The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-02-25
A MEDICINE DANCE.
Terpsichorean Performances of
. the Kiowa Indians.
Dancing Two Hundred and
Forty Consecutive Hours.

to the Courier-Journal, says: BY invita-
ton of Sun Boy, the chief of the
Kiowas, recently attended, with thne
other palefaces. lie eat medicine
dance of that warii:. tribe. The place
selected for the dan" was forty miles
west of this place, ca Rainy Mouptan
creek, tributary of the Washita river.
The place was we'll chosen, with Just
timber enough for shelter, good gr1s
and springs to supply drinking water.
The Kiowas formerly participated in tbs
dance annually, but owing to the scarcely
of buffalo they have only had two in the
past five years. One buffalo at lest
is essential to the medicine dance, aid
they had to so 500 miles and pay SDO
cash to obtain one for this dance. 1t
was Just sunset when our party arrived.
A place was pointed out to us by one If
the chiefs, our tepee erected, our horss
staked to grass and our water kegs fillei.
All of this work was done by squaw.
We were invited to supper, and to our
surprise were seated on the ground ton
sumptuous repast, of which we showd
our appreciation in very decided mai
ner. One of our party could talk Kiow,
SO we got their programme, and beig
weary from our days travel, turned n
81, 0f hotrs
We were astir by daylight next morning
and after a hearty breakfast of beef AMI
coffee, but no bread, We proceeded 3
! take in the sights.
The encampmcnt consisted Of tire
hundred lodges arranged in a circe
about one and a half miles IN circul,-
ference In the centre of this circle TIE
medicine lodge was erected. 1t was o
circle one hundred and fifty feet in cir
conference, with poles set il the ground
about four feet apart, and green brush
intcrwoven so thick that one could not
see through it. In the centre was q
pole about forty feet in height, o,
which the buffalo hide was suspended;
on the west side was placed the i'd
they worship, which was a figure CIT
i from stone, about thirteen inches high
resembling somewhat q mummy. o.
/ either side of the idol was q co@e-shapcl
pile of sand, with a small opening It
| the top, from which issued continually 4
very black smoke from one side and /
! blue smoke from the other. How tha
smoke was generated is beyond my ken
Ga the east side of the circle was al
opening, through which old Sol threw
his Respondent rays full in the fac.
of the idol as he lifted his head
above the eastern horizon. The dog
soldiers were dancing. The dog IL
dian is one who dances four days and
nights without sleep. If faithful, he i
honored among his people. The buffalo
dancers come next on the programme.
They dance four days and nights with
out sleep, but are allowed to take SOUP
and water occasionally il small quanti-
ties. They, if faithful, are honored by
the Great Spirit. TIE dog. soldiers had
been dancing three days when VIC
arrived, but one day of this WIS enough
for IL. They danced until, from sheer
exhaustion, they would fall to the
ground, when they woull be caught ur
by two or three stalwart bucks anC
carried to a hole of wet sand and muC
and rolled therein until they returned t.
consciousncss, when they would again
participate il the dance.
Any one of the tribe that felt re
ligiously inclined and that they would
prove faithful, could enter the dance,
squaws excepted. We were not al
lowed to enter the medicine lodge unit
We were dressed Ia mode, that is, Will
sheet and mOccasin5 on and hat off,
when we were treated rs their equals
The dancers were clad in sackcloth ant
ashes. They work themselves into
high state of excitement, singing, pray
ing and dancing. Some of them woul'
be crazy for hours at time.
On the evening Of the fourth day aftc
our arrival, Ti-mu-da. the mcdicint
chief, declared that the Great Spiri