40 Bulletin American Museum of Natural History. [Vol. XVIII, 



A small stripe at the heel of the moccasin (not shown in 

 the figure) signifies the opposite idea, haS,t'xa'nin (whence 

 one has come). The variety of colors in the large stripe rep- 

 resents the variety of things (which naturally are of many 

 different colors) that one desires to possess. The small dark- 

 blue rectangles are symbols that are called hiiteni. The 

 white border of this moccasin, on account of its color, repre- 

 sents snow. The figures in it represent hills with upright 

 trees. The stripe over the instep signifies "up hill and 

 down again" (its middle portion being elevated above 

 the ends by the instep of the foot). The dots in this stripe 

 represent places left bare by melting snow. 



The writer is unable to give the exact meaning of the 

 word hiiteni, mentioned above. This symbol is said to signify 

 life, abundance, food, prosperity, temporal blessings, desire 

 or hope for food, prayer for abundance, or the things wished 

 for. All these related ideas seem to be identified by the 

 Indians in this symbol. It may be best described as a sym- 

 bol of happy life, or, since in Arapaho symbolism the repre- 

 sentation of an object or condition usually implies a desire 

 for such object or condition, a symbol of the desire for happy 

 life. Briefly, it may be called a life-symbol, and will be thus 

 designated hereafter. It is the abstract symbol most fre- 

 quently used, and will be often referred to. Its form is 

 generally a trapezoid, rectangle, or square. A variety of 

 forms is shown in Plates xxix, xxxi. Figs. 237-240, 417-422. 



The symbolism in Fig. 5, c, is not known. Birds are 

 evidently represented in the wide stripe. 



Of the moccasin shown in Fig. 5 , d, the symbolism is also 

 unknown. In this specimen the longitudinal stripe is ex- 

 tended until it meets the border. The stripe, however, is 

 beaded only at its edges, contrary to the style of embroi- 

 dery in the other cases, and in its middle portion is merely 

 painted red. 



In the moccasin shown in Fig. 5, e, there are both the 

 border and the stripe, triangular marks on which repre- 

 sent clouds along the horizon. The open areas are covered 

 by a checker-board design, only every alternate square being 



