, 1885-10-20
The ANNUAL. "eoos.KE. TAM
A Ceremony OF Inportanoe Among the
Creek ~Indians-Its Uses.

A Ceremony OF Importance Among the
Creek Indians-Its Uses
Indian Territory Cor. \. O. Times Democrat
The Creek Indians of the Hickory
Ground town or n~eighborhood held their
annual 'boos- ke-tan' last week. This
is commonly called .'busk. - and is the
occasion when all Of the Indians of a
certain section, under n local chief,
meet for the purpose of taking their
''possan, or black drink. The ground
is selected by the town chief near some
running stream. and q brush shed is
constructed in the form Of a cross, n
end to h north, on TO the south
and the others to the east and west.
The chief occupies the west end
and his subordinate o1cers the ends to
the other points of the compass. After
everything is got in readiness. a com
mittoe is appointed to go out and bring
in -four round logs about four feet long,
which are placed with ceremony in the
center Of the arbor. the outer ends
pointing to the four cardinal points, but
all touching together in the center.
Fire is produced by friction, which is
then placed in the center Of this cross
1t is estimated with a slow fire these
lOkn d AAoA lohA hAl - AHN h0hht AtuAAh
Of the busk. After the black drink is
made the women, who are fasting.
dance around the fire, and from ~
O'Clock to the middle of the afternoon
take draughts of the medicine. which is
a powerful emetic, and also wash their
faces. hands, and feet with il. When
the women all get through the men Join
them, and they dance all night, the
trnpnap tvaurfnr fnrrapfR aIaI1a httad
with gravel. and tied together with
buckskln thongs. fastened to their legs
or ankles. which rattle and aid in keep
ing time in the dance They sing their
peculiar songs. i%nterspersed with yel,s
by the men. and it is wonderful the
amount Of labor that Is endured during
these exercises. The women are taste
fully and brilliantly dressed aud decor
ated with their finest clothes, ribbons,
and ornaments. The next day the men
90 through pretty much the same cere-
monies, and take their medicine.
After this, on the third day, the
women bring the children, who are
made to drink. They are washed in it,
scratched on the arms and legs with a
scratcher Of many points, so the medi-
cine IAN the sooner penetrate. These
htihNiiltlN are usually MhAlO VI kdt hNu
teeth, or in the absence OF those they
are made by sticking numerous pins
through a feather. After each class get
through with their duties Of drinking
and dancing they are permitted to go to
the stream and battle, when they can
return TO the camp and partake of food
and prepare for the dance at night.
During all these ceremonies the women
and children occupy one camp and the
men another.
On the fourth day the ashes are all
cleaned up, and each participant
sprinkles some Of it on himself. The
fire is renewed. and then begins the
final dance. The men all come in with
sticks, in the ends of WHICH are in
serted four white feathers. With these
they keep time in all sorts Of motion
during the dance. All this is the cere-
mony that has TO be gone through with
before any of the members are allowed
to eat green corn, and is, properly
speaking, the ''g%reen-corn dance.
In some towns Of old standing these
ceremonies are kept up eight days with
formality and strictness. In Took
abatcha town there now exist
brass plates that have been handed
down from one generation to
another, probably for hundreds Of years.
They arc now in possession Of old Capt.
Tookabatcha Halo, one of the finest
looking old Indians have yet met, and
is said to be one of the best men
throughout the territory. These meet
ings are not altogether for the purpose
of taking medicine, but are productive
of much good. The chiefs of these clans
take occasion 10 call together all the
young men and explain to them the
laws of the country, and exhort them
to be ooedient to these laws, to main
tain friendship among themselves and
neighbors, and all return thanks for the
blessings of the past year, and ask the
Great Spirit to continue them for the
year to come.