[WILSON] THE SACRIFICIAL RITE OF THE BLACKFOOT 7 



" My son^ why did you coiue here ? Why do you travel ?'' inquired 

 the Sun. 



Scarface told him that he travelled because of a woman's promise, 

 and he again related the story of his trouble. 



"' It is not difficult. It is not difficult/' said the Sun. '• Go you 

 Scarface, and make me four sweat lodges. Build them in a row from 

 east to west. Paint the northern half of each sweat lodge black, and 

 the southern half red. Place a buffalo pkull on the top of each sweat 

 lodge when it is completie, and dig a square hole in the centre of each, 

 to receive the stones. You, Morning Star, go and help your friend 

 Scarface build the sweat lodges as I have instructed." 



The boys did exactly as they had been told, and when all four were 

 finished the Sun's wife heated the stones. 



The stones being now hot and the sweat lodges covered over, the 

 Sun, Scarface, and Morning Star entered the most eastern one by the 

 hole in that end, and going by the south side, sat down at the west end. 

 The Sun sat in the middle, facing the centre of the sweat lodge, with a 

 boy on each side of him. 



The Moon hanjded in a ccal of lire, which her husband placed on 

 the ground at the west side of the square hole in the sweat lodge in 

 which he was sitting. Another coal was put at the east side and in- 

 cense was made on them both at the same time. 



Next, the Moon took a small hot stone from the fire outside and, 

 carrying it on a stick, carefully placed it in tlie southeast comer of the 

 square hole in the SAvcat lodge. A second similar stone she deposited 

 at the southwest corner, after passing it over the first stone. A third 

 and fourth were put down. A large stone, hot like all the others, was 

 now laid in the middle of the hole and incense was dropped on them 

 all. 



The Moon handed to her husband, the Sun, his pipe, and all three 

 in the sweat lodge smoked while the incense was burning. 



The rest of the hot stones were now tumbled into the shallow hole, 

 and, after the Moon had handed in a bowl of water, the hides covering 

 the sweat lodge were all drawn together so that it became quite dark 

 inside. 



Singing his songs, the Sun put a little water on the stones, causing 

 a dense steam, and his wife from the outside, at his request, lifted a 

 portion of the cover at the east end. He then told her to close it again 

 and when he had made more steam asked her to open a small space in 

 tihe west. Again all was made dark, more water was applied to tlie 

 stones and the same performance was repeated at each end of the sweat 

 lodge, making four times that light had been let in. 



