66 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IV. 



The following is the symbolic significance of each root: the .dog 

 root, called also Bear's medicine, at the anterior end of the robe, 

 represents purity, protection, and expectation; the crazy root is 

 characterized as a mixture, it takes precedence over all law and 

 order, everything is reversed; sage represents the food of the rabbit, 

 and consequently the fur of the rabbit; main root, when well cooked, 

 induces peace, comfort, quietude; cockle-burr represents the desire to 

 marry, the quest of a wife or of a husband; lump-back root signifies 

 old age; strong root is holy, sacred, good medicine. 



To illustrate the significance of the symbolism of the cockle-burr, 

 reference was had to a well-known Arapaho myth, to be cited later on 

 in a different connection, of which the following abstract was given: 



After Nih'a"9a" had been taken out of the river by the women, 

 when he was floating down with the current with an elk skull on his 

 head, and after the skull had been broken in pieces by the women, 

 Nih*a°9a° told the sisters, as he called them, to louse him; so they 

 did. It was a sultry day. Nih'a^^a" laid his head on the women's 

 laps and went to sleep. Seeing that he was fast asleep, the women 

 got up, went away from him, and gathered many cockle-burrs, which 

 they placed in his hair, and left him. As he rolled about, the cockle- 

 burrs adhered tightly, drawing his face out of shape. He soon woke 

 up. His head and face paining him, he placed his hand on his head 

 and found that the cockle-burrs had collected so thickly and were 

 imbedded so tightly in his hair, that he set to work and cut his hair 

 off very close. • 



Those cockle-burrs were the women swimming in the river; some 

 were swimming when he was at some distance from them; but they 

 were really cockle-burrs. In this sense they wanted him for a husband. 



Fragmentary information was also obtained as to the special use 

 of certain of the above-mentioned roots in some of the warrior soci- 

 eties, and as the robe, in its widest significance, embraces the lodges 

 of these societies, this information is here given: 



Offerings-lodge — Spruce and cedar only are used for incense. 

 Strong root and lump-back root are used for spittle. Dog root, main 

 root, sage, cockle-burrs, and crazy root are used on the robe. 



Water-Pouring or Old-Men's Lodge — The use of the strong root 

 is confined to this and the Offerings-lodge, but the informant had no 

 knowledge of the manner of its use. 



Sweat-lodge — The dog root is used for ejecting spittle both upon 

 persons and upon objects. Main root only is used for the incense in 

 the "navel." Red and black paints are used for the body; the men 

 carrv rattles and buffalo tails. 



