The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-08-25
The Sun Dance. CAlaArH HAfAld.

Calgary HeraldA
 The BlaokfOot cum dance is over and Quistness once more reigns supreme cn the reserve eouth of Glelchen. The dance began Monday, and was kept up until Wednesday evening, and waa conducted In orthodox fashion, with the usOAl accompAnyments of tom- tom agony and feAsting. Nearly threa thousand Indians had gathered for tho occasion, and their camp of about two hundrea aud Afty lodgee presented . very picturesque appearancA The "hrave making" was, of course, the piece dc rcstssaace, although the number of bucks aspiring to the honor of the resimAn's knighthood was exceptionally small, only two. The ambitious bucks enjoy lengthy names of the usual unpronounccAhie and un. translAtable description; but one of them has In addition c name which has come significance for the un. sophisticated white man. This young gentlenan's nickname, translated, means "The Gun Bringer," and is a souvenir of deed of daring he is credited with having performed In those good old days before tho bufihlo went. when the favoritc diveralon ot Blackfeet and Cree society was tho killing of ono another. Tho story goes that the young buck while . mere boy attacked and killed a party of Crees and carried hack their guns to the topees of hta tfIbc. Hence his name. Both the candidates for bravo. ship passed successfully through the prescribed ordeal, but the torture was not % severe a usual, As old Crow foot has made up his mind to gradu- ally do away with the most trying parts of the ceremony. Two slits, as usual, were cut in the breasts of the bucks, but instead of being cut deep into tho flesh, tho incisions were made only deep enough to allow of the skewers being clipped under tho skin, which they broke with comparatively little cxertion on tho part of the bucks. The shoulder torture was aa comparatively light. A very light bunch of beads and buttons suspended from 1t freed the skewer from tho slits of skin between tho shoulders, In marked contrast to tho severe torture in the days when tho skcwers were thrust through tho Aesh to tho depth of couple of inches.
 Objects of interest to the visitors at the reserve were couple of interest. ing little white children, boy and girl, who, although possessing all tho physical characteristics of white children, arc kept by one of the squaws as members of her family. These bright little 0Bes have blue eyes and fair hair and skin, but dreas and live exactly as do their little dusky brethren. The squaws of Crowfoots tribe, with that falling for gossip supposed by some to be char acteristic of their sex, keep several stories In circulation as to the origin of these strange little youngsters. The story which finds most favor with the tribe gosslps Is that tho children were stolen some time ago from Fort As- siniboinc, Mon., and that their father Is an American army officer quartercd there. The squaw mother, however, ascribcs these stories to the greeu- eyed monster, and mys tho children arc her own. Some people who have become interested in the two little ones have attempted to induce the squaw to allow them to Do cent to the Indian school st High River, but she refuses to separate herself from them.