The Clifton clarion., 1885-02-25
FIRE-PROOF INDIANS.
Picturesque Acts of Leserdemair Among tine Southern Redskins.

gently been travelling in New Mex
 ico and Arizona, gave an interest
 ing and graphic sketch to Den
 yer Tribune reporter of the "Hash-
 lawn Dance," which he witnessed
 at one of the Navajo agencies:
 ''It took place in a large corral, or
 inclosure, of an irregular circular
 form, about forty paces in diane
 ter. Its fence, about eight feet
 high, was constructed of fresh
 juniper and pine boughs. In the
 center was a conical pile of dry
 wood, about fifteen feet high,
 which was to make the great cen
 tral fire. Around this, few feet
 from the fence, dozen smaller fires were burning for the com
 fort and convenience of the spec
 tators, who numbered about five
 hundred men, women and children,
 gathered here from the various
 parts of the Navajo country. The
 fire dance was the most pictur-
 esque and startling of all. Some
 time before the dancers entered,
 I heard strange sounds, mingled
 with the blowing of the buffalo
 horn. The sounds were much like
 the call of the sandhill crane, and
 may, perhaps, be properly called
 'trumpeting,' and they were made
 by the dancers constantly during the exercises. The noises contin-
 ued to grow louder and come nearer, until we heard them at the opening in the east, and in a mo- ment after, men having no more clothing on than a breechclout, entered. Every man bore 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 round the fire, waving their bundles of bark toward the flame; 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 corral in the east. He per formed similar act at the south, the west, and the north, but be- fore the northern brand was thrown, he lit with it the fagots of his comrades. As each brand dis appeared over the fence, some of the spectators blew into their hands and made a motion as if tossing some substance after the departing flame. When the flag ots were all lit the whole band be- gan wild race around the fire. At first they kept close together and spat upon one another some substance of supposed medicinal virtue. Soon they scattered and ran, apparently without concert, the rapid racing causing the brands to throw out long brilliant of flame over the naked hands and arms of the dancers. They then proceeded to apply the the brands to their own nude bo- dies, and the bodies of their com rades 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 the flame as it were a sponge, and, creeping close to the one pursued, rubbed the back of the latter for several as if he was bathing him. In the meantime the suffer CT would catch up with some one in front of him and, in turn, bathe him ln flame. At times when a dancer found no one in front of him, he proceeded to sponge his own back, and might keep thls up while making two or three circuits around the fire, or until he over took some one else. At each ap- plication of the blaze the loud trumpeting was heard, and it often seemed as if flock of a hundred cranes were winging their way overhead southward through the darkness. If a brand became ex tingulshed it was lit again in the central fire; but when it was so far consumed as to be no longer held conveniently in the hand, the dancer dropped it and rushed trumpeting out of the corral. Thus one by one they all departed, and spectators stepped into the arena, picked up the fascicles of the fall ng fragments of bark, lit them, md bathed their hands in the | James as charm against the evil ,ffects of fire"
 "Were they not blisteredw lsked the reporter.
 .grbov xrara pnf hurf in tho