Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-25
INDIAN F~ANDANGo.
The May Dance and sweat House Dance
al Seen In Lassen County.
Lessen Mail, Nav 10TH


Lessen Mail, May 10th.
attend the grand fandango of the indians
which took place during Saturday nigh
and Sunday last, and which was to be tn
last affair of the season. We accepted al
offered seat in a friends wagon and pro
ceeded some several miles to the south o
town, where the festivities were to tax,
place. The campooda is situated on a bill
near the ranch of John Hulsman, and con
sists of a sweat house, a board cabin and
number of brush hyts.
Toward evening of Saturday we went Il
the camp, where we found assembled quite
a number of Pit, Piute and Digger Indians
whose number was constantly increased
by fresh arrivals. Among the motley
crowd were a. number OF whites, who, like
ourselves, were impelled by curiosity to
view the ceremonies-which by the way
are the last of the season and will not be
repeated until autumn.
This was the spring or May dance, and
yearly occurs during the month of May,
after which the sweat house is closed fol-
the season. The ceremonies were COM
menced by Bill, a stoical Indian of large
frame and whose lips and mouth seemed
to be a sort Of cell attached to his head.
The mouth evidently was built on a plan
that could deliver a spread eagle Grafton
in any language. The speech, as near as
we could catch it, was:
Nocum slimslam horse hair chewing
gum mawmiem slosh wash hog wash cloot
sum hiyou slaugehen dam white man no
good pitchedition chemuck wartumtum
itsonydum finger soup coidum hell ching
cotem big ingun me-or words to that
effect.
This speech was listened to by all the
Indians not engaged in gambling. Ac-
cepting the hospitality of friend Hulsman
We did not attend this portion of the pro-
gramme.
When we arrived at the camp Sunday
the crowd had increased by new arrivals,
and must have numbered over a hundred
bucks, squaws, pappooses, white men,
women and dogs included. Gambling
seemed to be the chief attraction, which
was INDUCED in by the Piutes-a number
of bucks being seated on one side of the
sweat-house and squaws on the other. A
purse was made up by each buck contrib
uting something, which was covered by
the same amount by the squaws. The
money, which generally amounted to some
$40, was placed in the dirt between the
players. The game was played with
shells, and each party having five sticks
for counters. As near as we could catch
onto the game, a buck would take a shell
in his hand, and placing both hands under
the blanket, would manipulate the shell
for a long time, all the time himself and
companion gamblers were chanting a mo-
n%otonous song. Upon removing his tightly
closed hands from under the blanket, he
would fold his arms, and then a squaw
would clap her hands a number of times
and hen suddenly extend one of her arms.
thereby indicating which hand OF the
buck she guessed the shell was in. This
was repeated a number of times, and the
squaws took the she'll and repeated the
same ceremony. The party guessing the
correct hand that contained the shells re-
ceived that lumber Of sticks-the party
getting all the sticks raked in the coin.
In the afternoon a collation. was served
which consisted of biscuit and thin loaves
of bread that resembled pies in thickness
and size. This was accompanied with
dried apple sauce, being washed down with
coffee cooked in a coal oil can. Dessert
consisted of a small tuberous root which
was eaten with much relish. After the
repast, the squaws decorated their persons
profusely with sagebrush and wildfowers.
formed a ring in the open air and per-
formed a spring dance. Joining hands
they danced, or rather hoped around in a
circle, keeping time with feet, hands and
body to the singing Of a single squaw, who
in the key of high G, repeated over and
"Wetum humpum too wano charley,n
accompanying herself by clapping two
sticks together in perfect time. The mo-
tons of this dance consisted in giving a
short hop with both feet sideways accom-
panied with a motion of the arms that re-
sembled men saving ice, while the portion
that generally, with the white female,
supports a hustle, was kept in a motion
that would have displayed that ponderous
piece of feminine dress to good advantage.
The squaws were neatly attired in dresses
in which white and red were the prevail
ing colors. Nearly every one sported a
red bandana, looking as if the Democratic
party had thrown their flaming insignia to
the squaws after their defeat in the cleo
ton last fall. By the way, one could not
help noticing the contrast between the
neat and comfortable dress of both buck
and squaws with the ragged, squallied at
tire of the same a few years ago.
We must confess hat were W taken in
and had to endure the heat of a sweat
dance. Having a curiosity to see this
part of the performance, we unluckilv'
entered the sweat house just as the fun
commenced. Immediately the door was
closed and covered with blankets to ex-
clude every particle of air. A brisk fire
was burning in the center of the house,
around which a dozen or SO nude Indians
commenced to dance to the music of an
Indian pounding IN an upright post with
a stick. 1t was not long before the sweat
began to start from their bodies; as fresh
fuel was added to the fire their motions
increased. The MOTORS consisted of hop
ping and stamping with their feet and
comforting the body into every possible
shape, while every muscle was exercised.
This was kept up until the sweat poured
in streams from their bodies, after which
they ran to a stream of cold water close by
and plunged in all over. This was our
ulst anu VIC Sdu doSuIC yOu tlldt II Will ne
our last time in a sweat house. As we said
before, the door was tightly closed and the
novelty Of the situation and surround
ings kept one from noticing the heat,
which was fast increasing, but we were
soon brought to our senses by feeling the
sweat trickling down our backs. We made
a break for the door, but too late, as a big
buck Indian was there first, and, with a
smile on his 9x16 c~ouhtenance, politely in
formed us that we could not get on. Well,
we had to resign ourselves to the situation,
taking the chances of being roasted alive
or suffocated by the smoke. For at least
half an hour we endured the heat and
smoke, combined with at least four hun
dred different and distinct Indian smells.
John Rogers, who was burned with nine
small children at the breast, could not
have suffered more than. we did in that
half hour. You can just bet that we were
about the first Indians that went through
the door when it was opened.
The concluding ceremony was shooting
the bear. An Indian ~personated the bear
bv ,p-aet,,- b,,,.olf al a. L.. -