lao Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IV. 



said that the man then adhered to the woman for the first time ; there- 

 fore comes the seed, the people." 



The bushes on the sods represent the hair of persons. Those 

 bushes are called garter-snake or rabbit weeds, which means the blood, 

 for the reason that they bear red berries, etc. The sods are obtained 

 from swampy places, because the ground or earth sticks together. 

 Generally they are taken out from near springs. 



THE TIP!. 



In front of the skull was the rectangular excavation known as the 

 "ditch" (hahaawuhe) ; from earth similar to that removed from this 

 ditch were made man and woman. For this reason the Lodge-Maker 

 stands here during the ceremony, as all men spring from the earth. 

 By another informant, this ditch was spoken of as the "lake." The 

 semicircular twigs which extend from the red into the black field of 

 the ditch, were seven in number, and represented the seven poles of 

 the Sweat-lodge, and were also typical of seven periods in the Arapaho 

 creation myth. 



The sage which was placed in the ditch, and upon which the 

 Lodge-Maker stood while dancing, on account of its white color is 

 typical of cleanliness, and so, consequently, indicates a feeling of 

 reverence toward the Father. It is also symbolic of the idea of the 

 wish that the tribe may increase. (See Fig. 2, Plate LXII.) 



Lying just on opposite sides of the ditch were two cottonwood 

 billets, the one painted black on the left, with one painted red on the 

 right. These billets bear the name "nahutech," which name is also 

 applied to similar but longer billets which are used for defining in the 

 lodges the position of the sleeping mats. 



Between the billets and the edge of the ditch were, on each side, 

 seven upright sticks, those on the left being black, and those on the 

 right being red. The color symbolism of these uprights and of the 

 billets is the same as has been given. These sticks bear the name 

 of "thikd&na, " which name is likewise borne by the pins used for 

 fastening the tipi. The pins were of dogwood, for it is straight and 

 hard, and was formerly employed in the manufacture of arrows. The 

 number of the pins on each side was typical of the seven periods of crea- 

 tion. The downy feathers which were applied to the pins represented 

 the breath of Man-Above. The "ditch" with its "beds" and tipi pins 

 is referred to collectively as a symbolic tipi. 



Another informant gives the following account of this ceremonial 

 tipi: The whole ditch is the fireplace. The four inverted U-shaped 

 sticks at the west end represent the Sweat-lodge, which produces the 



