May, 1903. The Arapaho Sun Dance — Dorsey. 103 



THE RAWHIDE INCENSED. 



The female relatives of the dancers now came up to them, each 

 one addressing to the dancer words of encouragement. Waatanakashi 

 went to the fireplace, got a live coal, which he placed in front of 

 Hawkan, and placed by the side of it the rawhide, which he brought 

 from near the center-pole, where it had been lying since it was used 

 by the Dog-soldiers. Waatanakashi was now given spruce leaves, and 

 sat down in front of Watanah. Again Hawkan rattled, Chanitoe beat 

 on the Badger-pack, and the first song was begun, Watanah, as before, 

 waving the incense twice on his right side, twice on his left, and once 

 in front of him, placing spruce leaves upon the coal at the termina- 

 tion of the fifth song. He again passed the rawhide slowly over the 

 incense, carried it in a sunwise circuit to the musicians, made four 

 passes with it toward them, and with the fifth, threw it among them, 

 when they beat upon it. Hawkan now began one of the regular Sun 

 Dance songs, which was then taken up by other priests and the musicians 

 about the drum. The dancers slowly assumed a standing position and 

 began the regular whistling and dancing characteristic of the Sun 

 Dance. The priests then, one by one, returned to their homes, while the 

 musicians were supplanted by others, and the singing and dancing was 

 kept up at intervals throughout the few remaining hours of the night. 



FOURTH DAY, 1901; FIFTH DAY, 1902. 



This corresponds exactly to the fifth day of the celebration of 

 1902. The great lodge has been completed and dedicated with appro- 

 priate rites. No further preliminary work of preparation remains 

 except the erection of the altar, a task involving much time and labor 

 on the part of the priests and attended with many interesting rites. 

 The day is also notable from the fact that after the altar has been 

 completed the dancers are to be publicly painted with the brilliantly 

 colored symbolic designs which are worn only during this and the 

 following days of the Sun Dance. 



THE SUNRISE DANCE. 



Just before sunrise, the dancers formed in, line, facing toward the 

 center of the lodge, when, upon the beginning of the singing and beat- 

 ing of the drum they faced east and whistled and danced to the accom- 

 paniment of the singing, until the sun appeared above the horizon. 

 At the conclusion of the song they smoked and rested until the com- 

 pletion of the altar. 



