16 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



of a sacred pipe who smokes in ceremonial gatherings of this sort no 

 matter M^hich side he receives the pipe from. 



Now follows another instalment of the sacred chants peculiar to 

 the ceremonies which derive their origin from the Scarf ace legend. 



Still singing, the priest takes from tlie pile of Artemisia the 

 single eaglje feather and placing it in the hand of the devotee, grasps 

 the latter's wrist and guides the hand to wave the feather four times 

 over the mound of clay. Guided by the priest, the host touches the 

 clay mound four times with the feather, each time slightly pushing 

 some of the clay, tmce to the north, and twice to the south. 



A right foot moccasin with the heel turned inside is next handed to 

 the priest, who places it in the right hand of the host, and directs him 

 to push some of the clay to the left or north. It is then changed to 

 tlile left hand and so]ne clay is moved by the moccasin to the right or 

 south, after which the priest releases the hand of the other man who, 

 with the sole of the moccasin, spreads the remaining clay evenly over 

 the square place referred to above. 



Again taking the feath«er, and directed as before, the younger man 

 traces upon the now flattened clay a large crescent ^nth the points or 

 horns to the east. Midway between the points of the ci'escent a circle 

 about three inches in diameter is marked, and another about the same 

 size is traced to the east of it, on that side of the square nearest to 

 the fire. Outside of the crescent and near its points are finally marked 

 two oval spots. The feather being used to merely mark out the design 

 it is deposited upon the Artemisia, and the host again takes up the 

 moccasin and witli the toe of it completes the several figures by making 

 deep depressions along the lines made with th^e feather. 



Under the same careful guidance he now takes some of the pow- 

 dered charcoal, and sprinkling it in all of the depressions in the clay 

 colours them black, beginning with the southern point of the crescent. 

 Yellow ochre is now scattered along thie edge of each of the black figures, 

 with the exception of the one to the least next to the fireplace. In 

 dropping tlie yellow material on the clay the operator's hands always 

 follow the apparent course of the Sun, thus, for instance, when put- 

 ting the yellow on the crescent he begins at the south corner, mo^'^es 

 along thie convex side at the west until the northern point is reached, 

 when he works baick inside of the concave on the east to the point of 

 starting. This rule, which ethnologists call "the sun-wise circuit," is 

 scrupulously followed by the Blackfoot in ritualistic matters. 



The altar is now complete and its symbolism runs as follows : — The 

 crescent repreêents the Moon, the central circle the Sun, the eastern disc 

 the Morning Star, and the two oval marks at tlie side are parplielia or 



