NO. 8 CREEK SQUARE GROUNDS SWANTON IT, 



ceremonial complications of any sort. It seems to have been usual 

 to hold three of these dances in the spring and early summer, a 

 month apart, the series paving the way for, and leading up to, the 

 second ceremonial, the " busk," which was the great annual ritual. 

 This last is usually considered as lasting four days, though in that 

 four are included the days of assembling and departure. The 

 principal event on the second day is the women's dance. On the 

 third day the men fast, take medicine four times, and near its close 

 march down to the creek and bathe. After they return, they are 

 dismissed to their camps and break their fast. Later they are 

 summoned to the square again where they dance four times, and 

 then the dance becomes " common," visitors from friendly towns 

 being admitted to it. A fire is kept up all night in the center of the 

 square and dancing continues about it until it is nearly day. In 

 former times many, perhaps all, of the towns extended their busks 

 over eight days, but from what can be learned of these longer 

 ceremonials they seem to have been in the main a simple doubling 

 of the shorter ceremony, except for a few features like the kindling 

 of the new fire which took place but once annually. 



Let us now turn to the new material regarding the square grounds 

 and the ceremonies conducted there. Under each heading I give the 

 notes obtained from native informants belonging to the square or 

 town in question. 



ABIHKA 



Figure i gives the general arrangement of the square of Abihka, 

 or Talladega, and Plate i. Figure i. gives a view of the ground itself 

 near Henryetta, ( )kla., as it appeared in 191 2. The exposure was 

 made from the southwest. 



The medicines were taken first by those in the Rears' bed, then 

 in succession by those in the beds of the Raccoon on the west side, 

 the Raccoon on the east side, the Deer, and those in the south Ijed. 

 The asimbonaia in the northern section of the east cabin acted more 

 particularly as the chief's messenger ; the one in the western 

 compartment of the south cabin called first the women and then 

 the children to come to take their medicine from the vessel at the 

 north end of the east cabin. The ta'palas were changed every four 

 years. The women gathered preparatory to their dance at a tree on 

 the edge of the tad jo (the ridge of sweepings that makes the edge 

 of the ceremonial ground) and entered' the section about tlie fire at 

 its northwestern corner. Five pots of medicine were prepared at 

 the north end of the west cabin (fig. i, ii). Afterward one pot 



