MARITAL JEALOUSY 237 



religious ceremony is called the Sun-dance. It is 

 performed from time to time in compliance with a 

 vow made by a member of the tribe at some crisis of his 

 life, such as sickness either of himself or some of 

 his kindred, lunacy, ominous dreams or for deliverance 

 from a great danger, as when sorely pressed on the 

 war-path. The whole community joins in the per- 

 formance, which consists in an elaborate series of 

 solemn rites extending over eight days and undertaken 

 in a deeply religious spirit. A great lodge is built, 

 every portion of which with its accessories is symbolic. 

 One of the chief functionaries is the Lodge-maker, and 

 another is his official "grandfather," the Transferrer. 

 At a certain point of the performance the Lodge- 

 maker's wife and the Transferrer leave together the 

 Rabbit-tipi, a lodge where the secret preparations are 

 made for the dance. Deliberately and solemnly and 

 in ritual order they prepare for this duty. The woman 

 flinging a buffalo robe around her removes all her 

 clothing, and covered only with a robe she follows the 

 Transferrer who is similarly clad. While a sacred 

 song is sung and intense emotion prevails in the lodge, 

 they pass out by a sunwise circuit over the fumes of 

 rising incense, and proceed to a spot a short distance 

 from the lodge. It is midnight. After a few moments' 

 prayer in which they both emphasise the fact that 

 they are about to do that which was commanded at 

 the time of the origin of the ceremony and that what 

 they are about to do is in keeping with the wish of 

 their Father, the woman throws her covering on the 

 ground and lies down on her back. The Transferrer 

 standing by her side offers her body to Man-above, 

 the Grandfather, to the Four-Old-Men and various 



