Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1878-07-18
A P1ute FandangO.
Virginia (Nev. } Chronicle. |


The Piute fandango is still in full blast,
and on Wednesday crowds of whites went
out to see the dancing. A Chronicle re-
porter went out among thu rest and spent
several hours viewing the novel sights wit
messed only at such place. 1t was twilight
when he reached the spot, and the camp fires
were blazing in every direction. Some
three hundred Indians were gathered about
a vacant space which had been beaten down
by the dancing. They had just finished
their afternoon dance and were preparing
for supper. The squaws were attending to
the work of preparing the meal, the
youngsters were scattered about gather
ing sagebrush and cedar-roots for fuel,
while some of the bucks were stretched out
on their blankets, fast asleep, and others
engaged in animated games of poker or
monte. At first glance there did not seem
to be many Piutes present, but more care
full inspection of the place revealed them in
astonishing numbers. They swarmed be-
hind piles of sagebrush in scores, and un-
der old pieces of weatner-worn canvass,
raised standing from the ground by two
night came on they huddled closer about
their camp-fres, the light of which fell with
picturesque effect upon the flaming red
blankets of the bucks, and the many hued
handkerchiefs bound round the heads of
the squaws. In the central space the
children danced and sported, throw
ing showers of dust over each
other, and yelling vociferously. Many of
the squaws were nursing their infants, and
one had pair Of twins at the breast. The
bucks, who were gambling, sat in squads of
a dozen about the edge of their blankets,
and considerable coin was jingled. Poker
and monte were the favorite games. For
couple of days Captain Bob (who is q sort of
Bob Schenck among the Piutes) had en-
riched his private exchequer to a consider
able extent, despoiling his Walker river
guests of nearly all the coin they had
brought. Yesterday the Walker river men
had consultation, and after considerable
elaboration it was determined to set a trap
for Bob in the shape of a monte game. Bob
watched the new game while and conclud-
ed he saw piles of bullion beyond. He
inside of half an hour was fat broke. At 9
o'clock the gambling games broke
up, and all hands got ready for
the dance. The bucks, stripped
to the waist, first entered the ring, and the
squaws, attired in their best calico, followed
suit. The first buck that entered executed
dance something like burlesque on the
Highland fling. A squaw sprang IN next,
and in few minutes about fifty were in the
ring, kicking up enough dust 10 almost hide
them from view, while the rest of the tribe
sat round on the outside and shouted ap-
provingly. When the reporter left at mid
night the moon, which had just risen, shone
upon parcel of savages dancing like mad
men and darting in lug ubrious melody which
sounded like the night calls of wild animals
prowling about the hills. All was neglected
except the dance; the fires were allowed to
die out, and when the reporter was half
mile from the spot, the sound of yelping
dogs and screaming squaws mingled with
the monotonous tramp of feet, as if no one
there had any intention of weakening. The
fandango ended last night.