The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1886-03-24
THEn0os.IiE.TAY.


!, An Interesting Ceremony Held
Annually by Creek Indians.
The Creek Indians Of the Hick
Try Ground town OF neigbborhoot
held their annual "boos.ke.tan'
last week. This Is commonly call
ed "busk,' and is the occasion
when all the Indians Of a certain
section, under a local chief, meet
for the purpose Of taking their
"passan," OF 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, aud the
Others to the east and west. The
chief occupies the west end, and
his subordinate officials the ends tc
the other points Of the compass,
After everything Is got in Teadi
ness, a committee isappointed to
go out and bring in four round logs,
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 center.
Fire is produced by friction,
which is then placed in Lbe 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 after.
noon take draughls 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 wo
men wearing terrapin shells filed
with gravel bound together, with
buckskin thongs fastened to their
legs or ankles, which raltleand aid
in keeping time in the dance
They sing their peculiar songs, in.
terspersed with yell by the men,
and it is wonderful the amount of
labor that is endured during these
exercises, The women ate taste.
fully 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 medicine.
After this, on the third day, the
women bring the children, who
are made to drink, They are
washed in it, scratched in it,
scratched on the armsand legs With
a scra'cher Of many points, so that
the medicine can the sooner pene.
trate. These scratches are usually
made of garfsh teeth, or, in the
absence Of those, they are made by
sticking numerous pins through a
feather After each class get
through with their duties of drink
ing anddancing they are permitted
to go to the stream and bathe, when
they can return to the camp and
partake Of food and prepare for the
dance AZ night. During all these
ceremonies the women occupy one
camp and the men another.
On the fourth day the ashes are
all cleared 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 before any of
the members are allowed to eat
green corn, and is, properly speak,
ing, the greencorn dance.
In some towns Of old standing
these ceremonies ore kept up eight
days with much fo.mality 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 Took.
abatcha 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 meetings are not altogether
for the purpose Of taking medicine,
but are productive of much good,
Thechiefs Of these clans take occa'
sion to call togethOrall young men,
and explain to them the laws Of
the country, and exhort them to be
obedient to those laws, to maintain