THE CORMORANT

Big Bird Design. Cormorant. This is the design the

members of the Peyote Cult take of greatest import-

ance and authority in their ritual. It is used in many

different ways and designs as the messenger bird who

flies in the interior of the tepee, to whom prayers may be

trusted, and it is the only one who can carry the message

to the heart of the unknown mysteries. He also repre-

sents the Sun in other designs, as well as the great water

bird. The idea is also that most of us have the desire of

creative expression. The outstretched wings mean this -

the flight into the unknown. The outstretched neck is

important. The bird is reaching and swaying. On the

shoulders are the symbols of the peyote plant. The herb

contracted with cotton substance in the center.

Spiral moving arrangements of cotton fibers in the design.

When green the picked herb is sometimes four or five

inches across. It is then treated to dry and shrink it.

The idea of this is known as Father Peyote. It can be

taken in water as well as eaten. The cotton substance is

sometimes cleaned out. Blue feathers stand for the sky

bird, who has authority in early morning, when the

morning song is sung. The bird is a symbol. The struc-

3