May, 1905. 



The Cheyenne — Dorsey. 



143 



the pieces of leaves, etc.. which had fallen upon the floor. One of 

 the priests took the two hands of the Lodge-maker in his and caused 

 them to make four passes toward the sand. His hands still being 

 held by the priest, the Lodge-maker took up a double handful of sand, 

 circled it over the ditch, and directed it toward each of the four corners 

 and deposited a portion of it in the southeast, the southwest, the 

 northwest, and the northeast corners, and the remainder in the 

 center. The field was now completely covered to the depth of about 

 half an inch by the Lodge-maker, without further formality. The 

 remainder of the sand was gathered up and placed upon the earth 

 mound from the excavation at the foot of the center-pole on the west 

 side. The Lodge-maker returned to the excavation. One of the 

 priests took a small stick and directed it toward the ditch four times, 

 and with the point of the stick first directed toward the sand field, 

 along the border next the buffalo skull, divided the field by four short 

 lines into five equal divisions. The assistant Chief Priest, with the 

 same stick, completed the lines by continuing them across the field 

 to the opposite side. 



The Lodge-maker was handed four bags of paints which he untied ; 

 the first contained red, the second black, the third yellow, and the 

 fourth white dry paint. His two hands were grasped by one of the 

 priests, and were directed toward the black paint four times; at the 

 fifth time the Lodge-maker took up a pinch and he was caused to 

 direct it toward the beginning of the first, or left, of the four parallel 

 lines; at the 

 point nearest 

 the skull the 

 paint was di- 

 rected four 

 times and 

 dropped. (See 

 Fig. 7 5.) With 

 similar move- 

 ments and in 

 the same man- 

 ner a pinch of 

 red paint was 

 placed at the 

 beginning of 

 the second 



line; yellow at the third, and white at the fourth. The Chief 

 Priest, without formality, completed these four lines. Taking up 



