1921] BARRETT, THE PAINTED LODGE OR CEREMONIAL TIPI. 87 



hoofs and tail of the buffalo. These were hung from the tips of the 

 ears of the lodge or just above the doorway inside the lodge. Some- 

 times a single lodge might have these rattles and ornaments in both 

 places. 



Each painted lodge must also possess a ceremonial bufifalo bundle 

 comprising one or more bufifalo stones or iniskim, like those shown in 

 figure 46, pouches of sacred red and black paint, one or more rattles, 

 made of the scrotum of the bufifalo, and a set of red-painted, slender 

 ceremonial fire-tongs. All these, except the fire-tongs, were usually 

 kept in a small parfleche or in a bufifalo skin bag, to the outside of which 

 the fire-tongs were attached. This bundle was suspended from one of 

 the lodge poles at the rear of the lodge and upon certain occasions, was 

 placed upon a tripod of poles, standing outside and at the rear of the 

 lodge. 



Such a painted tipi might be made in fulfillment of a vow, but it was 

 more customary, at least in modern times, to purchase it in fulfillment 

 of such a vow rather than to make it outright. For instance, in case of 

 illness, a man might promise the spirits that if he was allowed to recover 

 he would purchase the painted tipi of some certain person. For good 

 fortune in war or some other enterprise, a similar promise would be 

 made. Such a purchase included, of course, all the ceremonial para- 

 phernalia of the lodge, together with the right to use its particular sacred 

 symbols. The transfer of such a painted lodge from one owner to the 

 other involved a rather elaborate ceremonial procedure. The owner of 

 the lodge, if he was not acquainted with the full ceremony, or if he did 

 not care to perform it, called in the services of someone else. The wife 

 of the owner of the lodge then brought the bufifalo bundle to the sweat 

 lodge and, starting at the east and traveling in a clockwise direction, she 

 passed once around the lodge. She then placed the bundle on top of the 

 sweat lodge. 



The performer of the ceremony, together with the buyer of the 

 painted lodge, must then enter the sweat lodge and perform the cere- 

 mony. They might be accompanied by the vender of the lodge and by 

 any others who desired to participate in the ceremony. They were, how- 

 ever, never accompanied by any woman. The face of the purchaser of 

 the painted lodge was first painted red, appropriate songs pertaining to 

 the bufifalo and its actions being sung. For instance, one of them says, 

 "when the bufifalo goes to water, he trots." This was sung over and 

 over a number of times, accompanied by imitations of the bellowing 

 and wallowing of the animal in the old time bufifalo wallow. 



