RELIGION WD CEREMONIES I 19 



sun. In the fork at the top is usually a bunch of twigs, 

 in some cases called the nest of tin 4 thunderbird. With- 

 in the enclosure on the left side an altar is made. 



The time of the sun dance is in midsummer. It is 



usually initiated by the vow of a man or woman to make 

 it as a sacrifice in return for some heeded prayer in 

 time of great danger. The soldier societies, the 

 women's society, and other organizations, generally 

 take turns dancing at the sun pole after the above 

 named rites have been concluded. As a rule all who 

 perform important functions in the sun dance are 

 required to spend several days in fasting and other 

 purification ceremonies. 



Some form of sun dance has been reported for all the 

 tribes of this area except the Comanche, Omaha, Iowa, 

 Kansa, Missouri, Osage, Oto, Pawnee, Wichita, Ban- 

 nock, and Nez Perce: that even some of these formerly 

 practised it, is probable. The Mandan had an elaborate 

 ceremony known as the Okipa, fully described by George 

 Catlin who visited that tribe in 1832. This is not a 

 sun dance, but contains the self-torture practised by the 

 Dakota. 



When we consider the total distribution of the sun 

 dance it appears that its ceremonial complex, like that 

 for soldier societies (p. 96), presents several features 

 variously combined and distributed. These are the 

 torture, the circular shelter of poles, the use of a sacred 

 bundle, the altar, the erection of a sun pole, and the 

 dancing ceremonies. The form of shelter shown in the 

 Arapaho model has been observed among the Arapaho, 



