90 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX. 



ted among all those present. The priests ate. After the feast the 

 pipe was lighted as before. While they were smoking, the Lodge- 

 maker made the following prayer: "Now, my friends, priests, I 

 pray for you and all your children and relatives. Have pity this 

 day and help me perform the ceremony in the right way, and we will 

 have good weather if we do so." 



The assistant Chief Priest distributed pieces of calico which had 

 been brought in with the feast, and the dishes were passed out of the 

 lodge to the women awaiting to receive them. 



Spy for the Center-Pole Chosen. 



Big-Baby was warned to be on hand early on the following morn- 

 ing to locate the site of the big lodge, and also to dig the hole for the 

 center-pole.* One of the priests now told the Lodge-maker to take 

 a pipe either to Mad-Wolf or to Wolf-Face who, as already explained, 

 were the only two who had acted as spies when the whole tribe went 

 out on the war-path, and so one or the other of these two had the 

 right to act as spy for the site of the lodge-pole. 



Smoking the Red Pipe. 



The red pipe was filled by the Lodge-maker, and lighted by the 

 assistant Chief Priest, who blew one puff and directed the point of the 

 stem toward the "earth." He smoked, and the pipe was passed 

 around the south half of the circle. The Chief Priest made a short 

 speech, asking the remaining priests to help him and to support him. 



Again the wife of the Lodge-maker brought into the tipi a pail 

 of water. She went over by the Chief Priest and he touched his 

 finger to the ground, then put it to his tongue, took a bite of root 

 and spat upon the water five times. She drank from the pail, which, 

 however, was held by the Lodge-maker, while she knelt over it and 

 did not touch it. It was then carried to the Lodge-maker, who took 

 the pail to the Chief Priest to drink, placing his left hand, as before, 

 upon his head. 



After some discussion, the priests decided to discontinue further 

 preparation until later in the afternoon. This, as already explained, 

 was largely due to the fact that certain necessary raw material which 

 should be prepared on the afternoon had not yet been secured. 



* When a man becomes too old to locate the center-pole, some young man may obtain the 

 privilege by payment of a pony or a present of equal value, and thus obtain the right, and the old 

 man retires. The one who gets the right must have been a Sun Dance Lodge-maker. He is 

 given the same name as that given to a pile of stones which is placed on a hill to mark the vicinity 

 of a spring of water. 



