MOONEY] ■ THE SUN DANCE 243 



way of sacrifice was practiced at other times, but not at the Jc'ado 

 Among the Kiowa the center pole must always be cut down by a cap- 

 tive woman. On account of the dread in which the iaime is held, by 

 reason of the many taboos connected with it, they have also a captive, 

 taken from Mexico when a boy and given to the taiuie for this special 

 l)nrpose, to unwrap it and set it in place at the ceremonial exposiire, 

 so that should any regulation be inadvertently violated, the i)unisb- 

 ment would fall upon the captive and not upon the tribe. It is hardly 

 necessary to state that this Mexican captive has as perfect faith in the 

 taime as the priestly keeper himself. 



In the Sett'an calendar the summer is always designated by a rude 

 figure of the medicine lodge. On the Anko calendar the distinction is 

 made by the decorated center pole of the lodge. Medicine-lodge creek, 

 where the famous treaty was negotiated, derives its name from several 

 medicine lodges formerly standing on its banks near the southern 

 Kansas line, this being a favorite spot for the sun dance with both the 

 Kiowa and Cheyenne. The following description of the medicine lodge 

 is from Battey's account of the Iviowa sun dance witnessed by him in 

 1873, to which account the reader is referred {Batfey, I't): 



The medicine house is situated nearly in the center of the encauipnieut, is circular 

 in form, and about 60 feet in diametiT, havinjj its entrance toward the east. It is 

 built by erecting a forked post, 20 feet high, perhaps, for a central support; around 

 this, and at nearly equal distances, are 17 other forked posts, furiuing the circumfer- 

 ence of the building. These are from 12 to 15 feet in height, and all of Cottonwood. 

 Small Cottonwood trees are tied on the outside of these, in a horizontal position, 

 ■with ropes of rawhide, having limbs and leaves on them. Outside of those small 

 Cottonwood trees are placed in an upright position, thus forming a wall of green trees 

 and leaves several feet in thickness, in the midst of which many hundred spi-ctators 

 afterwards found a cool retreat, where they could observe what was going on with- 

 out making themselves conspicuous. Long cottonwood poles extend from each of 

 the posts in the circumference to the central post, and then limbs of the same are 

 laid across these, forming a shady roof one-third of the way to the center. 



The central post is ornamented near the ground with the robes of buffalo calves, 

 their heads up, as if in the act of climbing it. Each of the branches above the fork 

 is ornamented in a similar manner, with the addition of shawls, calico, scarfs, etc., 

 and covered at the top with black muslin. Attached to the fork is a bundle of 

 Cottonwood and willow limbs, tiriuly bound together and covered with a butfalo 

 robe, with head and horns, so .-is to form ii rude image of a buffalo, to which were 

 hung strips of new calico, muslin, stroudiug, both blue and scarlet, feathers, shawls, 

 etc., of various lengths and (lualities. The longer and more showy articles were 

 placed near the ends. This im.ige was so placed as to face the east. The lodges of 

 the encampment are arranged iu circles around the medicine house, having their 

 entrances toward it, the nearest circle being some 10 rods dis-tant. . . . 



The ground inside the luclosure had been carefully cleared of grass, sticks, and 

 roots, and covered several inches deep with clean white sand. A screen had been 

 constructed on the side opposite the entrance by sticking small cottonwoods and 

 cedars deep into the ground, so .as to preserve them fresh as long as possible. A 

 space was left, 2 or 3 feet wide, between it and the inclosing wall, in which the 

 dancers prepared themselves for the dance, and in front of which was the medicine. 

 This consisted of an image lying on the ground, but so concealed from view in the 

 screen as to reiuler its form indistinguishable; above it was a largo fan made of 



