Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-09-03
A BOOS-KE.TAN.
An Annual Ceremony Among the Creel
Ipdfaus-Its Use.

An Annual Ceremony Among the Creek
Indfans-Its Uses.
The Creek Indians of the Hickory
Ground town or neighborhood held
their annual ''boos-ke-t tan" last week.
This is commonly called dusk" and
the occasion when all the Indians of
certain 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 a brush
shed is constructed in the form of a
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 officials the ends to
the other points of the compass After
everything is got in readiness a COM
mlttee is appointed to go out and brng
In four round logs, which are placed
with ceremony in the center of the
arbor. the outer ends pointing to the
four card nal 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 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 twelve 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 wear
ing 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 peculiar
songs. interspersed with yells by the
men. and it is wonderful the amount of
labor that is endured during these ex-
ercises. The women are tastefullv and
brilliantly dressed and decorated with
their finest clothes, ribbons and orna-
ments. The next day the men go
through pretty much the same cere
monies, and take their medicine.
After this, ON the third day. the
women bring the children, who are
lnade 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 scratchers are usually made of
garfish teeth, or in the absence of
those they are male by sticking nu-
merous pins through feather. After
each class get through with their du-
ties of drinking and dancing they are
permitted to go to the stream and
battle. when they can return to the
10 Of nd oT-e,
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 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 be-
fore any of the members are allowed to
eat green corn. and is, properly speak
ing. 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 / have ever 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 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
blessings OF the past year and ask the
Great Spirit to continue them for the
year to come.-Muscogee H. IT, Cor.
~. 0. Times Democrat.