The gale., 1888-01-20
AN INDIAN SNOW DANCE.
IT'S PERFORMANCES AT STANDING
ROCK AGENCY IN DAKOTA.
A Grotesque Sight in Log House
Indian Courting-Eagle Fcath-
Hunting Without Guns.

! had long been wanting to see an
Indian ''snow dance" when one Satur-
day, after the usual bi-monthly issue of
rations, it was rumored that there was
to be an unusually large one about four
miles from the post. 1t was clear,
cold winter night, with the mercury
standing at twenty-eight degrees below
zero. The members of our little party
were soon snugly nesting in the straw
at the bottom of a Government sleigh,
and we were travelling toward the dance
as fast as four good mules could draw
us.
The dance was held in low log house,
about forty feet long and eighteen feet
wide. The door and windows were open,
and the house, which was not divided
into rooms, was lighted by two Kerosene
lamps. We entered during a lull in the
festivities. In one end of the. room,
souatting on the ground close to the WALL
were thirty-five or forty squaws. dressed
in their usual calico dresses and woolen
shawls Around the walls at the other
end sat the male guests, each with his
blanket or sheet drawn over him. In one
corner of the bucks end of the room was
u
which were seated just as many old
bucks as could crowd into the little cir
Gle. Near the middle of the room at the
squaws' end was another drum, equally
well provided with musicians. Near
these was small stove, in which
wrnkled old buck was keeping up lire
by feeding it with twigs. We ranged
ourselves along the wall near the door,
and, although our entrance was noticed
by all, they gave no indication OF 1t by
look or word.
Soon after our entrance the old fellows
around the tom toms began to beat them
with measured cadence, at the same time
accompanying the sound by grooming
weird song Suddenly one buck threw
off his sheet. and srringing to his feet
began to dance. He was quickly fol-
lowed by the others, and in moment
our brains were almost whirling at the
grotesaue sight. The dancing consisted
of a series of horrible contortions OF body
and face, accompanied by the most
blood-curdling shrieks and yells, the
feet, meantime, keeping accurately the
cadence of the drums. The Indians were
painted in the most striking manner
from head to foot. Each had head
dress or bonnet of colored buffalo hair,
with fringe of eagle feathers running
down the back. Brass bracelets and
anklets and strings of beads also adorned
many of them. The description of the
decorations of one of them will serve for
all. In addition to the .adornments
above mentioned he had double string
of sleigh bells running from his ankle to
a strap passed around the leg at the knee.
At the small of his back, and attached to
of long, colored buffalo hair. His face
was painted saffron yellow, with large
red spot on either cheek, and horizontal
red lines running across the forehead.
His eyebrows and the edges of the lids
were painted dazzling white His
body was red, and his arms and legs were
a light blue, with occasional bands
Of yellow. In one hand he brandished
highly ornamcnted with col.
ored horse hair and porcupine quiils, and
his appearance was truly hldeous MS he
twisted himself into almost impossible
positions and gave his blood-curdling
yell After the dancing had been going
on ten or fifteen minutes the tom-toms
ceased, cad he retired to his place blythe
wall and covered his steaning body with
q cotton sheet lie had probably walked
mile through the snow with the ther-
mometer 20 degrees below zero, with
only that cotton sheet to protect hlm
from the cold. Each dance was termin-
ated by the old dime-novel war whoop,
which the small boy initiates by yelling,
and at the same time vibrating his hand
before his mouth.
Once in every hour the squaws are al
lowed to take part in the dancing while
the bucks rest. They join hands and
form circle about their tom tom, and
their dancing consists of a series of side
bitches to the left, accompanied by sing
ing. They slowly travel around the
circle. Should any buck come near
enough to the circle, the squaw nearest
sezes his hand, and he is compelled to
join the squaw dance and make his cap
tor present at its close.
| At intervals during the dance we had
noticed two squaws enter, carrying be-
TWEEN them an iron pot slung on pole.
Tie pot was deposited near the stove,
and the squaws disappeared only to re-
peatedly return with other similar bur-
dens. The contents of the pots, we dis
covered, constituted the refreshments.
| nau lHt curiosity " louh iutu ohO VI oiu
pots, and was Mortified to find it filled
with muddy liquid, out of which was
protruding the grinning head of good
sized dog. 1t had been killed by blow
on the head and thrown as it was into
the pot to boil Each guest brings with
him to tile dance a tin cup with which he
helps himself to the soup at the proper
time. Fearing that we might be called
to Join the feast, we beat "a hasty retreat,
our brains whirling with the strange
scene left behind At these dances the
Indians even now work themselves into
a perfect frenzy, and it has always been
a custom with them to engage in dance
before going to war or on the eve OF 9
battle For this reason they are allowed
to dance only on certain stated occasions.
A scene accompanying nearly every
dance is the Indian ''courting." As is
the case amokg civilized people, some Of
the maidens are more sought after than
others, and it frequently happens that
eight or ten bucks will be seeking the
hand OF the same girl. They wait in the
vicinity of the dance until she appears,
when one of them approaches her, throws