Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-08-20
A SAVAGE CEREMONY.
Annual Celebration Of the Sioux
Sun Dance.
The Horrors of an Aboriginal Religious
"ReViSsr'-A Savage and Startling
SpectaeIe-Dances, Prayers
and Self T0rtures.

did in camp OF 5000, the festival wa
celebrated with great pomp and circum
stance on the Cheyenne, thirty-fiv,
miles northeast of the post. This is TIT
first festival they have been permitted
to celebrate for six years. The larges
bands represented are those of Black
feet, Kettle Sans Arc, Minnieconjou
and the sub-chiefs Rafting Rib, Thun
der Cloud, Young-Man -Afraid-of-his
Shadow, and Spotted Eagle, besides 8
host of lesser lights, were present
Fifteen hundred of these belong
to the Cheyenne river agen'
cy. The balance are dele.
cations from Standing Rock, Rosebud
and Spotted Tail Agencies. These are
all blanket Indians. and l,5UO of them
were the late hostiles under Sitting
Bull. Arriving upon the scene, your
correspondent found himself on the out
| skirts of an Indian village numbering
5000, and many Of them but lately hos
tile. We were 80 miles from the post.
The midnight scene was understandable.
Behind the moon was strugglig through
big gray clouds; before us lay the
cleaning camp fires of the savages who
were making night hideous with cries,
grOans and yells. Twenty minutes
later Major Walsh rode back with per-
mission to enter. We drove forward
and were soon in the midst of a scene
which beggars description. After in
Productions of Rafting Rib, Red Shirt
and Fair Weather, Major Lewis little
lO-year-old son, Willie, aiding as inter-
prefer, we were escorted to the arena, q
circular enclosure containing about
an acre of ground. The sides
consisted of shed of poles covered with
skins and blankets with the open side
fronting the Enclosure. In the centre of
the ring was cottonwood tree eight
inches in diameter and thirty feet high,
from which the bark had been peeled, a
small tuft of branches remaining at the
top. This pole was ornamented with
medicine things mysterious.) From
the top hung sheaf of sacred herbs,
beside which there were innumerable
ornaments of nondescript character.
Shortly after We entered the arena q
party of twenty or more began the beat
ing of drums and chanting of prayers,
which called into the ring two young
men naked except the breech cloth,
oInamented with paint and feathers,
each carrying in his hand a dozen bone
whistles, ornamented, also, with feathers.
These commenced dancing, at the same
time blowing a whistle and keeping
their eyes fixed on the moon. Couple
after couple Joined in until
there were at least fifty in
rows, dancing and
whistling, now fast, now slow, the ca
dence of the whistles keeping time with
the drums. Every ten or fifteen min
utes there was brief pause, when the
drums would stop and the dancers
change whistles. This is the dance of
the moon, and is an invocation to the
gods. The only words our little inter.
prefer could catch were: "Lord, we
are praying to Thee" This was kept
up until daylight. To give the readers
proper understanding of the following
that took place during the in |
viii preface by IA wOrI of explanation.
When an Indian desires to steals hnrse
terprise, he goes to the top Of the high
est hill and there covenants with his
gods to bestow upon him certain gifts,
if he succeeds in his undertaking, to be |
offered at the next annual festival.
These offerings are thrown into |
the ring, and each Indian has
the privilege of catching the
gift if he can, he who catches
being considered the favorite of the |
gods. Shortly after daylight began this
Pieces of wood, stones, and
feathers attached to pebbles were thrown
into the ring, each piece representing a
horse, dog, gun or other gift, the catch !
pr calling upon the owner and receiving
the property represented. About 100
Yards from the arena we were shown 4 |
large tepee, made of raw hides, within |
which were eight young braves prepar-
ing for the ordeal and the torture.
Notwithstanding the intense heat, a
big fire was kept up on the inside for
the purpose of steaming up. The latter
was done by heating rocks and pouring
water upon them. This is the first step
i'm the ordeal of torture. At sunrise
they were lead forth after having been
subjected to a temperature OF 100 for a
period of 4S hours, without food or
wafer. When they came to the gate OF
the inclosure they sprang into the
ring, amid the yells of the assembled
multitude. While the master of cere-
monies was getting ready, these wretch
es amused themselves by holding hot
Goals of fire on the backs of their hands,
And now came the climax Of horrors.
A big half naked and hideously painted
savage rushed forward with long
knife, and, with lightning
rapidity, carved and raised the skin and
muscles on the pectoral region, while
half dozen others tied larlats to the de-
tached pieces Of flesh. The lariatS were
20 feet long, the distant end being TIED
to the medicine tree in the centre OF
the ring. During this performance one
poor wretch tainted dead away, and
was carried off amid groans and Kisses
To be dressed as squaw, as an evidence
of humiliation and disgrace. The others
stood with quivering limbs, hands
clasped overhead, and their CLASSY eyes
fixed on the glaring sun. AT given
signal the drums began to beat
and the chants to sound. Now the
dancers began to move their bodies up
and down, slowly at first, then
faster and faster, pulling on the tethers,
yelling with pain and excitement, the
crowd joining in a pandemoniunmn, S Of
howIs and horror that no pen could
even describe. At the end Of the first
hour two had broken loose and were
carried off amid the joyous shouts OF ad-
miring friends. At the end of the sec
Ond hour the friends of a young brave
of an uncomfortable name, rushed IN
and tore him loose, carrying him OH
covered with blood and glory. Later,
member of our party familiar with In
dian character, concluded that IA Twas t. was
the madness of their ,delirium at such
times they will suddenly become . pos
sessed of a bad heart and strike the tom,
ahawk into the brain of their best sn i5.eT9
the first time that so small q company
of white men bad ventured into so large
camp on such an occasion, without
the protection Of troops; When b he E ls,s
the camp at 10 A. NJ, SATURDAY, ~ tSo
;ttin No Heart, the