1902.] Kroeber, The Arapaho. 1 09 



pairs of right-angled triangles represent tents; but the four 

 blue right-angled triangles at the corners of the design, half 

 of a tent. Their colors denote the colors (red, yellow, blue, or 

 green, but not black) with which tents were formerly painted. 

 The design is longitudinally trisected by two white stripes, 

 which represent paths. Black dots in them are coyote-tracks. 

 These stripes are edged on one side by red, and on the other 

 by blue; these colors denote night and day, and, because 

 night and day are opposite, are on opposite sides of the white 

 stripe. The blue lines enclosing the whole design represent 

 tent-pegs. The white stripes which they enclose are rivers; 

 the red and yellow stripes which they enclose are camp-sites. 

 The small squares in the corners of the design are the ends of 

 the earth (haneisa" biitaawu). The white areas within the 

 design, consisting each of a high narrow trapezoid surmounted 

 by an equilateral triangle, represent women. This design 

 (i. e., style of design), as well as that called wasixta ("bear- 

 foot"), was first made by the mythic cosmological character. 

 Whirlwind- Woman. 



In the parfleche design shown in Fig. 2, Plate xix, the three 

 wide blue stripes represent rivers. Evidently both form and 

 color are symbolic. The red rectangles in them are islands, 

 and the white border around these is sand. The triangles are 

 bear-feet (wasixta). The red portions of the triangles repre- 

 sent the bare skin of the sole of the foot; the projections at 

 the base of the triangles are the claws. The white hexagonal 

 areas represent the prairie (i. e. , land, ground) ; the black 

 spots in them are coyotes. Enclosing the whole design are 

 the customary lines or stripes. These signify paths. Those 

 of them that are blue represent buffalo-paths; the white, 

 antelope-paths; the yellow, elk-paths; and the red, deer-paths. 



In the parfleche design of Fig. 3, Plate xix, the large yellow 

 triangles, one along each long side of the rectangular design, 

 represent mountains or the earth ; the red stripes at their bases 

 are red banks along rivers ; the white squares at the ends 

 of these red stripes are lakes; the blue areas adjoining the 

 squares represent smoke, haze, and heavy atmosphere ; the large 

 white areas represent bare ground. In the middle, the entire 



