6 Fikld Columbian Museum — Anthropology. Vol. IX. 



trance. After this offering has taken place, any person or family may 

 leave for home, if necessary, but not before. After the offerings are 

 hung out over the door of the sacrifice tipi, the warrior societies all 

 congregate in the center of the camp circle, and select a place to erect 

 the great Medicine- Arrows lodge. After they select the place, they 

 appoint certain members of warrior societies of good character to go 

 and get long tipi poles. They also select another set of good warriors 

 to go and wait upon two men who have lived good lives, and have 

 been good to their fellow-men. This set of warriors goes to the two 

 good men and borrows their tipis, which are generally of good size, 

 to use to cover this sacred lodge. The rule in getting the poles and 

 the two tipis to be used for the sacred lodge is this: "Take the two 

 tipis of two good men, who have good characters, have led good 

 lives, and have always been good to their fellow-men, but never take 

 a man's tipi to be used in the sacred lodge who has led a bad life, 

 or who has murdered a member of the tribe." So it is an honor 

 to a man if the warriors come and take his tipi to use for the Medicine- 

 Arrow lodge. Any member of the tribe who has committed murder 

 in the tribe is not allowed to take part in the ceremony. The warriors 

 proceed and take the two tipis and poles to the center of the camp. 

 There they put up the great Medicine-Arrow lodge, always facing 

 towards the opening of the camp circle. The longest tipi poles are 

 used in this lodge, and also the largest tipi found in the camp is used 

 to cover it. This lodge is put up in the same style as the regular 

 Cheyenne tipi, only it is three times as large. Two tipis are used, 

 and from fifty to sixty poles. These poles are set in the ground so 

 deep that the wind cannot blow them down. After the lodge is 

 erected, the medicine-men go inside and clear the ground, and they 

 make it as smooth as it can be made. They lay sage brush all around 

 the inside to sit on. After this is done, the medicine-men make 

 plans for the warriors, who, from now on, and as long as the ceremony 

 lasts, congregate fifty paces back of the sacred lodge day and night. 

 Each society takes turns in keeping order in the camp while the 

 ceremony goes on inside the sacred lodge. 



Second Day. — In the morning the man who makes this ceremony 

 takes with him three other men. They go to the sacrifice tipi, and 

 bring all of the offerings to the sacred lodge, and place them inside 

 at the altar, where the medicine-men are already sitting. After 

 they put them down they come out in single file, one behind the 

 other. In every case the ceremonial master leads. He is naked, and 

 his body is painted red, and he has a buffalo robe on. The other three 

 men who follow him once wore buffalo robes, but they go without 



