The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-07-20

The Sioux-gun ance-Descfiption by
major -Generaf = Curtis-HaRbarous
and Horrible Rifes-sickening De.
-fufis or seIf-Torture.
Major General Curtis writes to his wife
from Fort Suly the following account OF
one of the horrible demonstrations of
the Sioux Indians, which he witnessed
recently near that Fort:+t 70 saE !
Z 81 : &C., ~ FoRT SuLLY, June 9, 1866. >
The whole of the three thousand ST.
olx camped about us gave me early in
formation of their design TO have their
annual sun, dance at this time and place,
the season of the year, the trees in full
leaf, having new arrived i and they wish
me toinform Col Reeor, the conmander
Of the soldiers, that however boisterous
their demonstrations might be, they
would all be peaceable and of pious
character. On yesterday, June !, the
dancing was delayed at intervals, to al
low tortures to be inflicted. Two or three
men stood over the deyoteeI with needle
and knife, very qnietly performing PEN
ance according to the customs of all
these saeerdotal rites, as follows :; First,
they cut the arms in several places by
striking an aw1 in the skin, raising it
and " cutting out about half an
inch. This is done on both arms,
and sometimes On the breast and back.
Then wooden seatons, (stioks about the
thickness of a common lead pencil are
inserted through a hole in the skin and
flesh. Then cords of ropes are attached
to these sticks by one end, and the pole
at the other end, the victim pulling on
the ropes till the seaton sticks tear out
the flesh and skin. / saw one with two
seatons attached to his breast, Pulling
till it seemed to draw the skin out three
inches, and finally requiring nearly all
his might to tear out the seaton. One,
painted black, had four ropes attached
at once. The pulling out is done in the
dance, the pulling carried on in the time
of the music by jerk, jerk, jerk, and the
eye, head, and front all facing the sun
in the form of supplicatien. One had
four seatons attached to four dry bufta,
10 head bones. These were all strung
and suspended to his flesh by ropes that
raised each head some three feet off the
ground. He danced hard to tear them
out, but they would not break the skin
One came off the stick accidentally, but
it was again fastened. Finally these
heavy weights (each at least twenty-five
pounds weight,) not tearing out by
their own weight or motion, the
devotee gave cemrade q horse to take
hold of the rope and tear out the seatons,
While these men were being thus tortur-
ed, their female relations came in and
had pieces cut out of their arms, to
show their appreciation and valor and
devotion to their kinsman. Still, as
soon as the victim could be prepared,
the music was renewed and the dismal
dance went on; the victims bodies now
mingled with blood, paint, and seatons.
There being several steamboats, and
many soldiers here, a great crowd OF
spectators rather embarrassed the per.
formers, so they concluded the perform
ance at IL o'clock, having only danced
twenty-four hours instead of forty eight,
as they usually do. All the deVotees
gave away all their ponies and other
valuables to their friends, had their
wounds carefully dressed by attendant
medicine-men, and sat down to an abun'
dant feast of dog soup and buffalo meat
So ended this most barbarous and
painful exhibition of savage idolatry
The picture is still deeply impressed on
my senses, but 1 cannot give half the
horror of the scene, either by pen or pen
Gil 9..rt ! ....H Il mol