Equipment for the Ceremony

EQUIPMENT FOR THE CEREMONY.

The implements required for the rites are:--

1. To be provided by the participants:
    2 Hunka wands
    2 rattles
    1 ear of corn
    1 fire carrier
    1 counting rod
    1 scaffold
    1 drum
2. To be provided by the conductor:
    1 ceremonial pipe
    1 buffalo skull with the horns attached
    1 fetish, or ceremonial bag

The materials to be used in the rites are:--

1. To be supplied by the participants:
    Meat, both fat and lean
    Sweetgrass
    Sage
2. To be supplied by the conductor:
    Cansasa, or smoking material
    Paints, red, blue, yellow, and green

The Hunka wands are often called the Horse-tails. Each of them should he a wooden rod about four spans long, round and tapering from the size of a man's great toe at the larger end to the size of a man's little finger at the smaller end. About one third the length from the larger end, six quills from the tail of the golden eagle should be loosely attached by their calami and shafts in such manner that when the rod is held horizontally, the quills radiate from the wand with the webs pointing from the larger end. About one third the length of the rod from the smaller end, a bunch of hair from a horse-tail should be attached, making a tassel. A similar tassel should be attached to the smaller end by binding it to the rod with buffalo hair. The rod should he painted red and may be ornamented in any additional manner.

The rattles should be globular receptacles made of rawhide about the

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size of a man's fist. They should contain something that will make a rattling noise when shaken, such as small pebbles, and should be attached to handles about a span long. Opposite each handle which should be wrapped with buffalo hair, an eagle plume should be attached. The handles and receptacles should be painted red.

The ear of corn should be perfect, with the husk removed, and should be rigidly bound to a wooden rod. The rod should be about three spans long, round, and about as thick as a man's little finger, one end to which an eagle plume should be attached, should project about a hand breadth beyond the tip of the ear of corn. The rod should he painted red and the ear of corn should be painted with four stripes, one each of red, blue, yellow, and green.

The fire-carrier should be a wooden rod about four spans long, round, and as thick as a man's great toe. It should be split at one end and the split held apart by a wooden wedge to make a fork with which burning coals can be lifted and carried. It should be painted red.

The counting rod should be a round wooden rod, about as long as the height of a short woman. It should be a little larger around than a man's thumb. One end should be curved through about a quarter of a circle a span in diameter and on the opposite side at the beginning of this curve there should be a protuberance of about a thumb breadth in height. The rod should be painted red.

The scaffold should consist of three round wooden rods, each about as large around as a man's finger. One should be about three spans in length and each of the others about two spans. The two shorter should each be pointed at one end and forked at the other, so that when thrust into the ground they may support the longer rod. All three rods should be painted red.

These are all the implements that are peculiar to the Hunka ceremony; all the other implements and materials have been described in the section en the Sun dance.

There are several essential rites peculiar to the Hunka ceremony. These ,consist of the formal uses of the wands, rattles, ear of corn, and scaffold to induce the Hunkaya, or Hunka, relationship. The other rites are common to other ceremonies. These rites, which have all been explained in connection with the Sun dance, are smoking the pipe in communion, making incense, offering the pipe to the Gods, and invoking the potency of the Buffalo God.

The conductor of the Hunka ceremony may add to the above-mentioned rites as many appropriate rites as he deems fitting for the occasion. Thus, the Hunka ceremony may range from a very simple affair to an elaborate event.