Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-08-18
AN INDIAN DANCE
Description of an Entertainment Given by tho HuronS of Canada.


 . The Indians at Betshiamits, Canada, and at Moisie honored mo with an exhibition of their national dances, says writer in Hdr- per's Md9dzifc. Tho ballroom was a bare og-house, dimly lighted by a lamp on high shelf. A great shadow covered the tawny faces just under the beams of the ceiling, and fell aslant the circle ofmen, squaws and children squattmg on the floor in front of those standing about the walls. An aged couple ant some dogs occupied bed in one corner, along with q number of babies done up in rolls and corded against the wall The old woman gave the dogs and her hus- band to drink from a saucepan, and the old man often lay back on tho pillows with one leg across the other to finger his toes. Now and then squaW picked her way among the crouching figures on the floor to the bed, hauling out her roll of baby, and gave it to suck. The women wore their national caps of black and red, but the men pre- sented moro variety, wearing felt hats, or red handkerohiefs that floated about their shoulders, or letting their long, black, straight, greasy hair whip up and down on their cheeks. The band consisted of drum like a common sieve, hung from the ceiling by a string in front of the drummer-singer. His score was very simple, and yet tho low notes of the voice, at q fifth and a fourth below the drpU were quite effective with 0 sonber color suited to the Shadowy, fantas- tic scene.
 The first set was like all the rest in gen. eral form; number of men came out of the crowd, and began following one another around the stove near the center ot the room. Their steps consisted in advancing one foot, duclinS, by bending the knees, then sliding back the advanced foot nearly to tho other one. Their chief motion was, therefore, duCking, as K thc entire company ill unison had trodden upon one another's cornS; and although thoy took three steps forward on each foot, yet by drawing this back, they advanced but an inch or two in each measure, and their legs, like those of a'dancing-jac seemed to be jointed only at the knees. The keeping of time was in the ;duChng, for there was no stamping. After a number of rounds thus in single file about the stove they retired, and some of the sQuaWs came reluctantly out to perform. They danced as tho men did, ducking, how ever, still moro suddenly, and advancing still less at each step. They were extreme ly funny, notwithstanding their great de- corum, their rather heavy figures, erect and rigid as statues, with downcast eyes and a shy turn of the head bobbed up and down with overpowering solemnity. They soon gave place to the men again. A young Huron Indian now took the drum, and sang q moro spirited and varied air to enliven the dance. The men closed up the file, forming con tinuous circle of ducking figures, Their steps werc longer and frcer, and they be- gan moving their arms about, and gruut- ing: He! he! hcr As the drumming ng Quickened, they increased their grotasque contortons and their shoutingi here and thero man turned about to face his neigh bor, al>l tue two carried on with the duck ing an cxtravagant pantomime, portrayins tho hunt or tho war; the music rose in the most frantic crcsccndos and savage dis cords; the actors, bounding about, bent over and tore tho scalps from their pros trato victims, while wells and groans filled the air It was the ancient war-dance lacking only the lurid fire on the plume' and bloody tomahawlls of the naked, paint cd savagcs