The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-08-13
How the Utes Celebrate their Victories.

About three o'clock yesterday after
noon, says Denver paper, our reporter
went over to the Ute camp, situated
about four miles from Denver, and about
three miles from the Larimer street bridge
over the Platte. Already preparations
had commenced for the grand scalp glo-
rification, one of the redskins having
manufactured a drum by stretching q
deer-skin over the rim of cheese box.
Three other drums were soon manufac-
tured; frying pan, tin lard can, and
a brass kettle being used for the bodies
of the drums. Having covered his face
with paint, the fellow with the tin drum
laid down in his tent and commenced
practicing the weird music of the scalp
dance. He was soon joined by others,
when the scalps taken from the Sioux
were brought to the front of the tent,
and poles to which they were attached
stuck in the ground, while the scalps
swayed to and fro in the breeze. One by
one the braves gathered around, decorated
with their best trappings, covered with
beads, and painted with red, yellow,
green, brown, and white. About an hour
before shutdown, and before many chiefs
had returned from Denver, the scalp
poles were pulled up, and the dusky
warriors selected a portion of the prairie
remote from any wigwam, where they
again fixed the poles about four feet from
each other. Then they sat down in q
line on the ground with their backs to
the setting sun and their faces to the
blood-stained swaying scalps, and COM
menced strange chant, beating time
upon the drums with sticks, which had
for heads leaves secured to one end with
plant twigs. About half hour they
thus sat chanting, when the squaws be-
gan to collect, equally as extravagantly
attired and painted.
About thirty had gathered around,
when the squaw of the brave who had
killed one of the Sioux stepped in front,
took one of the scalp-poles, and com
menced to march in circle in front of
the musicians, adding at the same time
the shrillness of her voice to make the
din unearthly. One by one the squaws
fell in behind the scalp-bearer, until
about dozen were making the magic
circle
Then up comes another squaw and
takes another pole, and starts II process
sion, moving in reverse direction to
that taken by the first. Upon the arrival
of Washington, one of the chiefs, who
seemed to know just how the thing should
be done, three of the oldest squaws in
the tribe formed third procession, NOV
ing inside the Others, and in the same di-
rection as the outside circle. And now
drops into line with the outside circle the
third scalp-bearer and her followers.
Korakantie, seemingly the oldest chief
in the collection, advances in front of the
braves-who arose to their feet upon the
advent of the women-and proceeds to
dance A crer also advances to the front,
and proceeds to harangue the braves.
On the open prairie, just as the sun is
sinking behind the mountains, half q
hundred Indian warriors with faces rem
dered savagely fierce with paint, and
garments of flaming colors, are standing
in a line which sways to and fro i'm time
to the beating of drums and the change
in tone of the fiendish music of the scalp
chant. In front of these the veteran,
warrior of the tribe dances,
with strange antics, and the stalwart
form of huge brave is bent in all con-
ceivable shapes, as he in loud and excit-
ed words recounts the circumstances of
the capture and exhorts the men. In
front of all, the magic circle of squaws
move round, the scalps streaming above
their heads, being beaten in the dust
with revengeful fury or held i'm their
teeth, when the savage grin is most in
tense and the chant most uproarious.
Their march is of limping nature, each
procession giving way with the same leg,
in strange unison to the swaying of the
braves. These things, together with the
weird music only known among savages,
when at regular intervals the shrill voice
of the women rises above those of the
men, and occasionally the startling war
whoop rings loud over all, render the
scene one never to be forgotten.
About fifteen hundred persons must
have visited the camp and witnessed the
scalp dance, which continued for many
hours, and to which Washington, in the
name of the tribe, welcomed all white
folks "both braves and squaws," as he
it.