Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-05
A GREEK "BOos-IxE-TAN."
The Ceremony of Taking tho Black
Drink.
From the Times Democrat.

Drink.
From the Times Democrat.
MUsKoKEE, I. T., July 2S.-The
Creek Indians of the Hickory GrouLd
town or neighborhood held their
annual ''boos- ke-tan' last week. This is
commonly called "busk." and is the oc-
casion when all of the Indians of a GER
tain section, under 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 brush shed is constructed in the
form of cross, one end to the north, one
to the south and the others to the east and
west. The chief occupies the west end
and his subordinate officers the ends to
the other points of the compass. After
everything Is got in readiness commit
tee is appointed to go out and bring in
four round logs about feet long, which
are placed with ceremony in the centre Of
the arbor, the outer ends pointing to the
four cardinal points but all touching to-
gether in the centre-thus:
Fire is produced by friction, which is
then placed in the centre OF the cross. 1t
is estimated with slow fire these logs
will last four days, the usual length of
the Dusk. After the black drink is made
the women, who are fasting, dance
around the fire, and from y 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 it. When the women all
get through the men join them, and they
dance all night, the women wearing ter
rapln shells filed with gravel and bound
together, with buckskin thOrns fastened
to their legs or ankles, which rattle and
aid in keeping time in the dance. They
sing their peculiar songs, inteIspersed
with yells by the men, and it is wonder
full the amount of labor that is endured
during these exercises. The women are
tastetully and brilliantly dressed and
decorated with their finest clothes, rib
bons, and ornaments. The next day
the men 90 through pretty much the
same ceremonies, and take their medi-
cine.
After this, on the third day, the women
bring in the children, who are made to
drink. They are washed in it, scratched
on the arms and legs with scratcher of
many points, so the medicine can the
sooner penetrate. These scratches are
usually made of garflsh teeth, or in the
absence OF those they are made by stick
| ing numerous pins through feather. Az
ter each class gets through with their du-
ties of drinking and dancing they are per-
mitted 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 sprin-
kles some of it on himself, the fire is re-
newed, and then begins the final dance.
The men all come in with sticks, in the
end of which are inserted four white
feathers. With these they keep time in
all sorts of motions during the dance.
All this is the ceremony that has to be
gone through with before any of the
members are allowed to eat green corn,
and is, properly speaking, the "green
corn dance"
In some towns of old standing these
ceremonies are kept up eight days with
much 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 are now in pos
session of old Capt. TOOkabatcha Halo,
one OF the finest-Iooking old indians
have yet met, and is said TO be one of the
best men throughout the Territory.
These meetings are not altogether for the
purpose CT taking medicine. but are pro-
ductive of much good. The chiefs Of
these clans take occasion to call together
all the young men and explain to them
the laws of the country and eXhOrt them
TO be Obedient to these laws, to maintain
friendship among themselves and neigh
bors, and all return thanks for the bless
ings of the past year, and ask the Great
Spirit to continue them tor the year to
come.