, 1878-01-11
A Dog Feast.
Ledger.

1t is the custom Of the mystic brother
hood of medicine-men among the SateauX
and Crees hsreabouts,to to celebrate the dog
feast annually about this season of the
year. The nominal object Of this feast is
to make medicine, though exactly what
this medicine is | am unable to say.
The annual dog feast was held this sea-
son in the neighborhood of Netley Creek
(Manitoba), and being in the neighbor-
hood, was invited to attend by Sou
Souse, or (Little Long Z rs), a lrominent
conjuror, who had been smoking my to-
bacco quite freely for some time. The
invitation was accepted should say for
the sake of novelty, and not at all for
that of the boiled dog; although, having
been partly eaten by dog once, l had
some desire to retaliate upon the species.
1t was the afternoon of the second day
of the feast when arrived, and multi
tude of children and doubly large mul-
titude of dogs welcomed me in truly alb
original fashion. / found temporary
camp laid out on the plain close to the
creek, and containing twenty or thirty
lodges and the usual complement of
squaws. At one side of the camp an in
closure about forty feet long by twenty
five feet wide, fenced in with branches of
trees, was laid off on the prairie. In a
line running engthwise through the cen
ter were erected perpendicular poles with
large stones at their bases, both stones
and poles covered red over different parts
of their surfaces by the blood Of the dog
sacrifice. In the enclosure ] found Sou
Souse and Wewe-tak-gum Nagash Cor
the man who flies round the teathers),
the head medicine-man of the Swampies,
assisted by about dozen other doctors
just as fully qualified to separate the
membrane from the top of the head as
the most renowned scalp-takers. Imme-
mediateIy outside the inclosure were
about sixty other Indians, painted red,
yellow, blue and green, ornamentcd with
feathers and strings of small bells, who
were pounding on tom-toms, screecbing
with all their might, and, stopping over,
dancing from one foot to the other. In
the rear of these bowling dervishes were
as many squaws, adding to the deatening
din by series of blood .curdling yells
that made every ones hair rise on his
head.
AS soon as | appeared Sou Souse sent
one of his young men to e'cort me into
the sacred enclosure. Upon reaching the
fence, however, he informed me that, as
| was possessed of the white mans devil,
certain incantations were necessary to
cast it out before | could enter. This
task he proceeded to perform by means
of three wooden pegs, which he set up on
the ground. One represented the mcdi-
cine-man, another the devil, while third
was supposed to indicate myself. He
moved these pegs round very much after
the manner Of thimble-rigger, and |
seemed to have, through my peg, about
as hard time of it as the pea under the
thimble usually has. However, the devil
was finally cast out Of me, and | was per
mitted to enter and seat myself against
the fence. An old tin dish was handed
to me, and the show went on.
The next thing in order was the medi-
cine.dance, in which all the company
Joined. The step consisted in
raising one foot straight up, and then
changing positions, carrying it out io the
end. Every warrior of them looked as if
he had suddenly hurt his toe and was
bowling with pain. Pauses were made
now and then to give chance for breath
ing, after which they began with re-