May, 1903. The Arapaho Sun Dance — Dorsey. 159 



day when there was a clear sky and the atmosphere slightly hazy, 

 Young-Bull was seen from the distance vomiting the different colors 

 in long streaks (white, yellow, green, black, etc.)." 



In describing hereafter the various paints worn by the dancers, 

 those worn only on the last three days of the ceremony will be consid- 

 ered. These will be spoken of as the second, third, and fourth paint, 

 inasmuch as the first or white paint is uniform for all the dancers, and 

 has been already described. It may be further added, to avoid confu- 

 sion, that the first paint in the 1901 ceremony was worn on the third 

 day, in the 1902 ceremony on the fourth day; the second paint in 1901 

 was worn on the fourth day, and in 1902 on the fifth day; the third 

 paint in 1901 was worn on the fifth day, and in 1902 on the sixth day; 

 the fourth paint in 1901 was worn on the sixth day, and in 1902 on the 

 seventh day. 



THE MOTHER-EARTH PAINT. 



The only paint worn by Biba was on the first day of the ceremony 

 proper, i. e., the day of the erection of the lodge. This paint was 

 described to the author by Hawkan, but as may be seen by a compari- 

 son with the paint in the 1902 performance, the description is not 

 quite accurate. Before the priests emerged from the Rabbit-tipi, her 

 entire body was painted red by Sosoni and Waanibe. Over this red 

 paint and on the center of her breast was painted a circular spot in 

 black, about three inches in diameter, which represented the sun. At 

 each side of this spot and above and on her chin were painted four 

 pipes, representing the prayers which she offered during the ceremony, 

 and which, according to Arapaho mythology, are conveyed to the 

 Father through the intervention of a ceremonial pipe. Around her 

 two wrists and ankles was then painted a single band of black, also 

 representing prayers. A black line was then drawn around her face, 

 passing just beneath the pipe-stem on the chin, in front of the ears, 

 and through the middle of her forehead. This also represented the 

 sun. Just between the two eyes was painted a Y-shaped symbol, 

 which corresponded to the forked center-pole of the great lodge. On 

 her nose was placed a black dot, the symbol of the buffalo calf, and 

 on the back of her left shoulder was painted a crescent-shaped symbol, 

 representing the moon. The red paint which covered her entire body, 

 represented, primarily, the color of the Indian race, but as the earth 

 is the mother of all people, it also represented the earth, and in the 

 dramatization, Biba represented the earth. 



