Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-02-09
STUDIES AMONG THE SIOUX

They have keen sense of the ridi.
culous, particularly the women, and
somewhat of humor. j think il was
Running Antelope who said that
"whcn he first heard of ii, be was much
surprised that the white men killed
their Saviour, but now he knew them
better he had changed his mind ]
recollect once, when a friend and my
self were standing rather too near the
Circle whore they were having a squaw
dance, two hags, whose heads were
silverod by well nigh century, threw
their skinny arms around our necks
and drawing us into the circle, COM
PEELED us TO join in their gyrations,
much to the hilarity Of the rest But
of all objects of study, the women are
the greatest from the pretty, good ma
tured young girls OF seventeen, TO the
toothless old hags, who, in this very
tribe, have been known to come on
the battle field after the fight to kill
the wounded. Much righteous indig.
nation has been expressed by Ameii.
can writers with regard 10 tile serviie
labor which is required of the women
among the Indian tribes, and this crit.
icism Is but TO be expected from peo-
pie whose habit of pampering their
women exhibits itself in the absurd
etiquette which requires that a gentle
man must offer to carry n parcel for
lady,if IL be but an ounce weight, and
is now resulting in the cry of "woman's
rights" But these Indian girls are
the happiest set l have ever seen, and
if the old women are bent from being
hcwers Of wood and carriers of water,
the men do their part in hunting and
fighting.
The girls are at once both modest
and bold. They will stand and gaze
in at your window for quarter OF an
hour at time, but having once ven
tured to hint to one of them that her
ways were most winning, the poor
child was so overcome that she ran
away, hid her face in her robe and re-
fused to be comforted.'
The manner of love making among
them is strange. When afflicted with
Cupid's dart the young men go about
wearing their blankets in such man
ner as to cover up all of the head cx-
ccpt the eyes, and, having spied the
object Of their affections, they slip up
behind her, quickly throw the blanket
over her head also, and, holding her
tightly around the waist, compel her
to listen to the soft accents of love.
In case of a popular belle they will
sometimes range themselves in line
at the door of her wigwam and when
she comes ont pass her from one to the
other as each in turn disburdens his
surcbarged heart. They have been
known to keep girl this way all day
long.
Their simplicity is something won
derful, and many maiden has run
away in the greatest confusion upon
field glass being levellcd at her, think
ing that II rendered her clothing dia.
pnhnour,
Lastly, the language OF the Indian
is well known TO bc picturesque and
no one can appreciate the grace of
their oratory without having seen il,
and even in ordinary conversation the
gestures are profusc IL is the very
poverty Of their language which makes
itsoundp poetic thus, or''thc ship sails,'
having neither the word "sbip' nor
"sails,' they say "the wind makes the
boat run on the water" thus bringing
in two Of the natural elements in that
one sentence. II IL noticeable that
when we sometimes express age by so
many summers, they always say win.
tors, and whom we say $50 many days
since they say $50 many nights or
sleeps"