The Sun Dance of the Blackfoot Indians

Camp moves, willow structures and the raising of a sun pole give Clark Wissler's account of the Blackfoot Sun Dance its practical detail. Published in 1918, this anthropological study draws on his two observations of the Piegan ceremony and discussions with Blackfoot authorities. Wissler outlines the expected sequence of events before examining the separate rituals and responsibilities within the gathering.

The medicine woman holds a central role, with her vow and fasting forming part of a ceremony associated with the community's welfare. Processions, singing, offerings and the construction of a sweathouse show how different participants contribute. A detailed account describes the handling of heated stones, the borrowing of robes and the careful approach to the sweathouse. Readers interested in religious practice and social organization can follow these arrangements while noting Wissler's stated limits: his evidence concentrates on the Piegan, and he records changes between earlier customs and the practices of his own time.