May, 1903. The Arapaho Sun Dance — Dorsey. 57 



then moistened the sinew in their mouths and smoothed them out and 

 twisted them, Hawkan tying his two together at one end, thus forming 

 a string of double length. 



A live coal was now passed into the lodge by one of the messen- 

 gers, which was placed in the open space southeast of the skull. Cedar 

 leaves were placed upon ifby Hdwkan. Watanah rubbed some tallow 

 in the red paint, which he smeared thoroughly between the palms of 

 his hands and made the five motions over the rising incense, holding 

 the palms of his hands, first so that the left hand was uppermost and 

 reversing the position of the two hands, the second, third, and fourth 

 time, and at the fifth holding them so that the palms were perpendicu- 

 lar. He picked up the stick, and beginning at the sharpened end, 

 gave it a thorough coat of red paint. Hawkan gave the black paint 

 to Watdngaa and to Chanitoe, who painted four of the sinew strings 

 black. Hawkan and Watdnah painted the other three red, while the 

 double string was painted half red and half black. When the painting 

 of the sinew strings was completed, Hdwkan laid them out in front of 

 him, parallel, the four black ones being at the right side and the three 

 red ones on the left, while the double string was placed between them, 

 with its black end lying diagonally across the black string and the red 

 end diagonally across the red. 



Hdwkan took up a large bunch of sword grass which had been 

 brought in by one of the priests, and explained to Watdnah, who now 

 stood up and held the pole in front of him, point down, about the 

 method of attaching the grass to the pole. Still standing, Watdnah 

 completely enveloped the pole with the grass, the stems of which 

 projected beyond the pole to the extent of about six inches. The 

 four black sinews were then added to the grass bundle on the south 

 side, while the three red sinews were added on the north. Debithe 

 and Watdnah took the double string and passed it around the pole, 

 wit.h its accompanying grass envelope and the sinews, and tied them 

 in position. Hdwka*n now selected from the remaining bundle of 

 grass three small bunches, which he braided together and tied to the 

 digging-stick, the small end of the braid pointing in the direction of 

 the sharpened end of the stick. The pole was deposited in front of 

 the priests with the point toward the east. 



Nishchdnakati now related a war story, in which the taking of a 

 scalp played a prominent part. The digging-stick was passed to him, 

 and with a double-edged knife, or dagger, he trimmed off the grass 

 which projected beyond the stick, and passed it to Watdnah, who put 

 it back against the west wall ot the lodge, with the point toward the 

 north, where it was to remain until required on the following day. 



