1902.] Kroeber, The Arapaho. 125 



Two low, flat triangles extending along the sides of the bag 

 are mountains; three smaller triangles contained in each 

 represent hills. The unpainted surface of the hide, adjacent 

 to these mountain-designs, represents the open prairie. The 

 diamond in the middle represents the centre of the earth. 

 Red and yellow areas within it represent earth of those colors. 

 At each end of the diamond is a large triangle, which repre- 

 sents a tent. The various colors on this figure of a tent 

 indicate the various colors with which tents are painted or 

 embroidered. The white triangles inside the tent-figure are 

 back-rests or pillows such as are used at the head and foot of 

 beds. The blue in the figure of the tent is smoke. It is said 

 by the Arapaho that when any one in a tent is angry or bad- 

 tempered, the smoke from the fire does not rise, but remains 

 inside; but when all are pleasant and cheerful, the smoke 

 goes straight outside. The blue triangles represent smoke 

 hanging in the tent; the blue line, smoke that is rising to 

 issue from the top of the tent. Underneath these represen- 

 tations of tents are blue and yellow triangles, forming a pat- 

 tern. The blue here represents ashes that have been taken 

 out of the tent; the yellow is the earth on which the tent 

 stands. A red zigzag line separating the blue and the yellow 

 represents paths. 



On the back, the lines or stripes represent sun-rays of 

 various colors. Fine black lines separating stripes of differ- 

 ent colors represent the black vegetable fibres sometimes used 

 for embroidery. 



The fringe on the bag represents niitcaantetainani, what we 

 do not know; that is, objects out of our possession, or vari- 

 ous things too numerous to mention. 



Fig. 2 of Plate xxiii shows a bag used for gathering cher- 

 ries. It is hung around the neck by a thong attached to it. 

 The design on the front has the following meaning. The 

 rhombus in the middle is the earth as it first appeared after 

 emergence from the original water. The red of the rhombus 

 symbolizes paint ; the green, earth ; the red bisecting line, the 

 course of the sun. The entire square design is the earth as 

 it is now, after it had been extended, with mountains and soil 



