, 1884-07-18
CHEYENNE DANCES.
The Strange Scenes Which a Cores
pondent Witnesses.
Lire mt Fort Reno, Indian Territory,
The Somewhat Social kiss
Dance-Sun and medI-
cine Dances.


although the vast expanss OF pralrleSi the
villages OF prairie dogs, and occasional
glimpses of proving coyotes nre diverting
for a while. by the time the traveller has sat
bolt upright for twenty-four hours, he Is
willing enough to call a halt.
The evening after my arrival, while taking
a moonlight stroll. / heard a faint, monot-
onous sound, as OF someone beating a drum
at a distance.
@The Indians are having a dance" eI-
claimed Mr.. Curtis, the fort interpreter;
would you like to goF'
Certainly" 1 replied, and a quarter Of an
hour later we were dashing across the prairie
at regular railroad speed. Crossing the
Canadian river and passing the Cheyenne
agency, we drew up among seyenty-ive or a
undred Indian tents. From one of these
was emanating a prolonged and uproarious
noise. The "tepee," or, as 1t is called in
school histories, the "wigwam," Is a conical-
shaped tent twenty or twenty five feet in
diameter. A white man would feel cramped
in a dozen tepees, but a dozen Indians feel
lonely in one. The door of the tepee. a hole
about the size OF a hour-barrel top, is COW
cred by a canvas flap Lifting aside this
novel door, preceded by the interpreter, 1
entered. A smoldering fire in the center OF
the floor filled the place with smoke, and it
was only by squatting low IN the ground
that l was able TO breathe.
As the guests arrived, enveloped from head
to foot in sheets and blankets, the sexes
separated, the squaws ranging themselves on
one side, the bucks opposite them on the
other. The squaws, probably as a courtesy
to the sex, were given n bedstead to sit upon,
instead OF the ground. The first corners sat
on the outside edge, until eight had wedged
themselves In n row.
STRANGE CEREMONY.
Eying the row of braves before her, the
indian squaw sees one to her liking, and by
touching him on the shoulder, indicates her
desire for his company. The buck, being
thus invited, arises and stands side by side
with the girl, though facing in the opposite
direction. Another squaw then joins them,
taking a place on the bucks other side, and,
like hor sister, facing the opposite way. The
buck then throws his arms around the necks
Of his two partners, and in this position they
stand, rising up and down on the ball Of the
foot with a spriDgy motion until one or the
other wearies, and the dance ceases. During
this whole time the beating of the tom-tom
goes furiously on, and all the squaws and
bucks not dancing assist the band by yelling
at the top of their powerful lungs.
For some time / seemed destined to remain
a wall-hower, but ut length pity was taken
ON me and my shoulder was tapped; looking
up | saw two twinkling eyes g~lancing roug-
ishly from the depths OF a black blanket, and
I rose to the dance. Escorting me TO the
center OF the tepee, my coquettish c0mpan-
ion selected another squaw, who placed her
self at my other side. Then /, being fresh
from civilization, proceeded to pass my arm
around my partners waists, instead Of their
necks, as is tho Indian custom. 1 blush to re-
late that, in thus passing my arm under
their blankets, instead of the silks aud corset
stays the civilized arm is accustomed to en-
counter, there was naught but the bare and
yielding flesh. With an indignant jerk
Moka Wolftrack chat was her namel pulled
my arm to its proper place around her neck,
and we began to spring up and down to the
monotonous bowls and the dinning of the
tom-tom.
THE KISS DANCE.
The sensations which l experienced in that
dance were none OF the pleasantest. On pins
lest l should commit some breach of etiuuette.
| felt constrained and awkward, and the ex.
crcise Of jumping about was So fatiguing
that l was compelled, after n short time, to
sit down. Then the two sqaws laughed in
great gleo at having tired out the "palo fnce.n
They were splendid looking girls, and mag
niticent forms and smiling, jolly faces, but
CROSS them and what n changed Those came
girls in times Of war would pierce the body
OF a captive with n thousand splinters, cut Off
his eyelids, bury him alive, and inhict any
other torture their ingenuity could devise,
and grin and gloat over his sufferings. But
they smiled now and then and seemed gentle
and oft-the difference between being their
prisoner and their partner in n dance.
The social festivities are varied by a num-
ber Of odd figures, the most interesting per.
haps, being the "kiss dance" In this the
buck has but one partner. His right arm is
around her neck, and they spring up and
down as in the preceding dance; then, at n
certain moment the two duck their heads
under tho shawl (which is always worn.
sleeping or waking) and the buck kisses his
partner square on tho mouth. In this opera.
ton it is customary for the buck to have
some present in his mouth, u bone ring, bright
bead, or something OF that sort, which, when
their eyes meet, he transfers to the mouth of
the squaw. Although II was my pleasure TO
be invited by the charming Moka Wolftrack
to join her in this dance, when the delicate
moment came, and my hand was close to hers
under the beaded shawl, | could not come
quite to the point, and the interesting cere-
mony was deferred. Idid, however, what l
hope proved equally as acceptable, though
not a la model conveyed to her hand an
American coin which will purchase just as
much as II kissed" into her mouth according
to the usual rule.
THE SUN AMI MEDICINE DANCES.
The dances l have mentioned are the
Indians social" dnnces-they are danced at
all seasons and by both sexes; of a far more
interesting and OF n tiercer nature are their
war and religious dances for instance, the
sun" dance. Here u certain number of
braves, selected especially for their physical
strength and endurance, strip themselves
naked TO the waist. One then gashes his
arms and thighs with u keen knife; another
pierces a hole through the fieshy portion Of
his chest, threads a rope through the hole
aud suspends himself from the center Of the
tepee, until his weight and struggles tear the
flesh loose and release him. Still another
-igure7 OF this horrible dance il to run a
knife through the flesh on the back, pull n
thong through the hole thus made, and on
the end Of the rope tie the skulls OF Ave OF
six buffaloes. Tn brave then walks around
the ring until the woight of the skulls tears
the flesh through, leaving the back gaping
with wounds, bleeding and horribly multi
Btsd.
The medicine dance is almost equally as
horrible as the sun" danca. A charm" is
suspended from the center of one of the
largest tepees and around this twenty or
thirty men form u circle. Each one has a
whistle and round aud round they hop. keep
ing their uyes fastened on the charm and
.,nVua.lY lIau.f.. tI,.s- ,.h..,l.. mat.