Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-01
WHITE swan AND RANDALL,

WHITE SWAN AND RANDALL,
Spotted Tail Indians en- . visit e the
Yankteas-A Fantastic Ethiopian Red
MAA--6sn. Clusters GrsyAoand-Strsct
Temperance Manners En1sroea a Fort
1aaaan~EagAt Hundred Rcd cloud In.
alaas On b War Path.
Special Correspondence Press & Dakotaian.
WHITE Swan. ID. T., Jan. %, 1877.
In q former letter mention was made of
the business and business men OF this
place. and - no Improvements or addi-
tions have been made since, it is not neceesa-
~ to repeat what was then written. Just
now the town is unusually lively on account
Of the presence ola large number of Spotted
Tail Indians and . Considerable ~sprinkling
Of erich men from the upper country"
The Indians arepaying Estate visit" to their
Yankton brethren and their presence here
Is the occasion Q much feassing, dancing and
giving away Of property, such Is ponies,
clothing and provisioas, which are given to
the guests inthe Of presents. All the
big performances had transpired before our
arrival. consequently . description Of their
peculiar ceremonies and orgies can not be
given a. coming from your "artist on the
spot" On Saturday afternoon, in company
withthe irresponsible and ubiquitous Barney
Cole, who is temporarily stopping here, We
visited the catehe-tepec which is located
about a mile above White Swan, but the
important ceremonies were all over, and the
performance then being enacted we're tame
uninteresting and rather dogish. They we're
indulging in . feast, and judging from the
appearance and odor ofthe compound which
was dealt out to each guest from large wash
boilers, it was not ar improvement upon the
proverbial boarding house hash. The In
dams were seated upon the ground in cir
Giles, the bucks in the center, the squaws on
the outside. The central circle had a drum
upon which each Indian beat in chorus a
monotonous tum.tum-tum. After drumming
a while, they would sing a little 7; then they
would eat a good deal, and then circle
around for = few minutes in a dull, passion
less dance. And this. repeated over and
over again, was all there was of the cere-
mony. The day before the Indians
INDUCED in one of their big dances, in
which many of the braves wrought them
selves into the condition described by the
colored Methodiss as 1.-THE power" and as
their hearts grew big and brave they gave
away their ponies, their clothing and other
property. One Spotted Tail Indian had SO
severe an attack of "the power that he
stripped himself to the %breech-clout and
gave away all his clothing, amid a chorus OF
shows and applanding srunts. When an
Indian gives away his property he does not
intend it Is al absolute gift, but expects
from the recipient at some future time an
equal if not greater value. This is a sacred
custom among them, aud the Indian who
receives a gift and does not reciprocate had
"better be = dog and bay the moon." He
il regarded As a "son of a rat" and has no
more favor among his tribe. Among the
Spotted Tail Indians visiting here is one
who is somewhat ofa curiosity. In form
feature, color, and all other physical char
acteristics, he is a genuine negro in dress
habits and other social surroundings, he is .
genuine Indian. In his case the s%criptural
declaration that "the Ethiopian cannot
change his skin," is set at naught. But red
and yellow paint has done the business
The natural color of his face is entirely hie
by 4 thick covering Of fancifully applied
paint, but it can't be made to hide the fla
nose, thick lips and short, kinky hair. Tn,
fellow is said to have been born among tn,
Indians, and is the offspring of q negro
known among the Indians As Black Hawl
and . Blackfoot squaw. Black Hawk cam.
to this country many years ago-some say
that he accompanied Lewis and Clarke up
on their second expedition, and others tina
he was brought here as a slave by the elder
Commodore Choteau and given his freedom
He was for many years an interpreter a
the military and fur trading posts along the
the upper river, and was in his time quite 4
noted character. He died about . dozer
or more years ago at the
age of ninety-6ve. He descendant
Ingin-Nig, appears to be extremely anxious
to disguise the marks which the predomina.
ting blood in his veins has placed upon
him; but while the paint hides the color in
his face. and q semi civilized turban c~oncealt
the most Of his wool, the gorgeous attir.
and dashy trinkets with which he is be
decked discovers the Africans love of tn.
gaudy and stunning" He can talk toler.
ably good English, but Indian-like he At:
fects to conceal this accomplishment and
assume the stoicism of.a full. FLOODED Indian.
But Barney was too much for him. The
avalanche Of questions and patronizing con.
fdence which Barney poured upon him,
| forced him to mart his lins and ahov a bean.