The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-05-18
CHINOOK DANCE.
How the Yakima Indians
Propittate the Diety.
Weird lamentations and Grotesque Dances
in Washington Territory.

A recent issue of the Yakima wash
ington Territory Signal says:
Yakima CIV. T.) Signal.-The Indians
are by nature supcrstitious, but the ag-
gressions of civilization il this quarter
have killed many of the old beliefs of the
Yakima tribes in signs, "hoodoos," and
the efficacy of pum-pum and Tumanimus
dances, and the lamentations of medicine
men in driving away the evil spirit.
There are some, however, who refuse to
conform to the new customs and revel in
superstitions handed down by their un-
tutorcd progenitors. This faction held
their annual Tumanimus dance and feast
on Monday last, on the reservation just
below Union Gap. The Signal reporter
was on hand with the expectation of
capturing an interesting item, but the
mummerics which were weird and fasci-
mating were at the same time entirely I'M
Ineligible. At the head of the Gap on
q promontory a large white flag foatcd
from q pole, and two miles further on
blue, white and orange flags marked the
long, low building or shack where the
exercises were being conducted. The
medicine house, for SO it proved to be,
was about seventy feet in length and
completely covered with the mating.
From the inside came the monotonous
chant of many voices and the steady beat
ing of Indian drums, but although the
Signal representative and a young lady
who accompanied him walked completely
around the structure they could find no
entrance, and were debating a plan of
action, when q fly of the mating sud-
denly flew up Immediately in front of
them, and the hidcous painted face of a
Enthusiastically clad siwash presented itself
to view and nearly scared the young lady
into commissions. A friendly wave of
the hand, however, disarmcd fear and
ushcred the pilgrims before a scene of
barbaric grotesquencss which would tax
the pen of a Dumas to describe.
On a platform covered with skins, at
one end of the lodge, Indian children
were crowded, and in front of the little
ones was the orchestra of six huge bucks
with instruments which appeared to be
made of sheepskin stretched over empty
cheese boxes. Along the length of the
temple or lodge were ranged the bucks
on one side and the ~klootchmen on the
other. They were all clad in gorgeous
costumes and the ~many-colorcd blankets
and prints gave a rainbow appearance to
the worshipers. Their faces were paint
Ell with orange, blue, red and white
paints, and when there was any consider
able space of solid color there would ap-
pear fairly well executed figures of
moons, stars, birds and beasts, in con-
trasting tints. All had fans of feathers
and many wore hcad-dresses of fine furs,
feathers, and even the horns of animals.
There are various pum-pums
during the year for divers objects, the
n just celebrated being Tumanimus, or
Chinook dance, held for the purpose of
propitiating the Deity and bringing on
the warm winds from the Orient to carry
off the SHOWS. When the winters are
usually hard the Indians do severe pen
ance, and three years ago, when the cat
tie and the Cayuscs were dying by the
hundreds, the Tumanimus lasted for
ten days, and the self-inflicted punish
ments were Of q rigid nature. Sa-lu-
skin, one of the head Indians, took q
dull knife and heyed out great blocks of
flesh from his arms, singing and dancing
all of the time in religious frenzy. The
next observance is the festival of the
''reburial of the dead" when the bones
of Indians who have died or been killed
will be exhumcd, covered with new
blankets and exposed to the view of rel
ativcs. Then comes the salmon dance,
at which the Great Spirit is cntreated to
send a free. u of that s%ucculent fish
which form so prominent q factor in the
Indian food supply.
The recent Tumanimus was under the
direction of Co-ti-ah-kin the head medi-
cine man, who directed the o~bservanccs
by means of a bell. For hours and
hours the Indians would dance and chant
their songs, which are not devoid of
harmony, until tired nature could bear
no longer, and then they would fall on
their knees and offer up their 'tamens'
to the exhortations of the medicine man.
The singing and prayers were all in the
native language, and even the lookers-on
who were familiar with the jargon were
unable to catch the drift of the importu-