The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-10-16
INDIANS THAT SEEM Flag-PRooF.
PecuIiarities of the ''Hashkawn" Dance
of the Nayaioes-A Strange Scene.

OF Ene NafaBoeS-A strange scene
Denver letter.
Mr. John B. Sweet, who has recently
been travelling IN New Mexico and Ari-
IONA gives an interesting and graphic
sketch of the "HashkaWn Dance which
he had witnessed al one of the Navajo
agencies. 1t took place in large corral
or Enclosure of an irregularly circular
form, about forty PAGES in diameter Its
fence, about eight feet high, was con-
strGcted of fresh juniper aud pinon
boughs In the center was a conicAl pile
of dry wood. about thirteen feet high,
which was to make the great central fire.
Around this, a few feet from the fence, q
dozen smaller fires were burning for the
comfort and convenience of the Specta-
tors, who numbered about 500 men,
women and children, gathered here from
the various parts of the Navajo country.
The fire dance was the most picturesque
and startling of all Some time before
the dancers entered heard strange sounds
mingled with the blowing of the buffalo
horn. The sounds were much like the
call of the sand hill crane. and may. per
haps. be properly called trumpeting.
and they were made by the dancers con-
stantly during the exercises. The noises
continued to grow louder and come
nearer, until we heard them ut the open
ing in the east and IN mo-
ment after men having no more
clothing on than a breech-c lout en-
tered. Every man bore a long, thick
bundle of shredded cedar bark in each
hand except the leader, who carried four
smaller fagots of the same material
Four times they all danced around the
fire, waving their bundles of bark toward
the fame; then they halted in the east;
the leader advanced toward the central
fire, lit one of his little fagots, and,
trumpeting loudly, threw it over the
fence Of the coral in the east lie per
formed a similar act at the south, the
west, and the north, but before the north
ern brand was thrown he lit with 1t the
fagots of his comrades AS each brand
disappeared over the fence some of the
spectators blew into their hands,
and made Il motion as If tossing
some substance after the departing flame.
When the fagots were all lit the whole
band began wild race around the fire.
At first they kept close together and spat
upon one another some substance of sup
posed medicinal virtue. Soon they scat
tered and ran, apparently without concert,
the rapid racing causing the brands TO
throw out long brilliant streamers of
flame over the naked hands and arms OF
the dancers. They then proceeded to ap-
ply the brands to their own nude bodies,
and the bodies of their comrades in front
of them-no man ever once turning
around At times the dancer struck the
victim vigorous blows with his flaming
wand; again he seized tho flame as If it
were a sponge, aud. creeping close to the
one pursued, rubbed the back of the lat
ter for several moments as If he were
bathing him In the meantime, the sufferer
would catch up with some one in front OF
him, and in turn battle him in fame. At
times when a dancer found no one in
front of him. he proceeded to sponge
his own back, and might keep this up
while making two or three circuits around
the fire, or until he overlook some one
else. At each application of the blaze the
loud trumpeting was heard, aud 1t often
seemed as if flock of a hundred cranes
were winging their way overhead, south
ward through the darkness. If brand
became extinguished, it was lit again in
the central fire. but when it was so fan
consumed as to be no longer held con
veniently in the hand, the dancer dropped
it and rushed trumpeting out of the cor
raj Thus one by one they all departed,
and the spectators stepped into the arena,
picked up the fascicles of the fallen frag-
ments of bark, lit them and bathed their
hands in the flames as a charm against the
evil effects of fire
Were they not blistered?" asked the
reporter
1AG1 WCIC AOJ AllAI III tuG iGdhSts was
the answer. Il believe they were pro-
tected by a coating of earth or clay paint.
That. however, did not make the effect
any less strange. have beheld many fire
scenes on the stage, many acts of fire
eating and fire handling by civilized jug
glers, and many fire dances by other In
dian trites, but nothing quite comparable
to this. The scenic accessories were
unique Demons scourging lost souls
wi n
pictured to look pore awful 5"