May, 1903. The Arapaho Sun Dance — Dorsey, 45 



second day, but on the evening of the third day, i. e., after all the 

 ceremonial objects to be used later in the Offerings-lodge proper had 

 been prepared. Inasmuch, however, as according to my informant, 

 the Sweat-lodge belongs properly to the second day, an account of the 

 ceremony as witnessed this year, will not be out of place at this point. 



THE GROUND MARKED OUT 



It was about half-past five o'clock, when Hawkan, Watdngaa, and 

 Debithe left the Rabbit-tipi and started toward the west, looking for a 

 suitable place. This they found at a distance of about fifty feet west 

 of the lodge. (See Fig. i, Plate VI.) 



This spot they circled around in single file in a sunwise fashion; 

 then Hdwkan touched the first finger of his right hand to the ground, 

 then to his mouth, took a bite of root, spat five times, pointing like- 

 wise with the pipe-stem, and then marked off the four corners and 

 center of a piece of ground about one foot square. The first of the 

 tour motions with the pipe-stem, of course, began with the southeast, 

 the fifth ending with the center. 



Watdngaa with an axe loosened the grass from the plot of ground 

 indicated by Hdwkan with the pipe-stem, removed the grass and placed 

 it upon a blanket. Having removed the grass, Watangaa then loosened 

 the soil with his axe, until he had finally made a circular excavation 

 abput eight inches in depth, with perpendicular sides. In the center 

 of this excavation he made a small excavation three inches in diameter, 

 and about two inches in depth. The earth from the excavation, 

 together with the grass, were taken up in the blanket and deposited in 

 the form of a little mound fifteen feet due east. 



Hdwkan sat down on the east side of the excavation with his legs 

 at full length in front of him. In this fashion he gained an idea as to 

 the required size of the lodge. This done, he took the axe and care- 

 fully removed the grass over a surface about a foot in width and about 

 four feet long, toward the east. The end of this space was to be at 

 the entrance of the lodge, and along this bared way the hot stones 

 were to be introduced later on. 



Hdwkan then with his pipe-stem pointed toward the south and 

 eastern corner of this cleared space, thus indicating the position of the 

 first of the Sweat-lodge poles. Taking one of the small willow poles 

 near by, and which had been especially provided for the erection of 

 the Sweat-lodge by the members of one of the warrior societies, he 

 tnen measured the distance between this point and the eastern rim of 

 .the excavation, passed around to the west of the excavation, and meas- 

 ured off a similar space in that direction, thus locating the position for 



