Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-08-17
Sioux Indian Life and Habits.

otoi1f GU 1IOII MI. y. u. htIItI SOule
interesting facts descriptive of the life
and manners of the Sioux Indians.
Mr.. Keller was the Government clerk
at the Standing Rock Agency for many
| years, and was brought into intimate
association with this tribe of sayages.
He learned their language, often at
tending their games and going with
| them on their excursions. He saws:
When a child is born, the proud
mother is presented by her husband
with a mare pony for his heir: the
fatted dog is killed, coffee boiled, bangs
cooked, and the birth-feast prepared.
The happy father invites all his many
relatives and friends. The tom-tom,
with the medicine-rattle, makes the
music; the guests chant lively melO-
dy and dance until the feast is served /;
the pipe is passed around, and, when
all are helped, the father proposes a
| toast to his wife. Each guest, in
turn, cOngratulateS the parents, and
then, altogether, say: eve are
all friends, and drink the health Of
| the little stranger. After the feaSting
the dance is renewed, and at intervals
| the warriors will count their cOupS,
the number of horses stolen, etc., and
present their gift to the parents for
their child Anything from a dog to
81 hn "a
medicine man winds up the feast by
shaking the rattle, demOniac yells,
contortions of his body and shooting
! off his gun to drive the evil spirits
| away, receives pony in fee for his
services, and all then retire. The in
itial services are over, and the papoose
each article, animal or other gifts pre-
scented him must be returned in kind
sooner or later in his life. So you will
perceive that Indian gifts are actually
time loans, and must be paid by the
receiver, or he be considered a bank
rupt and dishOnOred man. If a white
man receives gift he is charged heavy
interest, and, after being initiated,
never accepts a second time.
The child is wrapped in skins and
put in kind of elk skin coffin, and
laced around with a lariat, as they
say, to keep his limbs straight. His
mother sings him on her back, starts
to the timber after wood, picketS her
ponies, gets her meals, and attends to
all her duties.
PapOoSe, after being Weaned, is
promoted from his coffin cage, and
decked out in d blue cloth shirt, orna-
mented with elk teeth and Iroquois
shells. 1t reaches to his hips and has
no sleeves. Attired thus, his ward
robe is complete.
His next advance is to (OXchilIa)
boyhood, about the age of four. The
blue shirt is discarded, he receives a
strap and marrow piece of cloth to
make breech-clout, his scalp lock is
plated, has bone sling and long reed
sticks, which are thrown like a spear;
then he is dangerous. When his
mother goes for wood she put an old
mare in the travOiS, and straps Ok
chilla to the sucking colt. He has his
first equestrian experience. His little
big Indian heart beats as he thinks he
will soon be able to join the older boys
in their racing, shooting and mock
fights.
One of his ponies is rugged up with
ribbons, beaded saddle and silvered
bride. He is put astride, and his
pony led to the lodge of the medicine
man, who takes him from his pony,
placing him on a buffalo robe, puts a
block of wood behind his ear, and
with sharp knife cuts a slit in the
upper rim and bell part of each ear.
Some of these little boys nerve them
selves for the trial, and never murmur
during the operation. Bring in an
other horse, and the medicine man S
heart feels good. He will cry out and
sing the praises of the boy through
camp for month. The bigger the fee
the longer and louder the praises.
OXchilla is now given blanket and
moccasinS to add to his breech-clout
also knife to make his bows and ar
rows, and becomes a bird-hunter On
killing his first bird he is allowed to
wear little dOWny feather, and join
the boys in their games. Their wrest-
ling l. on the G. R. style. They do
not trip, slap nor bite, but before
clinching will jump up and kick at
each other backward, like a horse.
The fayorite sports with the boys
are playing dare, shooting at a mark,
! throwing sticks at rolling ring on
| the ground The one first succeeding
III piercing it wins the stake. They
are inveterate sports and will wager
anything they can beg, borrow or steal.
A large party will go out to the
woods, each on his fastest pony, cover
themselves with branches and leaves,
and, armed with long switches, they
! Oh I,