The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-01-31

treated alike; and if ring happens to
be too large for the largest finger, it
goes on the thumb. The effect of ring
with prodigious ''stone" in it worn
on the thumb is very striking, to say the
least, though presume it would look
''all right" when one got used to it.
Beads are highly priced among the In
dams, and some of them seem to have
bought them by the pound instead of
the string, judging by the quantity
worn.
At one side the squaws and pappooses
were grouped together Neither of
these elements of the tribe are allowed
to take part in the powwow. Among
these Indians, as among most tribes,
the women are considered of but little
account; they are obliged to do the hard
work about the camp, cook, take care
of the pappooses and act as beasts of
burden when the camp is broken up. l
have often seen great, healthy Indians
mounted on ponies so small that the
riders feet barely escaped the ground,
while in the rear the poor sguaw was
Flooding along under load of kettles,
mats of woven rushes, of which part of
the wigwam is built, and pappoose.
The ''brave" tries to look very dignified
in his gaudy blanket, with gun across
his horse, in front of him, and always a
clay pipe in his mouth, and as general
thing so much dirt on his face that no
amount of war paint, provided he used
the article, would show through. He
always seems to be satisfied with his APP
pearance, and the poor, patient squaw
looks at him with admiration expressed
on her rather inexpensive face. The
old or last years blanket is turned over
to her on the arrival of the new ones,
and she never has the opportunity to
make such brilliant display as her lord
and master does Her dresses, how
ever-for all the women of these tribes
wear sort of ''Mother Hubbard" gown
are always gorgeous during the early
stage of their existence; but as this stage
is limited to the first three or four days,
grease and dirt take possession of them
after that time, the poor squaw enjoys
only brief and fleeing glory, and sub
sides into the general squalor which
makes all of them look alike. The
pappooses wear but one garment from
| spring to cold weather, a sort of shirt of
bright calico, which is never washed,
and never is taken off, so far as could
Judge, until it wears off.
AS we stood there, we saw the Indians
forming into line at one side of the
circle of fires. Pretty soon we heard a
humping that was kept up in regular
time, and none of us, with the exception
of Brown, knew how it was produced.
We found afterward that it was made
by striking on thin pieces of hemlOck
fastened over a box-like frame. These
pieces were struck with sticks, and the
vibrations of the wood gave out a feeble
imitation of the sound of drum; a
sound which can be heard a long way
off, but is utterly lacking in ability to
give pleasure to any but an Indians ear.
Perhaps it is used at these powwows be-
cause it does not give. pleasure. If that is
the case, it is appropriately selected, for
the monotonous thump, thump, thump,
soon became almost unbearable to us.
One by one the Indians left the line they
had formed and sprang into the space be-
tween the fires and the mound, uttering
low, dismal shrieks and cries. After
the ring was completed about the
mound sort of dance began, which
seemed to be on the ''go-as-you-please"
| order, for there was no regularity about
it. Each Indian seemed to extemporize
| a step of his own, and the variety was
certainly sufficient to relieve this part
of the performance of the charge of
sameness. Presently the music grew
faster, and the cries of the dancers be-
came louder. Such wild, dismal sounds
l never heard before. They haunted
me all night. At regular intervals the
dancers would face the mound and give
utterance to howl in chorus-it could
be called nothing else with due regard
to truth-and the effect was anything
but pleasant; Just as have imagined
bloodthirsty warriors to howl when
scalping victims.
The dance was kept up for perhaps
half an hour-as long. should Judge,
as the participants could stand it with
out becoming tired, something an In
dian always objects to on principle.
''Guess we'd better go down an talk
with 'em a little" said Brown, and we
followed him down the ledge and into
the camp. The squaws mumbled and
chartered about us to each other as we
passed them, the pappooses eyed us
keenly and curiously, and the braves
welcomed us with eager demands for
''toback" and whisky. Whisky is not
allowed an Indian. and any one selling
it to him is fined or imprisoned when
the offence is proved. There is nothing
an Indian will not do to CRAFTY his
taste for liquor. He will even work in
a lazy fashion, if he thinks he will get
drink of whisky at the end of it. We
had none for them, but Brown turned
over to them all the ''toback" he had,
and the four or FIVE who were fortunate
enough to get chew gave grunts of
satisfaction, while the others looked on
with disapproval.
We talked with them for perhaps half
an hour. They told us that there were
several hundred buried in the mound
that the Great Spirit would be angry if
they did not come here once year to