Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-19
THE SIOUX SUN DANCE.
How Young Warriors Test Their
FOrtitude and StOicism in Resist
ing Palma Horrible Scene.

/ How Young Warriors Test Their
| FOrtitude and StOicism in Resist
ing Palma Horrible Scene.
A correspondent of the st. Louis Re-
publican writes from the plains as fol-
lows:
This festive performance, as practiced
among the Sioux, is regarded by the
whites with feelings of horror and few
have the nerve to become spectators of
the cruelties which are undergone by the
delude,I victims. 1t is sort of religious
dance, in which the young braves test
their fortitude and stoicism in resisting
pain without wincing. A young officer
who witnessed the sun dance few weeks
since, at the Cheyenne agency, seven
miles above Fort Sully, on the Missouri
river, gives the following account The
Indians manifested considerable OPP
position to having the whites
present. When several officers be-
longing to the 18th United States
infantry, came up, Red Leaf leaped over
breastwork of logs and ordered the
troops away. After parleying with the
chief some time the soldiers fell back and
LUX u pOSiblOu WutCu was uOb ODltCNlOu-
able to the Indians, but whence they
would obtain only partial view of the
performances. There was large lodge
built in shape of an amphitheatre, with a
pole in the centre. The sides and roof
were covered with willows, forming a
tolerable screen, but not so dense as to
Obstruct entirely the view. The per
formances were commenced with chants
and incantstions. Five young men
were brought in and partially
stripped, their mothers being present
and assisting in the ceremony. Then
the medicine man began his part by cut
ting Sits in the flesh of the young men
and taking up the muscles with pincers.
The old squaws assisted in decorating the
flesh of the boys with knives. The
squaws would at the same time keep up a
bowling, accompanied with movement
to and fro. When the muscles were lifted
out, by pincers, on the breast, one end of
a sort of lariat or buffalo thong was tied
to the bleeding flesh, while the other end
was tied to the top of the pole in the
center of the lodge. The first young man,
when thus prepared, commenced dancing
luC III d llduIlC
pulling with all his weight, so as to stretch
out the rope, and by his jerking move
ments loosen himself by tearing out the
flesh. The young mans dance was &C
companied by chant by those who were
standing around, assisted by the thump-
ing of a hideous drum, to keep the time.
The young brave who was undergoing
this self-torture finally succeeded in tear
ing himself loose, and the rope relaxed
from its sudden tightness and fell back
toward the centre-pole with a piece
of the flesh to which in was tied. The
victim, who, up to the point, did not
move a muscle of his face, fell down on
the ground, exhausted from the pain,
which human weakness could not further
conceal A squaw then rushed in, and
bore the young brave away. He had un-
dergone the terrible ordeal and, amid the
congratulations of the old men, would be
complimented as warrior of undoubted
pluck and acknowledged poWess.
Another of the young men, named |
Charles, was cut in two places under the |
shoulder blade, the flesh was raised with
pincers, and thongs tied around the flesh
and muscles thus raised. The thongs |
reached down below the knees and were
tied to buffalo skulls. With these heavy |
weights dangling at the end of the thongs,
the young man was required TO dance
around the circle, to the sound of the |
drum and chants of the bystanders, until |
the skulls became detached by tearing out |
the flesh. They continued the perform |
ance until one of the skulls broke |
loose, but the other renamed. The |
mother of the young man then rushed into |
the ring, leading pony, and tied one end |
of the lariat which was around the pony's |
neck to the skull, which was still fastened |
to the young man. The latter then fol- |
lowed the pony round the ring until, |
nearly exhausted, he fell on his face, and |
the skull was thereby torn out of the flesh. |
The sufferers voice grew husky from
joining in the chant; he groveled on the
ground, in violent contortions for few |
minutes, and was then removed to the
outside of the lodge.
A third mau had the lariat of the pony |
hitched to the raised muscles of his neck,
and was dragged in this way several times
round the ring, but the force not being |
sufficient to tear loose from the flesh, the
pony was backed up, and slack being
thus taken on the lariat, the pony was
urged swiftly forward, and the sudden
jerk to the lariat out of the flesh. My |
informant having seen enough of these
horrid performances to satisfy his
curiosity, left with his companions,
"without waiting to see the dance |
through" The dance with the bloody ar
gies lasted three days. The sun dance is
not now as frequently practiced as in
former days, and the ceremony will be-
come extinct, only under the reservation
system.