Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1885-11-21

ABoos-ke-tan.
The Creek Indians of the Hickory
Ground town or ueighbOrhOGd, held
their annual EbOos-ke-tan" LAST week
This is commonly called "busk," and is
the occasion when all the Indians oIe
certain section, under local cnlefs Ene6t
for the purpose Of taking their 'pessaae
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, one end 20 the
north, one 70 the south, and the others
to the east and west. The chief occupies
the west end, and his subordinate officials
the ends to the other points Of the com
pass. After everything is gou III reedt-
ness, a committee is appointed to 60 out
and bring in four round logs, which are
placed with ceremony IN the center Of
the arbOr, the outer ends pointing 70 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 logs
viii 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 twelve O'Clock
10 the middle Of the afternoon, take
draughts of the medicine, which lis a
powerful einetic, and also wash their
faces, hands and feet with 1t. When the
women all get through, the men Join
them, and they dance all night, the
women wearing terrapin shells filled
with gravel and bound together, with
buckskin thongs fastened to their legs or
ankles, which rattle and aid In keeping
time in the dance. They sing their Pc
culiar songs, interpreted with yells by
the men, and 1t is wonderful the amount
! of labor that is endured during these eX-
Z aHaHN q
brilliantly dressed and decorated with
/ their finest clothes, ribbons and Orna-
ments. The next day the men 60 through
pretty much the same ceremonies, and
| take their medicine.
/ After this, on the third day, the wo-
men bring the children, who are made
| to drink. They are washed in it, scratch
| ed on the arms and legs with a scratcher
/ of many points, so the medicine can the
| sooner penetrate. These scratChers are
usually made of garfish teeth, or in the
| absence of those, they are made by
| sticking numerous pins through feather.
/ After each class get through with their
/ duties Of drinking and dancing, they are
/ permitted to 60 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 cere-
monies, 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 isreneWed,
and then begins the final dance. The
men all come in with sticks, in the ends
of which are inserted four white feathers.
With these they keep time in all sorts of
motion during the dance. All this is the
ceremony that has to be gone through
with before any Of the members are all
lowed 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 fOrmsli5y and strictness. In Took
abatCha town, there now exists brass
plates that have been handed down
from one generation to another, probably
for hundreds Of years. They are now in
possession Of old Captain TOOkabacha
Halo, one Of the finest looking old In
dams i have ever met, and is said to be
one of the best men throughout the ter
ritOry. These meetings are not altogether
for the purpose Of taking medicine, but
are productive of much good. The chiefs
of these clans take occasion to call to-
gether all the young men, and explain
to them the laws of the country, and
eZhort them to be obedient to these
laws, to maintain friendship among
themselves and neigh orF, and all return
thanks for the blessings of the past year,
and ask the Great Spirit to continue
them for the year to come.