Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-07-31
A REMARKABLE CEREMONY.
The sun-DRnse as Performed by the
Sioux fndians-- Young Indians Passing
Throurh n Horrible Ordeal,

of the sun-danCe, an annual sacred fpsti-
val of the Sioux Indians. About 1000
Indians of all ages and both sexes were
present. The warriors only were allow
ed to take part in the ceremony, and on
the first day they chantcd and danced
around the sacred staff or sun dance pole,
gave away their property to one another,
and pierced the ears ofinfants for the pur-
pose of inserting heavy leaden rings.
The dancers rested at night, and resumed
> the dance at sunrise next morning; and,
as the sun approached its meridian
height, the preparations for the more in
teresting ceremonies were made. AS the
sun reached its highest point, one of the
ashen-hued dancers advanced to the
pole. and, with hands and eyes toward
the burning sun, uttered fcrvent and
impressive prayer. This prayer was in
terpreted to me by Mr. Charley Provost,
the gentlemanly and obliging agency in
terpreter, and was perhaps the first
prayer of like purport ever delivered by
n young warrior. lie asked that the
Great Spirit would give him strength
and courage to bear the ordeal through
which he was about to pass and that
the Indians might be free of plague and
bad luck; that they might increase in
wisdom and in numbers; that they might
live at peace with their pale-faced breth-
rem, and might learn their ways; that
the buffalo might return and the pony
herd grow larger until they would hide
the green grass and beautiful flowers by
their great numbers. And thus. through
IL all. was breathed loving. tender
spirit. widely Mt variance with the usual
inclinations of the young men. The
solemn, utter silence with which this in
vocation was received; the fcrvcnt earn
estneSs of the supplicant; the extended
arms the parched, cracked lips, past
which food or water had not been during
sixty hours the evident suffcring-all
made n scene of the very deepest solcm-
nifty, and instinctively removed my hat
and bowed; and can readily imagine
how one might have been affected to
tears.
The prayer ended, he gently and
calmly laid down upon his back, and two
of the medicine men advanced. and be.
fore his burning eyes slowly whetted
glistening butcher-knif and, after re-
peated trials, finding the edge satisiac
tory. bent over the PROSTATE form and
felt for moment of the flesh upon the
breast; then, elevating the knife an in
stant toward the sun. it was slowly
thrust through the luivering flesh. |
stepped close up, saw the bright blade
withdrawn crimsoned. saw the form OF
the dancer writhe and quiver, the toes
and fingers drawn up convulsively and
than relax. but no hand was needed 10
stay him. for he did not raise finger or
shrink hairs breadth. and no moan es-
capped his Ups. The cutting was then
repeated upon the other side of the
breast-the two puncturcs being about
eight inches apart, through which skew
ers were thrust, when the two ends Of n
lariat suspended from high up on the
pole were tied to the skewers. and, thus
literally lariatsd by his own flesh, hc
was left. Slowly he raised himself to a
sitting posture, looked sadly at the man
glcd breast, rose to his feet. staggered n
moment and inserted the feathercd whis
tie between his lips. The arms were
raised again the head was thrown back
between the shoulders that the sun
might reach straight into the eye and hc
again began dancing. slowly tightening
the lariat by pulling back until the skin
and flesh upon the breast was drawn
outward six or eight inches. Thus he
danced around the pole. winding and
unwinding the lariat, and then violently
threw himself back in the Cndeavor to
tear loose from this notwithstanding: but
the human skin is tough, and IL refused
to tear, and he was thrown violently
forward upon his face. He arose slowly
again, danced n moment, and stepping
quickly back, threw himself with such
force that the flesh was torn out with
plainly-audible snap. and he again fell
headlong. lie lay thus unheeded mo-
ment, and then rejoined his companions
and proceeded with the dance. Had he
failed to break loose himself. others
would have jerked him back until the
flesh was torn.
This was repeated with the others.
with little variation-all passing the
ordeal bravely; one. however, being up
ward of half hour breaking loose, and
repeatedly falling and fainting. But al
though he had been sixty-fve hours
without food or drink, no drop was al
lowed him-the nearest approach to
this being the blowing of n spray Of sa-
Iva over the blistered face from the
mouth of the attendant and rubbing it
off with a bunch of some nourishing
weed.
One. nst content with the common
mode Of worship, had cut from his body
one hundred and eighty distinct pieces
of flesh. He was n brown small fellow
of about thirty-five years. He advanced
and encircled the sacred pole with hi
arms. laying his check close up agains
It, and, while standing thus, one ap-
preached him upon either side, and sim
ultaneously cut from the point of his
shoulder piece of skin and flesh about
the size of or s thumb-nail. then n
similar piece was taken from the leg.
near the ankle; so, alternately above and
below the cruel knife did its work. To
suspend for moment this steady cut
cut, hc once wheeled and stepped quickly
across to position close beside where
stood, and knelt against n pole there
stand ng. when the knives were again at
work until the cuts approached each
other and joined at the waist. And yet
the work was not complete. Then
down and up each arm until the re-
Quisite number were severed, when he
rcjoined the dancers, under the still
blazing sun.
When 1t is remembered that these men
had been without food or drink foI
thirty-six hours prior 10 the commence.
ment of the dance. and, through its forty.