Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-08-13
4 Modern War-Dance.

EVERY night, before retiring, our In
dlans have war-dance My tent Is near
their quarters and know it. 10 witness
their singular ceremony once Is quite IN
terestlng, but when one is kept awake
nail the night as a regular thing, anu IS
expected TO breakfast at three cLoCh
every morning, 1t loses its romance, Inc
most imposing occasion Of the klnd was
the night after the Santees joined the
expedition and the alliance OF the trloeS
was celebrated. We were in camp at
Fort Lincoln then, and a long, low, log
cabin was used as Indian quarters. In
the center OF the room, on the ground
was built fire the smoke OF when, MIN
gled with the odor that may natural!y DE
expected to arise from seventy or elgnty
unWashed, naked and perspirlng saHages,
made the place almost intOleraOie TOT OF
binary beings; and even the poor, hungry
dogs that always haunt an Indian lodge
lett the room disguised, but the braves
pulled their killikinnick and breathed III
the atmosphere with relish: At the
start two groups were formed-one OF
Rees and the other of Santees-elther
side of the fire. For a time they sat
quietly smoking, till all the warriors were
gathered, when some one brought IN
drum and handed it to the Santees: They
placed it in the center of their circle, ana
all who could reach began to pound Its
head with sticks, their pipes, myers ano
anything available, hummlng dreary
monotone in the minor key.
All Indian music is in the minor key
1t was soft in tone and grew into sort
| Of mOaning-like the wind IN the branch
es Of leafess forest, and lasted i've
! minutes or so, ending with Anew subdueo
| shrieks. The pipes were rellt ano
| passed from one group to the other, eacn
warrior taking a whiffo or two and sending
| it along to the next. Then the Rees took
| the drum and went through the same
ceremony, but with different theme tc
their chant 1t was then repeated by the
! Santees a little louder and faster, anC
| the shrieks at its close more decided anc
numerous. Then the Rees went at i
| again; and the Santees for the thiro
time, interspersing lively little whoopS
| between the measures Of the song, ano
pounding with decided emphasis on the
| drum Then it was passed over to the
! Rees again, and two or three OF the San
| tees rose to their feet, doing sort OF {
walk-arOund, for which their brethren II
| the other group furnished the music
| Then the others began to rise, one by
one, and joined the dance, hopping W
and down, first with one leg anc
| then with the other as If they
were tramping down something, eacl
uttering a whoop at short intervals unit
| the groups were broken up, and the ALI
ance was supposed to be formed. The
| pow-wow grew livelier, the drumming
and moaning and whooping grew louder
and the atmosphere more vile as the
dance went on, but a white man get'
| enough Of it in very short time, and
could not remain after they got wei
a-going. 1t was my first war-dance ant
| in it | saw something of which | haC
| often read, but not the realization of my
| anticipations 1t was certainly curious
a fantastic, a savage scene-naked mel
with painted bodies dancing around IN {
dim, gloomy, fficl1ering freight. 1t was
a scene for paihter-on canvas it would
be poetique, legendary-but, bahl the
| stencil. The coming generation will no
see war dances. The modern Indian
hasn't animation enough to getup a pow
| WOW, and it's only the old, SCARED brave
| who whoop as their fathers did. Th
| modern Indian prefers peace to war; h
prefers sleeping in the sunshine to hunt
ing the antlered deer and the boundin!
antelope; he would rather steal thai
work. Shades of Cooper and Matt.
Bumpo! how the red man has degenerat
ed!-BEack Hills Cor. Inter- Ocean.