132 BUREAU OF AMEEICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 6i 



the warpath, or he might hold the bricHo and whip in his hand as he 

 danced. Chased-by-Bears stated that in fuhilhng ^is first Sun-dance 

 vow he caused a skewer to be put through the flesh of his arm and 

 from it suspended the rawhide lariat which he carried when on the 

 warpath, and with which he later captured a horse. (See p. 97.) 



Women sometimes took part in the Sun dance by fasting and 

 standing beside some relative who was dancing, or by assuming part 

 of the obligation of a vow made by some relative and permitting 

 their arms to be cut. (See p. 135.) The gifts distributed by relatives 

 of the dancers and the feasts given in their honor were also the work 

 of the women. 



Even the simplest form of the Sun-dance was a severe test of a 

 man's endurance. He was required to abstain from food and water, 

 to dance with face upraised to the sun from morning until night, 

 and to continue dancing during the night and on the following day 

 until he fell exhausted.^ 



If he had vowed to have his arms cut, he left the line of dancers 

 and seated himself beside the pole for the operation, after which he 

 resumed his dancing. The number of cuts varied from 10 to 100 or 

 even 200, according to the man's vow, though if the vow required 

 the larger numbers named part of the number was usually assumed 

 by his relatives. The cuttuag was done by a man of experience, to 

 whom the dancer gave one or more horses. The man had an assist- 

 ant, who lifted a small portion of flesh on the point of an awl, where- 

 upon the man then severed it with a quick stroke of a knife, lifting 

 the first portion which he cut toward the sky, saying, "This man 

 promised to give you his flesh; he now fulfills his vow." (See p. 96.) 

 The cuts were usually placed close together. The writer has seen 

 the scars of a man whose arms were cut 100 times — small dots on 

 the upper arm, about half an inch apart, in regular order. 



Another manner of cutting the arm was by gashes, which left 

 broad white scars. As already stated, the relatives of a man might 

 assume part of the obligation of his vow by allowing their arms to be 

 cut. Thus Lone Man said that he vowed 200 gashes, but his relatives 

 divided half the number among themselves. 



If a man vowed that he would be suspended from the pole the 

 operation of fastening the thongs to his chest was as follows: The 

 dancer lay on the ground, and the man who performed the operation, 

 bending over him, liftied the flesh of the chest between his thumb and 

 finger; then thrusting an awl through the fiesh, he followed this with 

 the insertion of the pointed stick. This stick was painted blue, and 

 the man moistened it with his lips before inserting it in the flesh. 

 He then hfted the man to his feet and tied the thongs hanging from 

 the crossbar of the pole to the sticks in the man's flesh. Medicine 

 was applied if the bleeding was excessive. In old days the awl used 

 in this operation was of bone. Chased-by-Bears, who performed this 



> Intervals permitted for rest are noted on p. 134. 



