May, 1903. The Arapaho Sun Dance — Dorsey. 145 



stick. Hawkan and Debithe held the stem and the other half of the 

 rim of the bowl was painted by Watangaa with the red tallow. It 

 was noticed that in holding the stem, care was taken so that it should 

 be directly on a line with the center-pole. Watangaa now made a 

 small circular dot on the outside of the bowl just under one end of the 

 black line. On a corresponding position of the opposite side, outside 

 of the bowl and just under the end of the red line, he made a semi- 

 circular mark in red. These two symbols represented the sun and 

 moon. 



Watangaa now handed to Hawkan the spoon, and he dipped up some 

 of the charm liquid and poured it into the bowl, pouring first on the 

 east, then on the south, the west, and the north sides, and then in the 

 center of the bowl. This same operation was continued by Watangaa, 

 his wife, the Lodge-Maker, Chanitoe, and Debithe. Care was exer- 

 cised in transferring the charm liquid into the bowl to place therein 

 only so much as would fill the bowl on the level with the symbols 

 on the outside. Watangaa now renewed the paint on the south half 

 of the bowl, while Chanitoe renewed the red paint on the north half of 

 the bowl. 



All the priests now formed in line along the wall of the lodge on 

 the east; Hawkan and Chanitoe, however, retaining their position. 

 The former now approached the bowl, which he held at its two edges, 

 whereupon Chanitoe took a spoon and stirred the liquid until it was 

 thoroughly mixed. He then leaned over it, made with his mouth a 

 noise resembling that made by a goose just before drinking, and then 

 put his lips in the liquid, taking a little in his mouth. Hawkan took a 

 goose feather and dipped it in the bowl at the four corners and at the 

 center. The wife of Chanitoe, taking the feather from Hawkan, drew 

 it twice through Chanitoe's lips, as he held his head over the bowl, 

 first from right to left, then from left to right. Chanitoe then made 

 the same noise with his lips, and drank from the bowl. Debithe, 

 Watangaa, and others then followed, going through the same perform- 

 ance and drinking from the bowl. During this time and right after 

 the manufacture of the charm liquid, the singing and dancing had 

 continued. Watangaa now sat down just between the medicine bowl 

 and the skull, while opposite and facing him sat Chanitoe. 



As may be readily surmised, the color symbolism of the bowl is 

 the same as shown in the skull and other objects of the altar. The 

 bowl itself, with the liquid, was said to represent the great lake above, 

 from which all rain comes. The pounded berries were typical of the 

 food, especially the vegetable food of the earth, while the pounded 

 herbs represented, in general, the earth's fragrance. It is also said, 



