Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-08-20
AN INDIAN FESTIVAL
Celebration of the Sioux Sun Dance
Savage and Startling Spectacle
in Dakota.
The Ordeal and the Torture-An indie
scribable Pandem0nium Of H0Mls
and Horrors.
Fort Bsnn.tt Letter.

The annual festival of the Sioux sun
dance has Just occurred here, and 1t was
startling speci acle, and, coming II did In
a camp OF 5000, the festival was celebrated
with great pcmp and circumstance on the
Cheyenne thirty-tive miles northeast of the
post. This is the first festival they have
been permitted TO celebrate for six years.
The largest bands represented as those oil
Blackfeei, Kettle Sans Arc Miuneconjou, and
the sub-chiefs Railing Rib, Thunder Cloud,
Young Man-Afraid-of-His- Ssh adow and Spot
led Eagle, beside host of lesser lights, were
present. Fifteen hundred Of these belong to
the Cheyenne river agency. The balance are
delegations from Standing Rock, Rosebud
and Spotted-Tail agencies. These are all
blanket Indians, and 1900 of them were the
late hostiles under Sitting Bull. Arriving
upon the scene your correspondent found
himself on the outskirts of an Indian village
Numbering 5000, and many Of them but
lately hostile. We were thirty-fve miles
from the post. The midnight scene was in
describable. Behind the moon was strng-
Cling through big gray clouds; before US lay
the cleaning csmp-fres of The savages who
were
MAKING NIGHT HIDEoUs
with cries, grosns and yeIls. Twenty min
utes later Major Walsh rode back with per-
mission to enter. We drove forward, and
were soon in the midst OF a scene which beg
gars description. After introductions of Rat
Ting Rib, Red Shirt and Fair Weather,
Msjor Lewis's little ten-year-old son Willie
aiding as interpreter, we were escorted TO the
scene, 4 circular Enclosure containing about
an acre of ground. The sides consisted OF
a shed of poles covered with skins and blan-
kets with the open side fronting the Enclosure.
In the center OF the ring was a 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 medi-
| cine (things mysterious). From the top hung
| a shesf of sacred herbs, beside which there
were innumerable ornaments OF nondescripL
character. Shortly after we entered the arena
| party of twenty or more began the beating
| of drums and chanting of prayers, which
called into the ring two young men naked
except the breech cloth, ornamented with
paint and feathers, each carrying in his hand
dozen bone whistles, ornamented, also. with
| feathers. These commenced dancing, at the
same time blowing whistle and keeping
| their eyes fixed on the moon. Couple after
couple joined in until there were at least fifty
in semi-circular rows, dancing auG whistling,
now, fast, now slow, the cadence OF the
whistles keeping time with the drums Ev-
| cry ten or fifteen minutes there was a 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 interpreter could catch were /:
Lord, We are praying to thee" This was
kept up until daylight. To give the reader
proper understanding of the following cere
mOny that took place during the interval
| from daybreak until sunrise, / will preface
by word of explanation. When an Indian
| desires TO steal horse or a squaw, or b.
| successful in any enterprise, he goes to the
| top of the highest 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 animal 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 god. Shortly after day.
light began this offering-pieces of wood,
stones, and feathers attached to pebbles
| were thrown into the ring, each piece repre-
senting a horse, dog, gun or other gift, the
catcher calling upon the owner and receiving
| the property represented. About 100 yards
from the arena we were shown large tepee,
made of raw hides, within which were eight
young braves preparing for
THE ORDEAL AND THE TORTURE
Notwithstanding the intense heat, fire
was kept up on the inside for the purpose of
steaming up. The latter was done by heat
ing rocks and pouring water upon them.
This is the first step In the ordeal of torture.
At sunrise they were led forth AFTER having
been subjected to temperature of 1902 for
period of forty-eight hours, without food
| or water. When they came 10 the gate OF
the Enclosure they sprang into the ring amid
the yells OF the assembled multitude. While
the master of ceremonies was getting ready,
these wretches 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 a long cleaning knife,
and with lightning rspidity carved and raised
the skin and muscles on the pectoral region,
while half dozen others tied Iariats to the
detached pieces of flesh. The lariats were
twenty feet long, the distant end being at
tached TO the medicine tree in the center of
the ring. During this performance one poor
wretch tainted dead away, and was carried
Oh amid groans and misses
TO BE DRESSED AS A sQUAw,
as an evidence OF humiliation and disgrace
The others stood with quivering limbs, hands
clapped over heads and their CLASSY eyes
liked on the glaripg 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 pandemonium of bowls 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 shouts
OF sdmiring friends. At the end of the
second hour the friends of young brave of
an uncomfortable name, rushed in and tore
him loose, carrying him off covered with
blood and glory. Later, member OF our
party familiar with Indian character, con-
cluded that it was better not TO remain
longer, as during the madness of their de-
lirium at such times they will suddenly be-
come possessed of bad heart AID strike the
tomahawk into the brain of their best friend
among the whites. This was, probably, the
first time that so small & company of white
men had ventured into SO large a camp on
such an occasion, without the protection OF
troops. When he left the camp at 10 O'Clock
am, Saturday, il was reported that Little No
Heart, the young buck who tainted in the
ring, was dead.
GERMAN CORN REMOVER enables you 10
mira oioae- 6ftino haofa with oaaa and