The Irish standard., 1888-09-15
!. 1A!N tlNpLAN . DANCE.
Description of an Entertainment Given by
"a li. the Hurons OF Canada.

a .
The Indians at Betshianlits, Canada, and
ut Moisie honored me with an exhibition Of
their national dances, says writer in Har-
per's Magazine The ballroom was bare
log 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 of men, squaws and
children squattlng on the floor in front OF
those standing about the walls. An aged
couple and some dogs occupied bed in one
corner, along with number Of babies Gone
up in rolls and corded against the wall.
The old woman gave the dogs and her bus.
Dand to drink from saucepan, and the old
man often lay back on the pillows with one
leg across the other to finger his toes. Now
and then a 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 more variety, wearing felt hats, OF
red handkerchiefs that foated about their
shoulders, or letting their long, black,
straight greasy hair whip up and down on
their cheeks. The band consisted OF drum
like common sieve, hung from the ceiling
by string in front Of the drummer~singer.
His score was very simple, and yet the low
notes Of the voice, at a fifth and fourth
below the drum, were quite effective with a
somber color suited to the shadowy, fe.utas-
tic scene.
The first set was like all tho rest in gen
eral form; number Of men came out Of
the crowd, and began following one another
around the stove nsar the center OF the
room. Their steps consisted in advancing
one foot, ducling, by bending the knees,
then sliding back the advanced foot nearly
to the other one. Their chief motion was,
therefore, ducd 1g, es if the entire company
in unison had trodden upon one another
corns; and although they 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
dancing jack, seemed to be iointed only at
the knees. The keeping of time was in the
ducing, for there was no stamping. After
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 She men did, ducking, hoN:
ever, still more suddenly, and advancing
still! less at each step. They were extreme
" sunny, Notwithstanding their great de-
corun1, their rather heavy figures, erec'
and rigid as statues, with downcast eyes
and shy turn of the head, bobbea up ane
down with overpowering solemnity. They
soon gave place to the men again. "A. young
Huron Indian now took the drum
and sang a more spirited, and varied
air to enliven the dance. The mez
closed up the file, forming con
tinuous circle of ducking figures. Thei,
steps were longer and freer, and they be
gan moving their arms about, and grunt
ing: "He! hel mel" AS the drumming
q1aickened, they increased their grotesqps
contortions and their shouting; here and
there a man turned about to face his neigh
bcr, and the two carried On with the duck
ing an extravagant pantomime, portr,syins
the hunt or the war; the music rose liz ths
most frantic crescendos and savage dis
cords; the actors, bounding about, ber.'
over and tore the scalps from their pros
trate victims, while yells and groans filled
the air 1t was the ancient war~dance
lacking Only the 1urid fire on the plume:
end bloody tomahawks Of the naked, paint
ed savages.