Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-09-27

hundreds of tepees and several thousands of
bucks, squaws and papooses, also great
mass of other animal life. There were IA, 000
or 1900 Indians present This crowd,
mounted and on foot, was centering on the
big dance house, where the festivities were
in full blast, the dancing having begun with
the first rays of Che sum- all of the dancers
having spent the previous night seated in a
circle in the center of this tepee waiting for
the sun to rise.
The Wa-che-pee tepee Tor dance house, was
an immense circle, inclosed ON the outside
except wide entrance by posts set in the
ground; the spaces filled in with brush, with
a shade of the same built over the top. The
middle of this inclosure-occupied by the
dancers-was open to the full glare of a pow
erful SUM- All around this circle, on the
posts supporting the shade, were hung ban
ners of different colored calcoes, painted buff
falo hides and gayly decorated shields of the
same material The general effect was that
of circus.
In the center of the circle was planted q
tall cottonwood pole, from which were hung
banners, lariats, buffalo heads, medicine
bags, punches of painted porcupine quilts,
bundles of birds feathers and large figures of
men cut out of buffalo hide. This pole was
cut, hauled to its place and planted by NUM-
Der of maidens the evening before. 1t is the
only part of the ceremony women are al
lowed to participate in. They are even ex
cluded from the inclosure, but are kindly al
lowed to crafty their curiosity by peeping
through the outside brush.
The orchestra, located opposite the en-
trance, consisted of six enormous tomtoms
operated by as choice body of thieves and
cutthroats as ever murdered music The
dance, being continuous from the rising of
the sun until the going down on the second
day, requires unceasing music, SO there was
a detail of musical experts to relieve each
other at stated intervals
SEVERE TEST.
The dancers, more than 150-most of them
youngsters going through the ordeal for the
first time-are ranged around the center pole,
keeping time with the tomtoms with a pecu-
liar step that requires one foot at a time to be
raised, while the weight of the body is brought
down on the heel that is touching the ground
The body is crouched and bent forward with
the arms raised, the right arm being extended
above the head when the left foot is down,
and the left arm when the right foot is down.
This alternating motion constitutes the dance,
and can be kept up without gaining ground
But the fresh youths occasionally spring both
backward and forward and thereby elicit APP
plause. All the time the dancers must face
the sun and look at it, They are not allowed
any head covering, and are stripped naked,
except breech clout.
The dancers hold in their mouths whistles,
made out of the bones of turkeys wings,
which they blow as they breathe, the object
being to keep the mouth dry. They are not
allowed water or food during the whole time
of the dance about forty eight hours. To
intensity their desire for water, which is the
harder of the two to bear, several philanthro-
pists go among them with water, which they
pour from cup into a bucket in front of the
dancers SO they can see and smell it. These
philanthropists are accompanied by good
Samaritans who assist the power of the sun
by flashing light from looking glass into the
dancers eyes.
Only the most tender hearted of these cul-
tured children of nature are intrusted with
these delicate missions, and they must belong
to different lodges than the dancers they APP
pear before Their desire is to break down
the dancers while it is matter of pride
with the members of the lodges to which
these youngsters belong to succeed and it is
permissible for buck, not one of the
dancers, to go alongside of a tired friend and
let him lean his back against him. both keep
ing up the dance. Although the dance was
not more than six OF seven hours old when
we appeared, there were several dancers be-
ing assisted in this manner. The only cessa-
ton of the dance allowed the dancer (eaca
one gets his chance) is when the big medicine
man. who stands near the center pole, calls
him up to be operated upon. But he is only
permitted to stand still long enough to en-
dure that pleasure, which consists in having
missions made in the flesh of his breasts OF
on his back below the shoulder blades,
through which are run throngs of deer skin,
to which are tied either buffalo head or a
lariat, taken from the pole.
While this matter of sight and sound is
kept up warrior will enter the circle and
in a loud voice crate to the crowd, telling of
his exploits in the good times gone by, when
scalping was not lost art. This dance Pm
telling of was held the next summer after the
Custer massacre, and several of the audience
present had been actively engaged in it, These
orators talk well, and what they say is lis
tened to with great attention. 1t fires the
young mems hearts with desire to emulate
the deeds described, and keeps the dancers
nerved up to go through with an ordeal which
will entitle them to appear and tell what they
have done, even if it only consists in the
killing of an old Ponca squaw
Sun dance is a fair trial of mans ability
to endure dscomforts. And when young
buck has successfully gone through with it
he is entitled to be considered qualified for
the vicissitudes of a warriors life. Capt.
Allen Smith in Pittsburg Dispatch