150 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX. 



Attention has already been directed to the fact that a bed had 

 been prepared for the Lodge-maker's wife and the wife of the Chief 

 Priest on the west side of the lodge. This bed with all its furnishings, 

 that is the two willow lean-backs, willow mattress, pillows, blankets, 

 etc., were now removed by friends of the Lodge-maker's wife, for 

 these belonged to her. At each feast the bed (see Fig. 82), symbolic 

 of all the buffalo, was removed and replaced by another, for, accord- 

 ing to the custom of the ceremony, this bed must be renewed four 

 times (once for each of the four medicine-spirits), during the days 

 of the ceremony, each time by the family of the Chief Priest, and 



each of the four 

 beds with its cur- 

 tains and belong- 

 ings immediately 

 becomes the prop- 

 erty of the Lodg6- 

 maker's wife (see 

 Fig. 83); up to 

 this time the 

 Chief Priest and 

 his wife had been 

 the recipients of 

 all gifts. 



The bed hav- 

 ing been renewed and the food for the feast being provided, the 

 Lodge-maker left his place, took a twig of sage and dipped it in one 

 of the basins of food and offered it to the four 

 painted poles (see PI. L., Fig. p.), to the 

 trees of the altar, to the skull, and touched 

 the center-pole with it four times and dropped 

 it at the foot of the center-pole. Many of the 

 dancers made similar offerings of food. (See 

 Fig. 84.) 



Piercing the Children's Ears. 



At this time the lodge, both within and 

 without, was packed with priests, friends of 

 the dancers, and spectators. Many presents 

 were exchanged among friends, chiefly ponies. 

 While the priests were eating a war story 

 was told by an old warrior, the fire was re- 

 newed, the musicians beat upon the drum and 



Fig. 83. Women removing the bed from the lodge. (Mooney.) 



Fig. 



\. A dancer sacri- 

 ficing food. 



