Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-18
INDIANS THAT SEEM FIRE.PROOF.
Peculiarities of the "Hashkawn',
Dance of the Navaj0es-A Strange
Scene.

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 at one of the Navajo
agencies. 1t took place in large corral or
inclosure of an irregularly circular form,
about forty PAGES in diameter. Its fence,
about eight feet high, was constructed OF
fresh Juniper and pinon boughs, In the
center was conical pile of dry wood,
about thirteen feet high, which was to
make the great central fire. Around this,
few feet from the fence, a dozen smaller
fires were burning for the comfort and
convenience OF the spectators, who num-
bered 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 ali. 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, perhaps, be properly called
'trumpeting," and they were made by
the dancers constantly during the exer-
cises. The noises continued to grow
louder and come nearer, until we heard
them at the opening in the east, and in a
moment after men having no more cloth
ing on than breech-clout 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 around the fire, waving their
bundles of bark toward the flame; then
they halted in the east; the leader adj
vanced 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 performed a 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 disappeared over the fence,
some of the spectators blew into their
hands, and made motion as if tossing
some substance after the departing
fame.
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 con-
cert, 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 APP
ply the brands to their own nude bodies,
and the bodies of their comrades in front
of them-no man ever once turning
i o.. ,olr f1,,
victim vigorous blows with his flaming
wand again he seized the flame as if it
were sponge, andS 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
flame. 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, and it
often seemed as if flock of hundred
cranes were winging their way overhead,
southwark through the darkness. IT a
brand became extinguished, it was lit
again in the central fire, but when it was
80 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 de-
parted, and the spectators stepped into
the arena, picked up the fascicles of the
fallen fragments 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.
"rhey were not hurt in the least" was
the answer 81 believe they were pro-
tected by coating of earth or clay paint.
That, however, did not make the effect
any less strange. l 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 tribes, but nothing quite comparable
to this. The scenic accessories were
unique. Demons scourging lost souls
with the eternal fire could scarcely be
pictured to look more awful. "-Denrer
Letter.