May, 1903. The Arapaho Sun Dance — Dorsey. 109 



THE ERECTION OF THE ALTAR. 



When all preparations had been made, Hdwkan arose and invoked 

 a blessing upon the buffalo skull and other objects west of the center- 

 pole, whereupon Debithe arose and removed them all to a position just 

 at the base of the pole. 



THE "DITCH" MADE. 



Hdwkan now took a stand in a position where the skull had been 

 lying, looked up toward the pile, prayed, then touched his forehead 

 and pointed toward the ground. Hawkan instructed Watangaa how 

 to pick up the two cottonwood billets, whereupon the latter placed one 

 of them on the south and one on the north of Debithe. Hawkan 

 stooped over them, spat upon each one five times, and passed the pipe- 

 stem along each billet. 



Watangaa in the mean time knelt down in front of the two billets, 

 gently removed the grass from the end of each one of them, forming 

 a place for them to lie. The object of this performance was to esti- 

 mate the required length of these two billets, for they were to form 

 the outer boundary of a small rectangular excavation which was soon 

 to be made on the ground, where Debithe stood, which space was to 

 be occupied by the Lodge-Maker during the ceremony. 



The two billets were now taken up again and carried to the place 

 where the old men had been working. Debithe stepped forward from 

 the place which he had been occupying, turned, and knelt in front of 

 it, and with his fingers indicated on the ground where the excavation 

 was to be made, whereupon Waanibe and Sosoni, with axes, began to 

 cut out the sod, forming a rectangular excavation about twelve inches 

 wide and eighteen inches long, east and west, and about three inches 

 deep. 



THE "DITCH" PAINTED. 



Watangaa took a sack of black paint, mixed it with water, and 

 painted one of the decorticated billets, while his wife painted the other 

 one red. He then besmeared with black paint the bodies of the two 

 cottonwood boughs, and the willow and cedar trees. The women 

 having loosened the earth so that it was now ready to be taken out, 

 Hawkan went over to that point and made the usual five passes with 

 the pipe-stem, whereupon the earth was removed and carried from the 

 lodge upon the blanket. 



