The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-05-19
Exercising tho Devil.

|
Indian Agency gives the following de-
scrlption of the manner in which the
savages drive the evil one away: ssThe
Indians DO not like to take medicines,
but they held few days ago fiesta for
three successive nights for the purpose
of decoying the demon of sickness, and,
II possible catch and kill him. It was
the best have yet seen in the many
years Of my acquaintance with the life
and customs of these Mission Indians.
After lot Of bucks, naked, but fixed
up with paint and feathers, had exhaus-
ted themselves by dancing and stamp
ing the ground about an hour around a
blg fire, and got hoarse from grunting
and bowling, an old gray buck, the
chlssero, stepped into the center of the
ring and began, in a low, mournful voice
tossing. He was dressed-or rather. un-
dressed the same as the others, with
the exception that he held rattle made
out of the tails of rattlesnakes ip'his
hand, while Oh his head was 3 tiara
formed of three lunches of pluu6es.
"From time to time he weHt out Of
the ring up on the hillside ami looking
up in the air in all directions Acalled III
a decoying voice for the gho#. When
he returned he always explained in q
few whispered words how @ficult it
was and how dangerous it wa@ s. for him
and that he was very much affAid. AT
last, when he came back again om the
hill, he danced three times ardjsAnd the
fire, when he was selzed with &neSavy
commissions, which brought him, tndfeSe,,
| fearful moans (and seemingly he suf-
fered terrible wins), to the ground.
But he still had force enough left to
pull out the bundles of feathers from
his head. With these he rubbed his
chest, and this releasing him from the
power of the demon, he jumped up and
with fearful yells everybody followed
Inn in wild tumult, men, women and
children crying: Dfotalo, matalo,' (kin
him), and beating the ground with the
sticks they had ready for the occasion.
l got out of the way then, for they
seemed to be a lot of wild maniacs
When they returned to the ring they
all stood up in acircle, the old 'chssero'
dug hole in the center, and after some
more singing and stamping the ground,
pulled one of the bundles of feathers
from his head, and going around rub
bed it against each person. From time
to time he returned to the hole, and
seeming to suck some juice from them,
he spat it into the hole. Then he filed
it again, stamped the ground down,
and with fearful yells the same wild
beating of the ground followed, in
which even old Vicente took part. This
concluded the cermonies and everybody
went home feeling satisfied that he was
the one who had hit or killed the ghost
and no more sickness was going to pre-
| vail in the village. The whole made a
| picturesque scene-the swarthy old
bucks with their sweaty faces illumina-
ted by excitement and dancing; the
huge fire burning III the middle, OF
| which once in a while kick would send
the flames. and sparks away up to the
| tops of the trees; the stern face Of the
captain sitting on u chair with long
rod in his hand and the audience with
eager expectation sitting on the ground;
the fair SEX doing their part in Sing
ing Then owls would fly overhead
through the branches of the dark,
shadowing oaks, joining in with their
voices and adding to the awe Of the
whole, while fair Luna's face rose,
shining in it's soft splendor, above the
mountains to illuminate it all"