96 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IV. 



been stripped of their leaves, except at the tips. Niwaat then daubed 

 red paint here and there over the bundle on the west side, which had 

 been so placed that the butts of the limbs were directed south. 

 Waatanakashi went to the other bundle, which had its butts turned 

 north, and daubed it with black paint. The two bundles were then 

 assembled and placed in the fork of the center-pole so that they 

 retained their relative position, the black-painted sticks on the east 

 side with their butts directed north, while the red-painted bundle was 

 on the west side, with its butt directed south. 



The digging-stick was now brought from its position by the side 

 of the skull and held by Hawkan while he prayed. Chief Nawaht 

 now told a war story, whereupon the digging-stick was thrust through 

 the willow bundles and through the buffalo robe. 



THE OFFERINGS-LODGE COMPLETED. 



Debithe and his companions were still standing in line, and now 

 began to sing. At the close of the song the Lodge-Maker yelled in a 

 loud voice, the Dog-soldiers blew upon their whistles, and they all 

 lifted upon the pole. They did this twice again, and on the fourth 

 time, the pole was raised into an upright position, and one end was 

 lowered into the hole which had been prepared. (See Plate XXXVL) 

 The dirt was then tramped around the center-pole to make it stable, 

 and the younger men of the societies now completed the construction 

 of the lodge by erecting sixteen smaller forked poles in the form of a 

 circle and distant from the center-pole about thirty feet. 



In arranging these poles, care was taken that two poles which 

 had been painted black should occupy positions in the southeast and 

 southwest, while two which had been painted red should occupy the 

 northeast and northwest corners of the circle. The outer upright 

 poles were then joined by means of cross-bars resting in the forks and 

 passing from one pole to another. They then lifted into place long 

 slender poles passing from the fork of the center-pole to the tops of 

 the poles around the circle. Then cottonwood boughs were stood 

 upright upon the ground, leaning on the cross-bars, except for the 

 space between two of the poles on the eastern side of the lodge, which 

 was left open throughout the ceremony. 



While the lodge was in its final stages of preparation, Debithe 

 took the Lodge-Maker and his wife to his lodge, where they ate and 

 drank. While they were feasting, H6cheni made a circuit of the 

 camp-circle and made the formal announcement that the lodge was 

 ready, and that the time was at hand for the beginning of the dancing. 



