Huntsville gazette., 1881-08-27
The Ojibbeway War Dance.

Reader, did you ever see an Indian
iamboree- of your tame, istless
affairs, in which the participants are
attired in their ordinary everyday
habiliments, but real, live aboriginal
circus, where each individual one is
rugged out in all the pomp and glory OF
war paint and feathers and fantastic
garbs- many half-naked, their bronzed
bodies partly hidden by streaks of YER
million and yellow, and blue and white,
and daubs of paint of all imaginable
gaudy hues. They carry no tomahawks,
and their guns are laid aside; but they
present no less fierce and warlike ap-
pearance because these familiar weap-
ons are wanting. Sitting around in a
circle, these fantastically decorated sons
of the forest squat tailor fashion, and,
as the tom-tom, responding to the quick
ly piled stick in dozen willing hands,
gives forth a monotonous sound, as
similating with the chanting accom-
paniment, one fierce brave starts up
and leads off in the mazes of the dance,
then another and another, till a score or
more of the savages are keeping tread
to the not over-exhilarating music.
Then rest follows, and the tom-tom
ceases its dreary din. But it is for
moment only; avid whoop, and Mani
tobaness darts forward, recounting his
heroic deeds. AS he finishes the TOM
tom again strikes up its monotone, and
many braves join in the preliminary
dance that leads to the war-path. One
darts here with uplifted arm and snake
like movement, as if in pursuit of an
imaginary foe; another creeps stealthily
along, hiding himself as it were from
the enemy; another covers the retreat,
and in all shapes and figures they imi-
tate the manoeuvering of Indian war
fare. The tom-tom beats louder, the
voices chant stronger and the sharp,
shrill yells of the inspired warriors be-
come frenzied shrieks, while the dance
is made more madly wild and the
strangely attired figures mingle weirdly
in the scene. Another rest, and up
springs Light-up-in-the- -Sky-not very
tall man, as his name would indicate.
He tells how he had taken the scalps of
seven Sioux-the hereditary foe of the
Ojibbeways-twon near Fort Garry, two
at Grand Forks and another on the
PlIlHCs 11Io uCCQS VI lCOltC03 blC
war dance is resumed and continues
with unabated vigor for few minutes.
Clear Sky, following his irmamently
named comrade, recounts his exploits
he also had killed seven-and the dance
is again resumed. Another rest, and
Floating Liy-a brawny chief, whose
untrousered blue and white under-gar-
ment floating to the breeze should have
more appropriately named him Floating
Shirttail-darts into the center of his
admiring brethren, and tells that, al
though in his first battle with the hated
Sioux he had been unsuccessful, in the
second fray he had captured six scalps
and one in the third, and, he perorates,
"that is the reason these quills are on
my head, mark of what have done" :"
Another frenzied yell, in admiration of
his valorous deeds, and the dance again
goes madly on. The tom-tom beats its
loudest, the chanting increases in vol
ume, the movements of the dancers
more energetic, and, in a perfect pam
demonium of yells, the war dance of
the Ojibbeways comes to sudden end.
--Wapnipeg Times.