May, 1903. The Arapaho Sun Dance — Dorsest. 157 



PRAYER BEFORE THE SACRIFICE. 



"White-Man-Above, my Father, here are the clothes of my child. 

 I am going to deposit them. They are no longer good for my child. 

 By doing this, I ask you to watch over him from day to day and keep 

 him from temptation. May he grow up to be a man, to understand 

 your teachings which we have just gone through! I hope you will 

 hear our prayer for my child." 



By noon all those who desired to make these offerings had done 

 so, the result being shown in the almost covered condition of the altar 

 (see Plate CVII.), and by several bands of clothes which entirely sur- 

 rounded the center-pole, to a height of two or three feet. 



By evening the camping-circle was entirely abandoned, except 

 here and there, where there remained the lodge of one of the chiefs 

 who took this opportunity for discussing more secular affairs which 

 concerned the welfare of their tribe. 



END OF THE CEREMONY, 1902. 



In 1902 the ceremony ended at noon on Thursday, August 28th. 

 On the two following days were performed several dances of a sociable 

 or semi-religious nature, given chiefly for the entertainment of the 

 visiting tribes. Immediately after the rites at and outside the lodge 

 on this day, the Dog-soldiers repaired to the tipi of one of their mem- 

 bers, where they conducted certain ceremonies, as will be noted in a 

 later paragraph. 



ULTIMATE FATE OF THE OFFERINGS-LODGE. 



The lodge with its altar is, so far as the author is aware, never 

 molested by the Arapaho, nor by any of the neighboring tribes, and 

 remains until it is destroyed by the elements. Inasmuch as the Sun 

 Dance camp-circle is generally in an open plain, where good pasture is 

 likely to abound, the probabilities are that the altar will sooner or later 

 be disturbed by cattle or horses, after the removal of the camp-circle. 

 No attempt, however, is made to protect the altar from such possible 

 disturbances. (See Plate CVIII.) In three instances permission has 

 been given the author to remove the skull and such objects as he 

 might desire from the altar and the center-pole. It is also known that 

 once or twice one of the priests has preserved the buffalo skull for use in 

 future ceremonies. This is due of course to the fact that buffalo skulls 

 are no longer plentiful, and are obtained only with great difficulty. 



