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



Watangaa took the black billet and placed it parallel with and to the 

 south of the excavation and distant from it about three inches. (See 

 Plates LIV., LV., and LVI.) 



THE SEVEN UPRIGHT STICKS. 



Other priests had carried on the work of decorticating the dog- 

 wood limbs, of which there were now fourteen, seven having been 

 painted black and seven red. The sticks were about eighteen inches 

 in length, sharpened at one point and entirely decorticated, except for 

 the space of about an inch at the upper end. Watangaa now took the 

 seven black sticks and coated them with eagle down which had been 

 rubbed in black tallow. These he then inserted in the ground, at 

 equal spaces apart, between the black billet and the excavation. 



The wife of Watangaa handed him the red billet, which he now 

 placed on the north side of the excavation, and in a corresponding 

 position to the black billet. The seven red sticks were then coated 

 with red eagle down, and were placed in a row between the red billet 

 and the excavation and opposite the black sticks. (See Plates LVIL, 

 LVIII.,and LIX.) 



THE WHEEL AND PIPE PLACED IN POSITION. 

 Watangaa then took up the Wheel, which had been leaning against 

 the center-pole upon its support, and passing around the lodge in a 

 dextral circuit, he placed its willow support near and at the back of 

 the skull and placed the Wheel in a fork, first having inserted a piece 

 of sage so that the Wheel would not come in contact with its support. 

 He then carried a leather bag and the straight black pipe with round 

 stem, and a bundle of sage, and deposited them to the south of the 

 Wheel and just back of the cedar tree. 



THE SEVEN CURVED STICKS. 



In the mean time the priests had made seven little cottonwood 

 sticks ranging in length from six to ten inches. These were all 

 decorticated except for a short space in the middle, and were sharp- 

 ened at both ends. These were now taken up by Watingaa, who 

 painted one half of them black and the other red. These were now 

 bent in the form of a semicircle and thrust into the excavation at a 

 distance of one inch apart, beginning at the end near the skull, the 

 center of the semicircle being just above the median red-and-black 

 line. Hawkan now sprinkled dry black paint on the south sod, while 

 Watdngaa sprinkled red paint on the north sod. 



