THE TRIBAL DANCING-LODGE
Early the following morning, Elk Horn, the herald, rode around the camp
circle beating a drum, and announced:
“This is the great day; now we raise the sun pole; it is time to get
ready; every band should send men to help; bring trees and branches
from the river valley; all must do their share and take part in
building the dancing-lodge.”
Then the different bands sent young men to help in the work. Young
women dressed themselves in their best costumes and rode forth on
horseback to help drag in the trees, using lariats fastened to the
pommels of their saddles. They returned from the river valley and
entered camp amid shouting and firing of guns. They dragged the trees
and branches to the place for the sun lodge in the center of the camp
circle. In the construction of the big lodge, nine forked tree trunks
were used for posts; also long branches for stringers and rafters, and
a lot of green boughs to cover the sides.
The men who were chosen to get the center pole went forth as a war
party and cut down the tree with a ceremony. They selected a large
cottonwood with forked branches. Double Runner was the warrior chosen
for the honor of felling it, because of his brave deeds in war. He came
forward with an axe, the blade painted red. First, he told a war
story—how he had killed an enemy in battle, then struck the tree with
his axe. In this manner, after recounting four brave deeds, Double
Runner cut down the tree. When it began to fall, the waiting warriors
shouted and gave war-whoops and fired their guns into its crown; as it
struck the ground, they made a rush and broke off the branches,
counting “coups” as trophies of war. Then they trimmed the trees and
rested the forked end on a travois. Indians on horses helped with
lariats; and in this way they bore the center pole to camp, placing it
beside the open hole in the medicine lodge, with its forks pointing
toward the setting sun.
Prominent men were chosen for the honor of digging the post-holes. They
also put the stringers into place and long poles for rafters. Thus they
made everything ready for raising the center pole at sunset, when all
the bands of the tribe would assemble and do their share.
In the meantime, the ceremony of transferring the Sun Dance Bundle was
taking place in the lodge of Mad Wolf. Then the people had their first
chance to see the fasting woman, and a large crowd assembled. The men
who sang and beat with rattles sat together on the north side of the
lodge; across from them were the women, who had made vows at former sun
dances. Directly behind the altar and in the center were Mad Wolf and
his wife, as the givers of the Sun Dance, together with White Calf and
his wife who were giving up the bundle.
First, a small cottonwood tree was planted in the ground close to the
altar by Middle Calf, who recounted four of his brave deeds in war.
Gives-to-the-Sun and the “mother” kneeled together and sang. They made
dancing movements in unison, as they took up the sacred headdress and
hung it upon the tree.
Then the “mother,” still kneeling beside the headdress and swaying her
body in time with the beating of rattles on the ground, made hooking
motions at the tree and imitated an elk; she rubbed her head against
the branches and made a whistling sound like an elk. Finally she took
the headdress and, with many symbolical movements, placed it upon
Gives-to-the-Sun. While clothing her in the ceremonial dress of deer
and antelope-skins, the women attendants sang in unison. They placed
the elkskin robe about her and sang the Elk Song, making the elk sign
and imitating the movements of elk, swaying their bodies like trotting
elk and giving the elk call.
In the meantime the entire tribe had assembled about the unfinished sun
lodge, seating themselves in long rows on the prairie, waiting for the
feast. When they heard the women singing the Elk Song in Mad Wolf’s
tepee—the last song in clothing the fasting woman, they knew it was
time for the medicine woman to come out.
When she finally appeared, the throng was so great prominent men stood
on both sides of the doorway to hold the people back. First in the line
came White Calf, the head-chief, followed by Mad Wolf; then the wife of
White Calf as the “mother,” and Gives-to-the-Sun, the fasting woman,
with her attendants bearing the parfleches of sacred tongues. They
moved by slow stages, all with heads reverently bowed and eyes fixed on
the ground. The face of Gives-to-the-Sun was hidden by her headdress.
Weakened by her fast, she walked slowly and feebly, leaning on a staff.
Mad Wolf also used a staff and kept his head bowed, holding aloft a
stalk of wild parsnip, with eagle feathers on the branches.
This solemn procession moved slowly around the unfinished sun lodge,
going from the east towards the south, following the sun’s daily course
through the sky; and finally entered a temporary shelter, to remain
there during the tribal feast.
Then many Indians came before them, bearing offerings, which they
presented to White Calf; and, with each offering, White Calf prayed to
the Sun in behalf of the giver and painted his face. Women who brought
offerings, handed them to the wife of White Calf who also prayed and
painted their faces.
A fresh hide was stretched on the ground in front of the shelter, to be
cut into strips for binding the rafters of the sun lodge. For this
honor, Bear Chief, a warrior of renown, was chosen by Eagle Head, who
had cut these thongs at the former Sun Dance. Then Eagle Head
transferred to Bear Chief the right to cut; and the relatives of Bear
Chief came forward with gifts to help him pay for the honor.
In the ceremony of transfer, Bear Chief was painted over the face and
body by Eagle Head, who prayed to the Sun that Bear Chief might have
power to cut the hide without mistake.
Then Bear Chief stood before the people with a knife painted half red
for the Sun and half black for the Moon. Holding it aloft, he prayed
for power. Then he recounted four of his brave deeds in war, making a
stroke after each tale, as though he were cutting the hide, saying:
“Hear! Men and women, for what I tell you is true. I went to war in the
south against our enemies the Crows. I took a band of horses and killed
two warriors.”
After making a stroke towards the hide, Bear Chief counted another
“coup”:
“Behold! I went again to war in the north and fought with a chief of
the Crees; I killed him and took his scalp.”
In this manner, Bear Chief told four tales; and then cut the hide into
strips, while his relatives stood near and shouted words of praise.
Women, who had made vows, came forward and took pieces of the sacred
tongues, standing beside the persons in behalf of whom they had vowed
and facing the setting sun. They prayed aloud so that every one could
hear and confessed their temptations. Some made known the names of men
who wanted them to commit adultery. They told the Sun how they had
power to resist. But none of the men who were implicated came forward
to defend themselves.
These groups of praying women, standing in the evening sunlight, before
the venerable medicine men and women, and the long rows of Indians,
men, women and children seated on the prairie, was a solemn and
impressive scene.
The aged wife of Tearing Lodge came forward and prayed in behalf of her
daughter who was ill; and the wife of Heavy Breast prayed for her
husband who stood beside her. But one of the most interesting of all
the groups was old Awasáki, wife of Painted Wing, with four small
grandchildren. She stood them in line before the throng of people;
after eating one of the tongues, she faced the setting sun and prayed:
“Sun! Behold! Pity us, help us!
You know I have lived straight; I give you my life to-day.
Now I eat this tongue that my grandchild may live,
The boy who is ill.
I pray also for these children who stand before you.
May they grow and be strong.
May they never suffer from hunger.
May all of them have long life.
Sun, hear us and pity us.”
After this prayer, the old woman planted a piece of the tongue in the
ground as a sacrifice to the Underground Spirits and divided the
remainder among her relatives, that they might be able to lead better
lives.
By this time the sun was nearing the summits of the Rocky Mountains.
White Calf, the head-chief, arose and called upon the people to make
ready for raising the sun pole. The men returned to their lodges and
dressed in their best costumes. They gathered into lines at the four
quarters of the camp, bearing long lodge-poles, which were tied in
pairs near their tops, each pair carried by two men, for lifting into
place the heavy rafters of the dancing-lodge.
The band that was first in line started to sing the tribal hymn,
“Raising the Sun Pole”; it was quickly taken up by other bands as they
formed into line. The Indians believed this song was given by the Sun
through Scarface, the founder of the Sun Dance. It was sung as a prayer
by all the people for the safe raising of the center pole.
In the meantime, White Calf and Mad Wolf walked slowly to the prostrate
pole and stood upon its trunk, while their wives took positions by its
forks. Then the four lines of warriors, holding aloft their poles,
advanced by four stages. During the pauses, they waited to sing the
hymn to the pole, each band singing in unison regardless of the other
bands, in different intervals of time and pitch; and, as the notes of
the melody all belonged to one chord, the different groups combined
harmoniously in a sort of grand fugal effect, the deep and resonant
voices of the warriors booming and sliding up to the last notes of the
song. Finally, the four lines met in a large circle round the sun
lodge, and stood while all the people, men, women and children joined
in singing the tribal hymn.
Then the head-chief called in a loud voice to raise the pole. Mad Wolf
blew his medicine whistle; he threw off his black-colored robe and
jumped from the pole. With shouts and war-whoops, the circle of
warriors ran towards the unfinished lodge, followed by the throng of
Indians. The pole was quickly raised with ropes; and the warriors with
lodge-poles lifted the rafters into place, tying them to the frame with
rawhide thongs, and placed green cottonwood branches against the sides.
Thus the dancing-lodge was finished and made ready for the tribe. There
the people assembled during the remaining days of the circle camp, to
hear tales of war by prominent chiefs, to witness the rites of the
Weather Dancers and the dances and ceremonies of the men’s societies.