Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1876-07-19
THE rlurE
The Aaauai Dance OF b Isdtass-
sssne Fearful Costumes = Senne-
thtnx About Aboriginal Lsse-
Making.

Once a year. usually during the first
half ~ july, the Pinie Indians come in
from all part. Of the state and have a
grand tribe dance. Whether there is the
element 81 religious worship in the fam
dango nobody knows. hut 1t il natural TO
suppose that pious motives are uppermost.
for to the white mind q less enjoyable as
semblag- than one Of these yearly gather
ing. could hardly be pictured. IL IL GER
tainly funny. however. Unlike most In
dams, the Piutes are not At all digniied or
grave ia their dsmesnor. being very like
children in the naiuralness d their man.
ner. They are especially unconstrained In
their WAYS just about this time OF the
wear. In Winter a Piute. male or female.
l. a cadaverous individual. Short-com.
mon. ani the shelter % = leaky and com
FORTRESS tent % gunny sacks and skins
DO not coniuce 10 heavy weight.
Al present. however, all 10 changed.
The backs look comfortable and
happy. while the squaws, especially the
Young ones. reyel in fairness. The maldens
are a. plump a. quail and the gilded Piute
| youth waxeth gallant. II Is likely hat the
yearly iandango il got up. in part. In the
interest q mAtrimony, for u Is at this
season thai the Piutes pair. A softer thing
| than being an aboriginal Census Marshal
| could not he imagined. AL the young
-tsrs are lust about one year older han
| their Younger brethren. Every healthy
| -luaw ha. a papoo-s. and her baby IL Just
about the siss and age OF every other baby.
The annual f.ndAngo may perhaps have
something 10 do with this chronological
symmeisry.
Last YEAR the blow out was held On
American Flat. but We had The fun nearer
home this year. A little valley in the hills
| ,o the north IL the Homestead, between
Gold Hin ani Virginia was chosen. and
proceedings began on "Wednesday last and
wound up on saturday night. About two
hundred Piuie- gathered and proceeded To
buili their camps. The aboriginal home
GA these occasions consists oi .
~brea.tworl u sa~gebrush, behind which
the family crouch aud warm their
heel, Al A lire of the sane beautiful shrub.
The brush j. pulled up from . space about
tW wee the size of an ordinary circus ring.
ia the center u the camp, and there the
| dance, takss place. IN. Piute doesn't
shine with dazzling lnstre as heel aud
tee artist. The = dance" Is really M dance
at all. The bucks form a ring. standing
| sid. Ly side: then the squaws take up posi.
| ton. not mingling with the men. but
| forming part Of the circle. The ring being
made. a lev gifted bucks start mp gut
tural chant of
Hoo. hoo. hoo. hiyil
Hiyah. hi-yah. hi-yii
Hoo. hoo. hi-yah, hi.yi'
To this inspiring air the ring begins 10
move, all hands going around with short
hons, lust a. soldiers do when making
right dress or /" left dress" This sort
~ thing i Kept up for hours. Oh. monot-
onous dron. ~ " H"o, hoo, hi-yah.' going
on always. when q dancer tires of the
fun he drops out and sonie one else takes
hi. place. To the white mind there
IA a CERTAIN lack IL variety about three
DAYS of one Lind of dance, hut Jim
never wearics 10 ID. A more grotesqne and
absurd crowd ~ human beings could not
ls imagined. Out Of 4 hundred and fifty
81 the ring which happened about on Nat
urday afternoon. there were three or four
braves who were arrayei In . savage cos
tune ~ bearskin or bnckskin. but all the
rest leaked as IL they hal male a raid ON .
rag shop. Tattercd dress coats. dlthy linen
busters, frayei and shocking trowsers. bat
tered plug hats and hopeless brogans made
up the dress Of the sons IL the soil. One
old gentleman had on an ancient swallow
tail Goa aud q bell-crown silk hat. while
his neither limbs were tightly clothed In
fring~l buckskin breeches. A pair Of boots
that might have belonged Ia . farmer In
Revolutionary days gracei the rieksty feet
IL the ancient warrior. An unusual amount
of rel and white paint - .nlssr-i upon the
broad countenances of tie bucks u
sluaws at fandsngo time.
During Friday afternoon and evening
ther. weie mon. whites present on the
ground Than ther. we're Piutes, and u must
6@ -ail that the Indians were better be-
hayei than their visitors. As Que lndi-
crous ngur. alter another hopped IN
10 view the whites would give way To
uncomfortable laughter. Jim" lore this
very enthusiastically. answering the laugh
With a broad grin. aud shouting out scraps
Of fearful English. The Indians In large
nulnbers have b-en hanging about Nir-
ginis for the past few days and are having
a regular spree on dscsyed u and the
gamsy meat which the skop-k-epers give
ihsm literally.