The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-10-04

directed the actual painters, four young
men OF the tribe, who first laid cut
smooth foundation of brown sand and
then. starting In the middle Of this
smooth surface. moved outward in either
direction as the center of the picture was
finished. Each painter took a pinch OF
sand of the necessary color-the red, white
and yellow being simply powdered rock,
the black a combination of red and
ground charcoal, and the blue a mix
ture of white sand with a little black,
giving a soft. grayish tint-blew on his
fingers to remove all stray particles and
dropped what remained upon the required
part of the picture by rubbing it slowly
between thumb and forefnger In this
way line by line and color by color, the
picture came slowly into existence until
at the end of six hours finished paint
ing" about nine by thirteen feet in size
had been executed to the satisfaction Of
the chief medicine man and his experience
ed advisers. Nothing Of the disign or
coloring except some of the minor adorn-
ments of the gods clothing had been left
to the originality of the artists; the rest
followed established precedent
fore the two patients were admitted there
was another bit of interesting "busi-
ness if 1t might be so called; namely,
the preparation of yet another divinity.
This was a young man whose body was
first painted with white earth and then
adorned with stockings, moccasins, neck
laces. black velvet Ioin CLOTH and the
mask that transformed him into a god for
the purpose of the forthcoming cere-
monv. When he was dressed for his part
and had wrapped himself in his blanket
and retired. the medicine man took a
basket Of corn and. standing 1T the east
ern side Of the picture. sprinkled each of
the figures taking great care not 10 drop
any of the corn into the eyes of the re-
cumbent divinities The sprinkling, Ike
the making of the picture, was no hap
hazard affair. but matter of established
precedent. and the medicine man finished
this part of the ceremony by making
little piles Of corn IN certain long-pre-
scribed places of the drawings.
The patients were then admitted, each
bearing a basket filed with ground corn
They took their places ct the southeast OF
the picture. which certain other ceremon-
les had protected from evil influence, and
were followed by several mothers with
children who had paid one or two sheep
for the privilege of being present and
getting such general good as they might
out of the ceremony. Gourds Of 'medi-
cine chiefly Of ground cedar and Of corn
pollen mixed with water. We're placed in
different parts Of the figure. The two
patients scattered their corn as the med
icine man had done before them. after
a period OF singing by the medicine man
and his assistants.
The pseudo-god then entered the hut
backward, sprinkled each god with cedar
from one of the medicine gourds and
thus sanctifed the little piles of corn
that the chief medicine man had placed
on various parts Of the gods bodies The
two patients seated themselves respec-
lively on the blue god of the south and
the yellow god Of the west. and in this
position received the medicine gourd
from the assistant medicine man. who
permitted them to drink and then placed
the gourd on the ground between them,
so that they could proceed to rub the
contents upon their bodies What was
left in the gowI was given to the mothers
who carefully used il to wash the bodies
Of their babies.
Up to this point the picture. save where
the patients were sitting on il. was prac-
tically uninured. Now the assistant medi-
cine man began rubbing portions OF the
gods. and then transferring the soil 10
corresponding parts Of the patients bod
les, each time uttering a piercing veil
in the ear of the patient. Finally. hs
yelled twice in succession and left the
hut backward, as he mad entered it The
patients inhaled the smoke arising from
powdered feathers burnt over two hot
Goals that the medicine man placed before
them, and the ceremony was over. The
sand picture, which had taken six hours
10 make. was practically obliterated in
less than an hour and its ruin was COM
pleted by the efforts of the rest of the
audience 10 avail themselves of the bene-
ficient properties of such sand as re-
manned.
How much these sand pictures may
have changed from year 10 year is. Of
course. a question Twenty years ago.
however. a small painting was carefully
reproduced by a scientist who was pres
eut at a similar ceremony. and this draw
ing is practically identical with the
production recently made for the Har-
ward museum The places where the
drawings were made were over 100 miles
apart. and the theory is therefore at least
plausible that the retentive Indian mem
DRY is still hanging down an almost exact
reproduction Of a very early piece OF In
dian art work. even in such perishable