Several days before the date the wagons begin to roll in and a white village of tents springs up about the gray walls of the old Big House, temple, or _xiʹngwikan_ (pl. V), standing on the banks of Little Caney river, north of Dewey in northern Oklahoma, far from any human habitation. [Illustration: PL. V LENAPE CEREMONIAL HOUSE NEAR DEWEY, OKLAHOMA] Built of rough logs, the Big House is now provided with a roof of hand-split shingles pierced by two great smoke-holes, as shown in the frontispiece and in pl. V, VI, but in former days the roof was of bark. The length is about 40 ft. from east to west, with a height at the eaves of about 6 ft., at the ridge 14 ft., and a width of 24.5 ft. Aside from certain ingenuities of construction which can not be discussed here, its chief interest lies in the two large carvings of the human face, one facing east (fig. 6) and one west, which adorn the great central post supporting the ridge-pole. Similar carvings, but smaller, may be seen upon each of the six posts which support the logs forming the sides (fig. 7), and still smaller ones, one upon each of the four door-posts. All twelve faces are painted, the right side of each red, the left black. The building is used only for the Annual Ceremony. [Illustration: FIG. 6.—Central post of Ceremonial House, showing carved face.] [Illustration: FIG. 7.—Side posts of Ceremonial House, showing carved faces.] OFFICERS The messenger sent to assemble the people is one of three male attendants chosen by the leader, and these three men appoint three women to serve also. To these six attendants, known as _aʹckas_, falls all the laborious work of the meeting. Although the duties are menial, it is considered quite an honor to be selected as _aʹckas._ The attendants camp on the north and south sides of the little open square just east of the Big House (pl. VII), an area where no one is allowed to pitch a tent. Other officers selected for the meeting are a speaker (usually at the time of the writer’s visit, Chief Charley Elkhair), two singers, called _Taleʹgunŭk_, “Cranes,” whose duty it is to beat the dry deerskin drum and sing the necessary songs, and a chief hunter who is supposed to provide venison for the feast. PREPARATIONS [Illustration: FIG. 8.—Ceremonial fire-drill used at the Annual Ceremony. (Length of shaft, 29.5 in.)]