Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-07-02
.'BLACkFEET WILL
HOLD SUN DANCE
OLD-TIME CEREMONY TO BE PER
FORMED AT BROWNING DUR
ING EARLY JULY

OLD-TIME CEREMONY TO BE PER-
FORMED AT BROWNING DUR
ING EARLY JULY
The sun dance medicine lodge sea-
son on the Blackfeet reservation Is
at hand. The celebration many years
ago was the occasion which gave the
name Of Two Medicine to the river,
valley and lakes In Glacier park.
A drouth had withered grass on the
range. Buffaloes had left the north
ern country and braves hunted meat
in enemy territory. Before they left
for the hunting trip they held the
raising of the medicine lodge cere-
mony. There were SO many present
at the ceremony that two lodges had
to be erected to make it possible for
all to participate.
The ceremony, when understood, is
full of beauty. The raising Of the lodge
is done by the medicine men and
women, who have tasted and medi-
tated for many days in preparation
for the sacred ceremony. The medi-
cine lodge is the shrine erected each
year upon which sacrifices to the sun
are laid. The sun to them is God.
To the sun is attributed the power to
give life or to draw life back to itself.
Color is the essence of life. The red
of all blood and not the substance it.
self is in their belief the life giving
quality. The suns appetite for color
must be appeased; therefore, colorful
offerings are made.
After fasting, the medicine men
and women start the ceremony of the
raising of the medicine lodge. A great
cottonwood is cut down and brought
to the camp. where the tribe has
gathered in tepees. Tepees are placed
in a circle, the center of which is the
site for the medicine lodge. When
proper fasting has taken place, q hole
is dug in the center of the lodge site.
The medicine men and m go to
the stream and each procures two
straight poles about 10 feet long and
in diameter at the butt. The poles are
peeled of bark and fastened together
at the top with a rawhide thong about
a foot long.
At shutdown of the third day of the
ceremony of prayers and chanting and
dancing, actual raising of the lodge
takes place. A given number of medi-
cine men and women, starting in
groups from the four corners of the
compass and carrying poles tied with
a sling at the top, march to the center
of the camp, where the hole is dug
and the cottonwood lodge pole is lying
in readiness. After the lodge raiSers
have assembled, the ceremony of CIV
ing offerings takes place. The offer
ings consist of any bright colored arti-
cles-bead work, decorated saddles
beaded clothing and, in later years
yards of cheap calico whose colors
readily fade. (This, they believe, is
especially acceptable to the sun be-
cause the color Is drawn from it Sc
Soon.)
When the offerings are fastened In
the forked top Of the medicine pole
by the hands of the medicine woman
whose previous fasting and prayers
have made her worthy to touch the
pole, it is raised.
Chanting takes place during this part
of the event. After the pole has actu-
ally started to be raised, no hand is
supposed to touch it. AS the chant
continues, the pole is lifted and Slipped
into place by the use Of the two poles
with the sling tops, in the hands OF
the medicine people. When the pole
is erect, earth is tamped into the hole
to keep the pole in place.
The climax of the ceremony is when
the pole slips into the hole and Is
erectly held by the medicine people
and their poles. A canopy Of green
boughs is laid.
After the pole is in place dancing
commences and continues until the
celebration breaks up. The time OF
the celebration was usually mid-sum-
mer, when the sur was highest and
WarmeSt.
The ceremony will take place during
the Fourth OF July wees. at Browning
This year all Indians Of the reserva-
ton will take part in n lodge. Fol
several years the celebration has been
broken up into several units and more
than one lodge has been erected
Heart Butte, Browning and upper Cut
Bank have been places for Indian
meetings.
This Is one Of the few ceremonies
that has remained unchanged with the
coming Of civilization. There never
wa anything brutal attached to the
ritual as was the case with most Indi-
IN ceremonies. 1t Is not carried
through with the same amount Of
reverence as it used to be because mos
Of the old medicine people haye died
but the ritual is little changed from
} the time when the two medicine lodge.
were erected in the valley Of the rive
and lakes that bear their name.