Dec, 1905. The Ponca Sun Dance — Dorsey. 87 



of the Ponca Sun Dance as compared with that of the Cheyenne 

 or Arapaho. It is, of course, quite possible that certain rites are 

 conducted in the tipis of preparation which the author has not wit- 

 nessed, and which, consequently, are not even mentioned in these 

 pages; but, judging from what was witnessed in the secret tipis and 

 from the method of conducting the rites incident to the construc- 

 tion of the Sun Dance lodge proper, it seems more than probable 

 that the secret rites were of the simplest nature. At any rate, they 

 were, presumably, confined to the construction of the various forms 

 of sun symbols and to the painting of the dancers. The public rites 

 seem to be confined to those attending upon the spying, capturing, 

 felling, painting and raising of the centre-pole, and the race to the 

 pole before it is brought into the centre of the camp-circle. The 

 altar of the ceremony proper is of the simplest kind, and requires, 

 apparently, no rites for its construction, except such as may, per- 

 haps, have been performed by the priest when he painted the skull 

 in the secret tipi. Beyond this, there seems to have been no further 

 rites of any importance connected with the ceremony, until the 

 priests and dancers returned at the end of the dance on the last day 

 to the secret tipis of preparation. The rites on this occasion were 

 confined to the sacrifice of water and food, and the cutting from 

 each dancer of a piece of skin from his shoulder by the priest. The 

 last rite of the ceremony is connected with this incident; the grand- 

 fathers deposit the pieces of skin which they have removed, together 

 with the tobacco, at the foot of the centre-pole in the Sun Dance 

 lodge. 



While no satisfactory account of the origin of the dance was 

 obtained, a few points were brought out in conversation with White- 

 Eagle. According to the belief of this very earnest chief and priest, 

 the Ponca have always performed the Sun Dance. The lodge 

 itself is typical of the circle of tipis overhead. The centre-pole 

 seems to be symbolic of a man, an enemy, conceived of as naked, 

 that the Great Medicine may see him. It is also conceived of as 

 firewood, being of willow, which is said to be hard to kill and of a 

 clean nature. In the fork of the pole is the nest of the Thunder- 

 Bird, sometimes spoken of by the Ponca as an eagle, sometimes as 

 a brant or loon. This bird produces rain, thunder, and lightning. 

 The altar seems to be symbolic of a fireplace; it is also spoken of as 

 the sun, which in turn is spoken of as the chief. According to Ponca 

 mythology, in the beginning of creation was the sun or fireplace, 

 and at that time it contained the four colors which are found in 

 the four tipis of preparation. Next came the buffalo bull bearing 



