136 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol, IX. 



I'lG. 63. The Lodge-maker's wife and Sa-c-W uman. 



four passes toward the digging-stick and to pick it up. They moved 

 forward to the cleared spot, pointed with the stick toward the cleared 

 spot four times, once to each of its four corners. (See Fig. 63.) One 



of the priests took a small twig 

 /^OI^T/~\ which he had brought with 



him from the Sun Dance lodge 

 and measured upon the cleared 

 space. Then the assistant Chief 

 Priest, Big-Baby, and Roman- 

 Nose held their hands for the 

 Chief Priest to prepare, and 

 they measured on the side a 

 rectangular figure, each side 

 being equivalent to the ex- 

 tended span of the second 

 finger to the thumb. The out- 

 lines of this area were now 

 lined or traced by means of 

 the digging-stick. Cedar-Tree 

 desired to assist in the meas- 

 uring and had his hands 

 prepared by the Chief Priest.* The succession of movements which 

 now followed in loosening the sod may best be understood by refer- 



*At this point two boys starting across the camp-circle were about to pass between tha priests 

 and the Sun Dance lodge. One of the priests at once called out, directing them to go either west 

 of the Sun Dance lodge, or east of the priests, for to pass between the priests cutting the sod and the 

 lodge was to court misfortune. 



Fig. 64. Diagram of sods. 



