The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-07-02
A Digger Indian Fandango.

"Would you like to attend the daroo
tonight at the rancheria of the Ind.
ansP' said gentleman to a friend and
myself, as we loitered in one of the small ,s,Il
towns in Northern California. Now
having been informed of the dance ~
ing the afternoon by no less a person oe
than the chief of the rancheria. we bsS
stopped over night for the purpose of
witnessing the same; and right hapnily
were we to be joined by gentleman
who was thoroughly familiar with every
point of interest in the neighborbood.
and who was well known to MANY of
the Indians themselves.
From the barking of the dogs and the
wailing of squaw we knew that we
were now in the midst of the rancheria.
and Indian forms fitting about the
s'sweat-house'' informed us where the
''fandango" was to be held. This house
had been built of strong poles and
branches ingeniously fastened together,
and was in the shape of an inverted
bowl, being about forty feet in diameter
at the bottom, and tapering to the size
of a center-pole at the top. The outside
being covered with earth to prevent the
escape of the heat, and there being
neither windows nor doors, the appear
ance of the whole was like that of an old
fashioned bake-oven; and the simile was
not inappropriate, as we afterwards
learned.
Under the escort of Capt. Jack, to
whom we were each required to pay
fifty cents, we crawled rather than
-oI fh,.r.t neh 4lA oil
one side, and, having gained the inte-
rior, we were assigned bench immedi-
ately in front of the fire. 1t was now
about ten O'Clock, but the dancing was
not yet begun. About $50 Indians
the males and females mixed indiscrimi-
nately-were lounging. around the edge
of the house, and, save the bench upon
which we were seated, not single arti-
Gle of furniture was seen. Upon hooks
projecting from the wall were hung
blankets, beadwork, bows and arrows,
canes, slippers, and other convenient
and fancy articles, while the various CO.'S
tunes to be used in the dances gave the
whole the appearance of well-stocked
bazaar. The only light of the place
emanated from the huge wood-fire
which burned on the ground near the
center of the house; and during the en-
tire evening decrepid old Indian, who
had been detailed for the purpose, kept
piling on fuel until the spectators on the
bench, and the Indians themselves, were
well nigh roasted.
THE MUSIC.
1t was already late when the dancing
began. The orchestra was composed
of about a dozen braves; and these,
with their instruments of torture, hud-
died together near the pole in the CEN
ter. In the book ''Between the Gates"
a Chinese orchestra is described as a
combination of ticks, and chicks, and
jingles, and squeaks, and tinkles of
bells, and o frog and locust interlude,
and emaciated fiddles, with roar of
gongs and clash of cymbals added
while elsewhere the music of the Digger
Indians is described as deafening up
roar like that produced by q thousand
cross-cut saws filed by steam power, or
pigs caught under a gate,
or multitude of tom-cats dashed to-
gether and flung over clotheS-lne!
But neither of the above descriptions
will do justice to the music which hroke
upon our ears as the signal was given
for soon were distinguished notes and
pauses in accordance with the figures.
Each member of the orchestra con-
tributed his share of the noise by strik-
ing split piece of wood against his
knee or arm; and this was accompanied
by plaintive wall, now low and sub
dued, again loud and forcible, as the oc-
casion demanded.
Simultaneously with the commence
ment of the music the dancing began. A
dozen or more squaws glided barefooted
into the center of the ring, and, after
circling the fire on tiptoe two or three
times, glided away as unceremoniously
as they came. Probably the second and
last dances were the best of the evening,
and short description of each is here
with appended. Previous to the COM
mencement of the second dance, which
an Indian informed us in broken English
was called "the squaw dance" the ten
squaws changed their apparel and dom
ned their costumes in full view of the
audience assembled, and then formed in
a hnO UcOWccu us anu Uu6 IRE. ne
dresses must have been owned by the
community in general, for they were
exactly alike in every respect, and, when
the dance was concluded, each was re-
turned to the hook from which it had
been taken.
THE sQUAw DANCE.
The body of each dress was made of
black calico, with red and white scollops
below the waist, and also at the bottom.
An abalone belt fitted tightly around the
waist, and four long streamers from the
back and breast waved to and fro with
the body. On the head was a cap, which
in shape was not unlike huge crab
and starting from the top of this was
another streamer, which extended even
to the ground. Each of the squaws held
horse-tail in the right hand, and four
had peculiar wooden whistles in their
mouths. The dancers varied in age from
the young girl in her teens to the grand
mother of the tribe; and stoicaf indif-
ference to pleasure or applause was
manifested on every face. During the
dance the feet were never wholly. lifted
from the ground, and the motion was
a sort of shuffling "hobbledehovn-
dancers now supporting themselves on
the heel, now on the toes-now turning
around and around--now FOLLOWING the