May, 1903. The Arapaho Sun Dance — Dorsey. 23 



circuit. The reason of this is to announce their presence to their 

 friends, who may have already arrived, and receive their greeting. 



The site chosen by the Arapaho for the ceremony of 1901 was a 

 comparatively level, low-lying plain just north of the North Fork of 

 the Canadian River, about six miles northeast of the town of Geary. 

 Between the site of the camping circle and the river was a beautiful 

 grove of Cottonwood and willow, while the neighboring hills furnished 

 an abundant pasturage for the horses. 



After the great circle, three-quarters of a mile in diameter, has 

 been partially occupied it made a very pleasing sight, to which incom- 

 ing bands make their passage inside and outside the circle, being 

 greeted by shouts of joy and welcome by their friends all along the 

 line. The first band to put in an appearance was that from Red Hills, 

 near by, who reached the plain on November twenty-ninth. By noon 

 of December third the circle was complete. Just outside the circle 

 were the tipis of a large number of Cheyenne, and other tipis, less in 

 number of course, of the other tribes which had been invited to the 

 ceremony. Formerly, these visitors were an important feature in the 

 Sun Dance; for it was the custom of the different tribes to visit each 

 other in large numbers at this time, when they were always made 

 welcome, and when many exchanges of friendship were made. Owing 

 to the long intimacy of the Cheyenne and Arapaho, it is always the 

 custom for those of one tribe to attend the ceremony of the other. 

 Furthermore, each tribe invites the other tribe as a whole, and vice 

 versa (see Plate II.). Members of other tribes, however, are usually 

 present only on the special invitation of individuals of the tribe. Other 

 tribes represented at the time of the present ceremony were the Sioux 

 and Ponca. A certain amount of color was noticeable, owing to the 

 presence of several decorated ghost-dance tipis (see Plate III.). 



The statement has been made that as the bands come together on 

 the plain they pitch their tipis in the form of a circle. This is the 

 traditional camping circle, a venerable institution of nearly all the 

 tribes of the Plains. On the east side of the circle is an opening about 

 one hundred yards in width, where no tipi is ever permitted to stand. 

 The arrangement of these circles among a number of the Plains tribes 

 is usually in accordance with gens. Mr. Moon6y has represented such 

 circles for the Kiowa and for the Cheyenne.* That of the Cheyenne, 

 for instance, consists of nine distinct gens, while that of the Kiowa 

 numbers four gens. I was not able to learn, however, of any similar 

 divisions among the Arapaho, although we should naturally expect 

 such tribal divisions. The basis of the grouping in the circle appar- 



*Fourth Report of the Bureau of Ethnology, 1892-1893, p. 26. 



