30 Fibld Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. IX. 



13.- THE MEDICINE OR SUN DANCE. 



The following is a description of the Medicine-Dance, which 

 tradition accords to have been given to Erect-Horns: The camp-circle 

 is formed by the warrior society of the Lodge-maker. On the first 

 day after the camp circle has been formed, the Priests', or Medicine- 

 men's tipi is erected in the line of the camp-circle, where all the 

 medicine-men who have ever made or performed the Sun-Dance are 

 invited to come. The priests or medicine-men having assembled 

 within the Priests' tipi, the Lodge-maker appoints a man to act as 

 chief priest, or master of ceremonies, by giving him a pipe to smoke. 

 On the second day the Priests' tipi is taken up bodily by women, 

 one woman taking hold of each tipi pole, and they move it to a point 

 fifty paces in front of the camp circle. When set down and secured 

 in its new position, it is cleansed within, and is henceforth called 

 the "Lone-tipi." The earth is now formed and the pipes are 

 taken inside and placed in front of the priests. Towards evening a 

 buffalo skull, which has been lying outside the Lone-tipi, together 

 with two straight sticks used for stirring the pipes when smoking. 

 are brought in. and the skull is inverted and placed with its ncse 

 towards the entrance. The priests then feast. All of the members 

 of the Lodge-maker's Warrior society are then invited to the feast. 

 After the feast they rehearse inside the Lone-tipi, and dance 

 until midnight. Henceforth the chief priest and the Lodge-maker 

 remain in this tipi. 



They decide on the location for the Medicine-lodge, and on the 

 third day the poles for the Medicine-lodge are cut, and the Medicine- 

 lodge is erected. In the morning of the third day, at sunrise, a 

 noted spy of the tribe, dressed, and on horseback, goes through the 

 entrance of the camp-circle to the place decided upon for the location 

 of the Medicine-lodge, and tells of his exploits in war. Then there 

 are placed at the back of the lodge two young willows, two plum- 

 trees, one four-foot peg, four rainbow sticks, twenty people's sticks, 

 one long willow dipper, two long forked sticks, all of which had been 

 brought on the previous day by certain of the medicine-men. Next 

 the skull is painted and the grass lobes are stuffed in the nasal cav- 

 ities and eye sockets. Then the Lodge-maker's wife and the Lodge- 

 maker are painted, pre pa rat <>ry to their entrance into the Medicine- 

 lodge. Then they paint the arrow of the ccnter-po]<\ and the ceremony 

 of this arrow is performed. Should the Lodge-maker be a good and 

 just man. the chief priest blesses him by raising the arrow, point 

 upward and in front of his mouth, backward and forward, praying 



