch or less in diameter4 ,it is understood that the operator pulls the skin up with the needle and slices off a small section underneath that instrument4 ,he then takes up some black paint and dips the bit of skin into it4 ,then he holds it up to the sun and prays for the success of his victim4 ,the bit of skin is then placed upon a piece of cloth and another is removed from the victim in the same manner and so the operator goes to each of the party in turn1 each time removing a piece of skin1 dipping it in black paint1 and holding it up in a prayer to the sun4 ,while each person is expected to give two pieces1 they are not limited to the maximum number1 some men giving four and some still more4 ,the bits of skin thus collected are tied up in one corner of the cloth which is mounted upon a stick wrapped with wild sage1 the whole being fastened in a tree or set up on the top of a high hill as the sun's offering4 ,this sacrifice is always spoken of as feeding the sun with flesh from one's own body4 ,the cloth is fastened to the stick in the form of a flag or banner so that it waves in the wind with the flesh offerings tied in one corner4 ,this sacrifice is considered one of the greatest a man can make4 ,now1 as ,i have said1 some men only give two small pieces of skin1 while others give a great many more1 but as they do this each time they go on an expedition1 it so happens that a man who made many war expeditions has many small scars on his arms and legs4 ,thus1 we can still tell those of our old men who went upon the warpath many times in their youth4 ,we can tell by the scars made from feeding the sun their own flesh4 ,but1 again1 it so happens that men while at home may have dreams in which they are commanded to feed the sun4 ,now it is believed that unless a man heeds such a command1 he is certain to be visited by misfortune or even death1 so he always makes haste to comply with the command4 ,after such a dream he makes a sweathouse and invites in an old man who prays and makes the offering4 ,the procedure here is the same as previously described and the offering is made into a banner and placed in a tree or upon a hill4 ,then again1 the men who are at home in the camp but who have relatives in a war party may so wish for the safety of these that they themselves offer bits of skin in their behalf4 ,thus1 you see1 there are many times when people will offer bits of skin1 so that it was not uncommon for a man to have one hundred or more scars upon his body4 ,these are generally arranged in rows up and down the arms1 down the legs1 down the breasts and the back4 ,i have even heard of cases where a man is said to have offered one hundred pieces of skin at one time4 ,this1 however1 was unusual4 ,illustration3 ,fig4 #a4 ,the ,offering of ,human ,flesh4 ,the bits of flesh are tied in the corner of the banner4 ,drawn from a native sketch4 ,sometimes1 instead of offering skin1 the warrior would offer a finger4 ,thus1 if beset by very great danger on the warpath a man may make a vow to the sun stating that if brought home safely he will sacrifice a finger4 ,this sacrifice can be made at any time2 either when on the warpath or when at home in camp or at the sun dance4 ,in such cases1 the finger is offered to the sun in the precise manner as the pieces of skin described above4 ,there are1 however1 occasions upon which fingers are cut off that are not offerings to the sun4 ,thus1 people who are in mourning sometimes sacrifice a finger4 ,in those cases it is usual to call upon some old woman who is skilled in the amputation4 ,she cuts off the finger1 usually reciting a kind of ritual1 but it is not offered to the sun4 ,it is simply thrown away4 ,then again babies' fingers are sometimes cut off to give the child good luck4 ,thus1 if a woman lost many children she would call upon an old woman to make the sacrifice for her newly born4 ,in this case1 the tip end of a finger is cut off and wrapped up in a piece of meat which the mother is required to swallow4 ,this is supposed to insure the child's living to maturity4 ,it had no connection with the sun4 ,i have told you how men are called upon to cut off pieces of skin and how certain old women were selected to amputate fingers4 ,you should also know that in olden times there were some women and men who might be called upon to cut open dead persons for various reasons4 ,sometimes they did this on their own account in order to get information as to the cause of death4 ,these accounts show for one thing that the cutting ceremony in the sun dance is but one of a type of blood and flesh offerings made to the sun1 in fulfillment of a vow4 ,the sacrifice of a finger is more frequent and less specialized1 though frequently done at the sun dance4 ,then comes the very frequent offering of bits of skin1 a sacrifice common in war raids at all times4 ,the offering of bits of skin in the precise manner described here is found elsewhere in the ,plains4 ,the writer has observed men so scarred among several divisions of the ,dakota4 ,the method of removing the skin was here the same as followed by the ,blackfoot4 ,the thrusting in of the awl has a curious similarity to the cutting and skewering in the sun dance2 one may even be pardoned for wondering if it did not so arise4 ,,footnotes3 #af ,mc,lean1 ,john1 ,the ,blackfoot ,sun ,dance 7,proceedings of the ,canadian ,institute1 third series1 vol4 #f1 ,toronto1 #ahhh71 #bce-bcg4 #ag ,mc,lean1 as an eye-witness to such a sacrifice1 gives the following3-- ,as ,i stood outside the lodge1 a young ,indian friend of mine1 went to an old medicine-woman and presented his sacrifice to ,natos4 ,during the year he had gone on a horse-stealing expedition and as is customary on such occasions had prayed to ,natos for protection and success1 offering himself to his god if his prayers were answered4 ,he had been successful and he now presented himself as a sacrifice4 ,the old woman took his hand held it toward the ,sun and prayed1 then laying a finger on a block of wood she severed it with one blow from a knife and deer's horn scraper4 ,she held the portion of the finger cut off toward the ,sun and dedicated that to him as the young man's sacrifice4 7p4 #bce47 ,,sun ,,dance ,,songs4 ,two songs have a special place in the ceremony4 ,they are sung by the men as they ride into camp with the willows for the hundred-willow sweathouse4 ,they are sung again when the procession of pole raisers moves up to raise the sun pole4 ,formerly1 they were sung by any considerable body of the tribe approaching the camp of strange ,indians4 ,likewise1 when they approached a post to open trade4#ah ,red-plume1 a ,piegan1 has a smudge stick on which are notches said to represent the number of different songs used in the ceremonies of the medicine woman4 ,there are #dac which is said to be the full number of songs4 ,these1 as has been stated in ,volume #g1 are in reality a part of the beaver bundle ritual4 ,the singing at the dancing ceremonies after the sun lodge has been erected is usually confined to the songs of various societies concerned4 ,there are1 however1 a few with characteristic airs that are regarded as peculiarly appropriate to the occasion1 regardless of who may be dancing4 ,,footnotes3 #ah ,for musical notation see ,mc,clintock1 ,walter1 ,the ,old ,north ,trail1 or ,life1 ,legends and ,religion of the ,blackfoot ,indians 7,london1 #aiaj71 #caa4 ,,the ,,sun ,,dance ,,camp4 ,in a previous paper1 we called attention to the belief that the camp circle was formed expressly for the sun dance4 ,our informants say that formerly the circle was formed by the assemblage of the bands some time before the medicine woman began her fast4 ,in winter1 the tribes scattered out1 usually two to five bands in a camp1 often many miles apart4 ,at the approach of summer1 the husband of a woman having made a vow to give the sun dance sends a man to look up the camps and invite them to join his band4 ,he carries tobacco and presents some to each head man with the invitation4 ,as the head men receive the invitation1 they order their bands to move1 forming the circle at the medicine woman's camp4 ,once formed1 the circle is not broken until after the sun dance1 a period estimated at from two to four months4 ,the whole body may move about and even make long journeys aside from the four ceremonial moves required while the medicine woman is fasting4 ,after the sun dance1 they split up into parties for the fall hunt and finally went into winter quarters4 ,the import of our former statement is thus apparent4 ,the suggestion is that the camp circle is intimately associated with the sun dance4 ,at least1 one point is clear1 the camp circle is initiated by the woman who starts the sun dance and even so is one of the preparatory steps4 ,as previously stated in ,volume #g of this series1 there is much uncertainty as to the order of bands in the circle4 ,we doubt if it ever was absolutely fixed beyond change at the will of those in charge of the sun dance proceedings4 ,,mythological ,,notes4 ,the way that several distinct myths are used to account for different features of the sun dance might be taken as a suggestion that the ceremony grew up among the ,blackfoot4 ,we suspect1 however1 that we have here an example of pattern phenomena4 ,those familiar with the detailed study of rituals in ,volume #g will recall that tradition recognized the obvious fact that rituals were not produced all at once1 but grew by accretions4 ,this is so marked in the mythical accounts of ritual origin that we may suspect its appearance in the mythology of the sun dance4 ,on page #bda we have enumerated the myths accounting for important features of the ceremony4 ,among these are not included the parts taken by societies or the cutting sacrifices1 they1 as we have stated1 not being regarded as integral parts of the sun dance4 ,for the sake of completeness we offer some extracts from an unpublished version of the ,scar-face myth3-- ,we will take up this narrative at the point where ,scar ,face has killed the cranes and reported with their scalps4 ,we are told that had not ,scar ,face killed these birds1 they would always have killed people1 but that since he overpowered them they now fear people and have done so ever since4 ,now1 the ,sun1 the ,moon1 ,scar ,face1 and ,morningstar had a scalp dance while the ,sun and ,moon sang the praise songs in honor of ,scar ,face4 ,the ,sun addressed ,scar ,face3 ,when your people kill enemies they should scalp them and then give a scalp dance4 ,whenever anyone counts coup or recounts his war experiences1 the praise songs should be sung4 ,we have followed this custom ever since4 ,whenever anyone related his war deeds1 some old men or old woman sang the praise songs1 repeating the narrator's name during the singing4 ,the ,sun was pleased with ,scar ,face4 ,he directed ,morningstar and ,scar ,face to build four sweathouses1 standing side by side1 with their entrances facing east4 ,when they were completed1 the ,sun1 ,morningstar1 and ,scar ,face entered one of them1 the ,moon remaining outside to close the door4 ,after the ,sun had worked over ,scar ,face1 he ordered the moon to open the door and they went into the next sweathouse1 again choosing the moon to be the door attendant4 ,now1 the ,sun asked the ,moon to point out her son4 ,the ,moon designated ,morningstar4 ,they moved into the third sweathouse where the ,sun had ,morningstar and ,scar ,face exchange seats4 ,again1 the ,moon was asked to pick out her son4 ,though she noticed that the scar on the young man's face had disappeared1 she pointed to her own son4 ,they proceeded to the fourth sweathouse4 ,again1 the ,sun had the two men exchange places4 ,the ,moon looked in and pointing to ,scar ,face said1 ,this is ,morningstar4 ,the ,sun replied1 ,you have mistaken him for ,morningstar1 the other is our son4 ,ever since that time1 ,scar ,face has always been called ,mistaken ,morningstar4 ,then the ,sun gave ,scar ,face a buckskin suit decorated with porcupine quills4 ,on the breast and back of the shirt were quill-worked rosettes representing the sun2 the side seams of the leggings and sleeves were covered with strips of quillwork three or four inches wide4 ,in addition1 the sleeves and leggings bore hair fringes representing the scalps of cranes killed by ,scar ,face4 ,the ,sun also gave ,scar ,face a bow with a lock of hair fastened to one end1 a whistle made of a hollow reed1 a bladder1 and the robe worn by ,scar ,face4 ,to represent the scalping1 the ,sun painted the upper part black4 ,the whistle and the bladder were to be used on the woman who had refused ,scar ,face4 ,the bow too1 is a reminder of the killing of the cranes and is still used in the sun dance lodge4 ,the ,sun gave ,scar ,face a circle of creeping juniper which the women that build the lodge 7the sun dance or medicine lodge7 are to wear on their heads4 ,the ,sun told ,scar ,face of the sun dance1 the lodge1 and the sweathouse1 and added1 ,when you return to your people and wish to make an offering to me1 you must first build a sweathouse and there make your offerings4 ,then ,i will hear your prayers and accept them4 ,you may also make offerings to me in the sun dance lodge4 ,he covered ,scar ,face's face with the seventh or red paint1 drew a black circle around his face and a black dot on the bridge of his nose1 and a streak of black around each wrist4 ,he said to ,scar ,face1 ,this is the way the people must paint when they make offerings to me in the sun dance lodge4 ,for the victory or scalp dance they must paint their faces black4 ,the ,sun also gave him a necklace1 in the center of which were strung two small shells and a pendent lock of hair1 flanked on either side by four beads4 ,this is the necklace worn by the husband of the woman owning the natoas4 ,the ,sun's lodge was made of white buffalo robes and some the color of beaver skins4 ,the door of the ,sun's lodge faced the east4 ,for this reason1 tipis were always turned so the doors faced east4 ,now ,scar ,face decided to return to the place where ,spider waited4 ,the narrative then proceeds in the usual way1 except that the hero calls all the men of the camp to take revenge on the young woman after which he by magic turns her into a cripple4 ,,the ,,blood ,,and ,,north ,,blackfoot4 ,the writer has upon two occasions seen the ground where a ,blood sun dance had been held4 ,the dancing lodge1 the sweathouse1 etc41 were still standing and all these were just as noted among the ,piegan4 ,the ,blood lodge was a little larger1 but the ,piegan said that it was formerly so with them1 they now having very poor timber to work with4 ,we have in addition two brief published accounts of eyewitnesses4#ai ,the chief difference we could detect was in the secondary dances of the society where the ,horns and the ,matoki#bj took a very prominent part4 ,as there are now no such organizations among the ,piegan1 this gives merely an outward appearance of difference4 ,the ,northern ,piegan1 as may be expected1 also had the same form4 ,as to the ,north ,blackfoot1 we have only the statement of other ,indians that the sun dance was the same4 ,the ,sarsi#ba also had the very same form and we may suspect the ,kutenai as well4 ,at least1 my ,piegan informants asserted that the ,kutenai had the sun dance from them4 ,the problem here1 however1 must rest until we have more data1 though ,hale is of the opinion that the ,blackfoot gradually displaced the ,kutenai and took over many ,plains traits from them4#bb ,,footnotes3 #ai ,mc,lean1 ibid41 #bca-bcg2 ,mc,questen1 ibid41 #aafi-aagg4 #bj ,this series1 volume #aa1 #daj-dah1 #dcj-dce4 #ba ,goddard1 ,pliny ,earle1 ,sarsi ,texts 7,university of ,california ,publications in ,american ,archaeology and ,ethnology1 vol4 #aa1 no4 #c1 ,berkeley1 #aiae71 #aib-aie4 #bb ,hale1 ,h41 ,on the ,north-,western ,tribes of ,canada 7,report1 ,fifty-seventh ,meeting1 ,british ,association for the ,advancement of ,sciences1 #agc-bjj1 ,london1 #ahhh71 #aih4