916 THE GHOST-DANCE RELIGION [eth.ann.14 



another occasion, at a Ghost dance at the same camp, four arrows, 

 headed with bone in the olden fashion, were shot up into the air from 

 the center of the circle and afterward gathered up and hung upon the 

 tree, together with the how. a gaming wheel and sticks, and a staff of 

 peculiar shape (ghost stick?). See plate oxi. The ceremonies of fast- 

 ing, painting, and the sweat-bath in connection with the Ghost dance 

 among the Sioux have been already described. 



The best account of the dance itself and of the ghost shirt is ^iven 

 by Mrs Z. A. Parker, at that time a teacher on the Pine Ridge reserva- 

 tion, writing of a Ghost dance observed by her on White Clay creek, 

 on dune L'o, 1890. We quote at length from her description: 



We drove to this spot about 10.30 orlork »ii a delightful October ilay. We came 

 upon tents scattered here and there in low. sheltered places long before reaching the 

 dance ground. Presently we saw over three hundred tents placed in a circle, with a 

 large pine tree in the center, which was covered with strips of cloth of various 

 colors, eagle leathers, stuffed birds, claws, and horns — all offerings to the Great 

 Spirit. The ceremonies had just begun. In the center, around the tree, were 

 gathered their medicine-men ; also those who had been so fortunate as to have had 

 visions and in them had seen and talked with friends who had died. A company of 

 fifteen had started a chant and were marching abreast, others coming in behind as 

 they marched. After marching around the circle of tents they turned to the center, 

 where many bad gathered and were seated on the ground. 



I think they wore the ghost shirt or ghost dress for the first time that day. I 

 noticed that these were all new and were worn by about seventy men anil forty 

 women. The wife of a man called Return-from-scont had seen in a vision that her 

 friends all wore a similar robe, and on reviving from her trance she called the women 

 together and they made a great number of the sacred garments. They wereof white 

 cotton cloth. The women's dress was cut like their ordinary dress, a loose robe with 

 wide, flowing sleeves, painted blue in the neck, in the shape of a three-cornered 

 handkerchief, with moon, stars, birds, etc, interspersed with real feathers, painted 

 on the waist and sleeves. While dancing they wouud their shawls about their 

 waists, letting them fall to within 3 inches of the ground, the fringe at the bottom. 

 In the hair, near the crown, a leather was tied. I noticed an absence of any manner 

 of bead ornaments, and. as I knew their vanity and fondness for them, wondered 

 why it was. Upon making inquiries I found they discarded everything they could 

 which was made by white men 



The ghost shirt for the men was made of the same material — shirts and leggings 

 painted in red. Some of the leggings were painted in stripes running up and clown, 

 others running around. The shirt was painted blue around the neck, and the whole 

 garment was fantastically sprinkled with figures of birds, bows and arrows, sun, 

 moon, and stars, and everything they saw in nature. Down the outside of the 

 sleeve were- rows of feathers tied by the quill ends and left to fly in the breeze, and 

 also a row around the neck and up and down the outside of the leggings. 1 noticed 

 that a number had stuffed birds, squirrel heads, etc, tied in their long hair. The 

 faces of all wire painted red with a black half-moon on the forehead or on one 

 cheek. 



As the crowd gathered about the tree the 1 1 i i; b. priest, or master of ceremonies, 

 began his address, giving them directions as to the chant and other matters. After 

 be bad spoken I'm about fifteen minutes they arose and formed in a circle. As nearly 

 as I could count, there were between three and four hundred persons. One stood 

 directly behind another, each with his hands on bis neighbor's shoulders. After 

 walking about a few times, chanting, " father, I come," they stopped marching, but 



