Howard] THE PONCA TRIBE 57 



by the Ponca and other Midwestern tribes until only a few years ago — 

 and which still persists among the Omaha, Osage, and Plains- 

 Ojibwa — seems to be a derivative of the earth lodge ceremonial struc- 

 ture. One of these dance houses stood on the Southern Ponca pow- 

 wow grounds, near White Eagle, Okla., until about 1920. 



PLC described the construction of the diudipu and the diuMpu- 

 snede as follows: 



The diiidipu was made by taking long green poles, sticking them into the 

 ground, and bending them over and tying them at the top. Other poles or vines 

 were tied around (horizontally) to make the framework. The whole thing was 

 then covered with hides. The diudipu-sn'ede was made in the same way but 

 was as much as forty feet long one way. 



In 1949 I observed a Northern Ponca family, as well as several 

 Omaha and Winnebago families, camping in lodges of these types, 

 covered with canvas, at the Omaha Indian powwow at Macy, Nebr. 

 PLC had a miniature diudipu lodge, covered with old burlap sacking, 

 at his home near Wewela, S. Dak., in 1951. It was used as a doghouse. 

 PLC mentioned that these lodges, like tipis, were sometimes arranged 

 in the tribal camping circle according to clan. 



The fourth type of Ponca dwelling was the tipi. This was of the 

 3-pole foundation type, with from 12 to 20 poles used in all. The 

 cover, usually of tanned bison hide, formed a rough half circle when 

 spread on the ground. It had two projecting flaps, at the upper 

 ends of which were sewn sockets to receive the two setting poles. 

 This allowed the flaps to be moved in relation to the wind in order 

 to regulate the draft of the center fire. (Skimier, 1915 c, p. 779; 

 also PLC, JLR, OK, WBB, and OYB.) 



The tipi was staked down with wooden stakes and the front laced 

 together with slender wooden pins. In stormy weather a rope might 

 be wound around the tipi to hold the cover in place (OK). The 

 covers were often painted with clan and personal insignia. Tipis 

 were pitched in the tribal circle arrangement on certain occasions, 

 such as the bison hunt and the Sun dance encampments. 



At the present time, the tipi is stiU used as a "powwow" dwelling 

 by a dozen or so Southern Ponca families. It is also the "temple" 

 in which the Peyote ceremony is held. Because of this the tipi has 

 become, in the eyes of many of its members, a symbol of the Peyote 

 religion. As a symbol it is frequently carved or painted on the boxes 

 in which peyote regalia is kept, and it is represented in silver peyote 

 jewelry. The adoption of the tipi as a special symbol by the peyotists 

 is resented by some nonadherents. In 1954 I noticed a fine white tipi 

 pitched on the grounds where a small Protestant church was holding 



