2350 DAKOTA GRAMMAR, TEXTS, AND ETHNOGRAPHY. 
of ceremonies was a colored man, captured when a child, and at the time of 
this dance attached to the band of Little Wound. — It was his duty to keep 
intruders out of the cirele. After much ceremony, dancing, and giving 
away of horses, six men walked slowly up to the tree and each gave it a 
hack, after which it was felled by the wite of Spider. When it went down 
a charge was made on it, and the tree, branches and all, was taken up and 
carried by men and women to the sun-dance grounds, a distance of two 
miles. On reaching the grounds, they made another charge to drive away 
any ghosts that might be lingering there. Then Tasuyke kokipapi,' the 
younger (commonly called Young-Man-Afraid-of-his-Horses), announced 
that there was nothing more to be seen till 10 o’clock on the following day, 
Friday, June 25. 
The evening of the 24th and the forenoon of the 25th were spent in 
raising the pole and erecting a tabernacle. The latter was formed in a 
circle of about 500 yards in circumference, 12 feet high, and was con- 
structed by putting posts in the ground and covering them with green 
boughs. The pole was placed in the center and decorated with red, 
white, and blue flags, said to be gifts to the Great Spirit. There were 
within the inclosure about 1,000 men sitting around, and 800 dancers, 
besides 25 men riding their horses around the ring. The 3800 dancers 
marched around the pole, dancing, singing, and shooting up at the pole. 
Each man had from one to three belts of cartridges strung around his 
body. He had little clothing besides his breecheloth, and his bare body 
and limbs were painted in various colors. This performance lasted for 
two hours, then all firing ceased, and twenty children entered the ring 
to have their ears pierced. The parents of each child gave away two 
horses to the poor. When a horse was turned loose, the first man who 
caught hold of it owned it. Persons competing for the horses were placed 
outside the gate of the inclosure in two parallel rows 30 feet apart, one row 
on each side of the road. When a horse was turned out there was a 
scramble to see who could reach it first. 
The child to be honored was laid by its mother on a pile of new 
calico. Then six old men sprinkled water on its head, repeating the fol- 
lowing words: ‘‘O Wakaytayka, hear me! this man has been a good and 
brave man, and the mother is a good woman. For their sake let this child 
live long, have good luck and many children.” Then, with a long, slender, 
sharp-pointed knife, two holes were made through each ear, wherein were 
' Literally, They (the foe) fear eyen his horse.—J. 0. D. 
