484 PICTURE-WRITING OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
The thunder-bird, Fig. 676, is blue, with red breast 
-and tail. It is a copy of one worked in beads found 
at Mendota, Minnesota. 
Fic. 676.—Thunder-bird, 
Dakota. 
The Sioux believe that thunder is a large bird, and represent it thus, 
Fig. 677, according to Mrs. Eastman (ec), who adds details condensed 
as follows: 
This figure is often seen worked with poreupine quills on their ornaments. U-mi- 
ne wah-chippe is a dance given by some one who fears thunder and thus endeavors 
to propitiate the god and save his own life. 
A ring is made of about 60 feet in circumference by sticking sap- 
lings in the ground and bending their tops down, fastening them 
Fic. 677._Dakota together. In the center of this ring a pole is placed, about 15 feet in 
thunder-bird. height and painted red. From this swings a piece of birch bark eut 
so as to represent thunder. At the foot of the pole stand two boys and two girls. 
The boys represent war; they are painted red and hold war clubs in their hands. 
The girls have their faces painted with blue clay; they represent peace. 
On one side of the circle a kind of booth is erected, and about 20 feet from ita 
wigwam. There are four entrances. When all arrangements for the dance are con- 
cluded the man who gives it emerges from his wigwam, dressed up hideously, crawl- 
ing on all fours toward the booth. He must sing four tunes before reaching it. 
In the meantime the medicine men, who are seated in the wigwam, beat time on 
the drum, and the young men and squaws keep time to the music by hopping on one 
foot and then on the other, moying around inside the ring as fast as they can. This 
is continued for about five minutes, until the music stops. After resting a few 
moments the second tune commences and lasts the same length of time, then the 
third and the fourth; the Indian meanwhile making his way toward the booth. At 
the end of each tune a whoop is raised by the men dancers. 
After the Indian has reached his booth inside the ring he must sing four more 
tunes. At the end of the fourth tune the squaws all run ont of the ring as fast as 
possible, and must leave by the same way that they entered, the other three entrances 
being reserved for the men, who, carrying their war implements, might be acci- 
dentally touched by one of the squaws, and the war implements of the Sioux war- 
rior have from time immemorial been held sacred from the touch of woman. For 
the same reason the men form the inner ring in dancing round the pole, their war 
implements being placed at the foot of the pole. 
When the last tune is ended the young men shoot at the image of thunder, which is 
hanging to the pole, and when it falls a general rush is made by the warriors to get 
hold of it. There is placed at the foot of the pole a bowl of water colored with blue 
clay. While the men are trying to seize the parts of the bark representation of their 
god they at the same time are eagerly endeavoring to drink the water in the bowl, 
every drop of which must be drank. 
The warriors then seize on the two boys and girls (the representations of war and 
peace) and use them as roughly as possible, taking their pipes and war-clubs from 
