74 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX. 



bite of root and spat* in the palms of the Lodge-maker's hands five 

 times, first at the southeast, then at the southwest, the northwest, 

 the northeast, and in the center. The Lodge-maker rubbed his hands 

 together and passed them down over his head and body. 



This pecuHar rite, of "medicine" nature, bears the same name 

 as the traditional prophet who gave the medicine arrows, or tribal 

 medicine, to the Cheyenne. It is called "throwing-it-at-him," and 

 is symbolic of the Chief Priest throwing or bestowing upon the Lodge- 

 maker the world and growth, and hence long life. The rite is also 

 said to represent all the growth of the earth which is sweet, and hence 

 the Lodge-maker is said to have received the "sweet-medicine." 

 The touching of the ground by the Priest expresses the desire that 

 the earth should bring forth water. In ejecting spittle five times 

 recognition is made of the four medicine spirits or living worlds 

 and of the sun. In the performance of this rite the recipient always 

 turns away his head in order that none of the spittle may strike his 

 face, or, especially, get into his eyes, as this, it is believed, would 

 cause blindness. 



"With the aid of and under the direction of the Chief Priest, the 

 Lodge-maker took up one of the two dog-wood sticks, or tampers, 

 and wound the buffalo wool around the smaller end of it. This 

 stick was now symbolic of the buffalo, and consequently of people 

 who live on buffalo meat. In using the tampers the plain stick 

 is first put on the earth, or first used; then the stick with the buffalo 

 wool. This wrapped stick is not so much a tamper as it is a cleaner 

 to clean or purify the pipe or person, so that the buffalo will nourish 

 the body.t 



The First Earth. 



The pipe, of ordinary shape and red in color, which the Lodge- 

 maker had brought with him into the tipi, was placed on the cleared 

 space in front of himself and the assistant Chief Priest, the bowl 

 of the pipe projecting toward the center of the space. The two pipe 

 tampers were laid parallel to the pipe and on the side of the cleared 

 space toward the center. The Lodge-maker knelt by the side of 

 the Chief Priest, who with his right hand grasped the right hand 

 of the Lodge-maker and caused his outstretched thumb to be directed 

 four times toward the ground just beyond the two pipe tampers, 

 and then four times to the center. Then, holding his hand in the 



*By this term, as in the Arapaho ceimony, it must be understod that the amount of spittle 

 ejected upon his hands was almost infinitesimal, the act being performed by the tongue thrust 

 slightly forward between the lips. 



tNew pipe cleaners, it may here be noted, will be made with each new earth, for they cannot 

 carry the earth away to another place, nor the earth's growth, nor as a consequence the sticks. 



