The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-10-28
A BOOS-KE-TAN.
An Annual Ceremony Among the Cree
Indian<.-ltS Uses.


A Muscogee. /. T., correspondent of
the New Orleans Times Democrat
writes:
The Creek Indians of the Hickory
Ground town or neighborhood held
their annual ''boos-ke-tan" last week.
This is commonly called ''busk." and
is the occasion when all of the Indians
of certain section, under a local chief,
meet for the purpose of taking their
..possana, 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. a COM
mittee 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 GEN.
ter.
Fire is produced by friction, which is
then placed in the center of this cross.
1t is estimated with a slow fire these
logs will last four days, the usual length
of the busk. After the black drink is
made the women, who are fasting,
dance around the fire. and from II
o'c clock to the middle of the afternoon
take draughts of the medicine, which
is powerful emetic, and also wash
their faces, hands, and feet with it.
the oil hQ
men join them and they
DANCE ALL NIGHT.
the women wearing terrapin shells
filed with gravel, and tied together
with buckskin thongs, fastened to their
legs or ankles, which rattle and aid in
keeping time in the dance. They sing
their peculiar songs, interspersed with
yells by the men, and it is wonde rful
the amount of labor that is endured
during these exercises. The women
are tastefully and brilliantly dressed
and decorated with their finest clothes,
ribbons, and ornaments. The next day
the men go through pretty much the
same ceremonies, and take their med
icine.
After this, on the third day, the wo-
men bring in 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 med
icine can the sooner penetrate. These
scratches 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 drink
ing and dancing they are permitted to
90 to the stream and bathe, 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 the other.
On the fourth day the ashes are all
| cleaned up, and each participant sprink-
les 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 inserted four white feath-
ers. 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 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
Tookabatcha 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 possession of old Captain
Tookabatcha Halo, one of the finest
looking old Indians L have yet met, and
is said to be one of the best mer
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 to call together all the
young men and explain to them tn
laws of the country, and exhort then
to be obedient to these laws, to main
/ tain friendship among themselves an
neighbors, and all return thanks TO
the blessing of the past year, and as
the Great Spirit to continue them TO
the year to come.