Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-05-25

| THE OMAHA DANCE sAvAGEs IN "FULL
REss-THRIILING WAR PANToMIME-GEN-
| ERosITY-sQUAw pANCE-BEAUTIFUL fE-
| MALE COSTUMES.
A correspondent of the New York Herald
i'll letter from Red Cloud agency, May ?,
gives the following interesting narrative OF
some of the social amusements and customs
of the Indians now gathered into the agen-
cies:
| ALIvELY DANCE.
The ''Omaha dance" is performed by from
| 30 to 80 persons. who belong to regularly or
| ganized companies i'll each nation. These
| performers are arrayed most Enthusiastically and
| grotesquely each individual giving full rem
| TO his fancy in the matter of dress. no two
having any decoration in common, except the
head dresses, which are uniform, and the
strings and ropes of bells each one wraps
about him. The performers divest the up
per part of the body of nearly all the cloth
ing compensating tor its absence by an ex-
travagant use of paint. Their dresses are so
'low-necked, in fact that were 1t not for
the difference of sex it would be easy to ina
gine ones self in full dress" reception in
Washington or New York The Indian men
share the opinion held by SO many amiable
Young white ladies, that the less dress one
wears the better prepared are they to assist
at a festive meeting; the young Indian girls,
on the other hand, offer good example for
the imitation of their eastern sisters, and
some of them at least look Just as well. But
to get back to the "Omaha dance" The
young men are painted from head to foot in
stripes and daubs of vermilliOn, purple and
yellow, their faces as hideous as pigments
can make them, and each man has determin-
ed to outdo his fellows in screechinG and
stamping. The performers stand III large
circle. while near 10y may be seen group OF
women and men who are to act rs CHORUS
Three or four masters of-the feast, or major
dOmos, mounted on PONIES, next make their
Appearance These are dressed with wealth
OF barbaric magnihcence Each wears a
war bonnet" or hat, consisting of circlet
of eagle feathers and ''streamer' of scarlet
cloth, ornamented with feathers, trailing
down to the ground 1t is about as beauti- |
iul head-dress as man could devise. and |
the wearers look as If they felt the import |
ance attached TO the right to use them.
INDIAN DRAMA.
A yeip from one of the masters of ceremo-
MES causes all the dancers TO stand erect
another signal, and all, dancers and chorus
alike. break into dirge-like chant, ending
with shrill, stridulous ar-whoop. after
which rush is made toward the centre of
the circle, and a regular old-fashioned plan
tation 'break-down" is commenced, and kept |
up for at least five minutes, every warrior
his tomahawk and yelping like a
wolf. This ends the first division OF the
dance. The choristers keep silent and the
dancers remain steady in their places, while
one of their number is conducted within the
circle, and the spectators are informed that
Black Bird will show how he stole horses
from the Pawnees; how they discovered him
the method of his flight how he falls
and is about to drop under the
scalping knife, when Charging Crow rushes
n, beats off the enemy and saves his friend.
The breathless spectators look on as the pam
omime, true to life. proceeds. 1t is not easy
70 represent wildly in writing what the saw
lge portrayed so artistically in dumb show.
He went through the motions of creeping in
ipon the enemy's herd, seizing one of their
lnimals, mounting it and driving off num-
Der. But the sound Of the war whoop tells
lim his escape is not to be easy. He casts a
nasty look behind, only to see the enemy
lot upon his track. Nainly he plies the
whip, vainly he urges onward his flying
least. 1t is n race for life but the gaol, |
ieath, shall soon he reached. The enemy
iave surrounded him, he fights with despera-
ion, but in vain. He falls, overcome by
Wounds, and swoons away; the feelings of
he excited spectators are by this time
wrought up to the highest pitch, and when
he deliverer, in the person OF the Charging
row, makes a bold rush into the midst OF
he enemy and puts them TO flight their en-
husiasm finds vent in prolonged howls and
ilulation.
Charging Grow leads Black Bird to his
'lace in the circle, while the chorus resumes
is well meant but poorly managed efforts in ,
music aided by the pounding OF drums and
haking of rattles, which to the Indian mind 7
5 melody more harmonious than the sym |
honies of Beethoven. ,