May, 1905. The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 103 



rubbed his palms together.* The assistant Chief Priest took the 

 Lodge-maker's right hand in his and caused him to make four passes 

 toward the arrow from the point to the tip. The Lodge-maker 

 rubbed his hands together, and he drew his hand up on the north 

 side of the arrow, thus raising the people. He reversed the point 

 and drew his left hand up on the south side of the arrow. Then 

 the Lodge-maker grasped the arrow with both hands and extended 

 his hands upward, making four pauses, as when painting the pipe. 

 As he grasped it the last time each thumb was extended to the end 

 of the wooden shaft. He did this four times. He then carefully 

 painted such portions of the arrow as had not already been painted, 

 including the feathers. During this time the point of the arrow 

 had been directed upward. The arrow was reversed and the point 

 was directed toward the ground. In this position it was carried 

 backward, south of the skull, south of the "earth," and west of 

 the earth-peg, laid down and pushed forward four times, until it 

 rested by the three unpainted arrows. 



Painting the Earth-Peg. 



The assistant Chief Priest turned, made four passes toward 

 the earth-peg, lifted it and stood it up in front of him. He took 

 the index finger of the Lodge-maker's right hand, and with four 

 passes caused him to draw a circular line around the peg, about 

 two-thirds of the way up from the point. He caused the Lodge- 

 maker to paint a similar band just above this in red, the red paint 

 being about four inches below the lowest medicine symbol. Then, 

 without formality, the assistant Chief Priest deepened the color and 

 made it more regular, and the Lodge-maker, without further for- 

 mality painted the lower two thirds of the stick in solid red, thus 

 imitating the painting of the center-pole of the great lodge, and 

 in fact the whole lodge and the people. Then, in the same manner, 

 the Lodge-maker was caused to paint a black circle about an inch 

 above the red, making first four passes, the assistant Chief Priest 

 holding the peg. As the red circle represented the earth, so this 

 white or unpainted part represented the day, while the black was 

 symbolic of night. Then the Lodge-maker, without further assist- 

 ance, painted the remainder or upper third of the peg, black. Then 

 the peg was replaced by the assistant Chief Priest, the point being 

 turned toward the west, and the peg being given four forward move- 

 ments before it was laid down. 



•His hands represented the earth, while the incense went to the sun and to the four medicine- 

 spirits; thus the earth was made to grow. 



