THE SUN DANCE MEDICINE BUNDLE 



A POWER IN APPEALS FOR LIFE. OPENED ONLY IN SACRED CEREMONIAL 

 FOR THE FULFILLMENT OF A WOMAN's VOW 



By Clark WissJcr 



AMONG the exhibits for the Phiins Indians may be foinid the bundle 

 for the medicine woman in the Blackfoot sun dance, a simple outfit 

 far more sacred than even the medicine pipe. The chief object is a 

 headdress built on a strip of rawhide in the form of a lizard. On the head- 

 dress in front is what is spoken of as a doll, which contains a prairie 

 turnip. All this together with certain paints is kept in a cylindrical raw- 

 hide case, in fact is never taken out except when the appropriate ritual 

 is performed. Attached to the case is a digging stick, woman's primitive 

 tool and with these Indians the sjanbol of her fall. 



As their old sacred story runs, a virgin loved the morning star and was 

 carried by him to the home of his heavenly parents, the sun and moon, 

 where she took up the domestic duties of a wife. i\.s on earth, she gathered 

 roots for the table with her digging stick, but one large fine prairie turnip 

 she was forbidden to dig up. Now like the woman of our own sacred story, 

 she yielded to curiosity and thrust her stick under the turnip. Sorrow 

 and grief for her people below were now her portion and she was banished 

 to earth, but directed to teach the lesson and confer a medicine bundle on 

 her descendants. Since the bundle came from the house of the sun, it 

 symbolizes much of his power and might. 



This medicine bundle finds its chief function in the fulfillment of a vow — 

 a woman's vow. If a dear one is near unto death, a woman may stand 

 before the sun and say, "Hear me, I am virtuous, I have been true to my 

 marriage bond; if our dear one is spared, I will open the bundle at the sun 

 dance." A medicine man is usually called to take formal note of the vow 

 and to direct the unhappy one. Now the sun is not deceived and if an 

 unworthy woman so address him, rt^tribution is certain. Further, this 

 woman must at the next sun dance make public confession of all tempta- 

 tions she has experienced. Yet more, this pul)lic confession is also a chal- 

 lenge and it is the duty of every l)ystander to impcvich her, if there is 

 auglit to impeach. 



Following the vow are months of preparation. At the time of the sun 

 dance the woman fasts four days and on the last day the bundle is opened, 

 the headdress placed on her brow and the tligging stick on lier back. The 

 ritual is long, re(|uiring most of the day for its many songs and prayers. 

 In one place a solemn medicine man wliile dancing with th(> stick rehearses 



