76 



YEARBOOK, PUBLIC MUSEUM, MILWAUKEE. 



[Vol. I. 



Meanwhile the assistants had heen heating stones in an old fireplace 

 nearby, which showed signs of frequent vise. Also a bucket of water 

 had ]:)een l)rought from the creek. The preparation of this fire is shown 

 in figure 43. 



All being now in readiness, the priest instructed the interpreter and 

 the writer to disrobe and follow him through the small door. The priest 



Fig. 44. — Floor plan of the Blackfoot Indian sweat lodge. Blackfoot 

 Reservation, Montana. 



took his station opposite the door, and therefore facing eastward, or 

 toward the rising sun. The interpreter sat on the north side of the 

 lodge, while the writer took the seat of the novice at the south. The 

 priest then drew with his finger a small square, about five inches in 

 dimensions, a short distance from the western edge of the pit, and then 



