Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-11-28
INDIAN DANCES.
HOW RED MEN USED TO SHOW
THEIR ENDURANCE.

Terrible Torture Inflicted Upon
Themselves The Curious Beg
ging Dance-other saItatorious
Ceremonies.
There are three kids Of Indian
ances-religious ceremonial, secular
ceremonial and social. The Hoch-e a.
yum or medicine dance OF the Cheyelnes
and Arrapahoes is identical with the
famous SUI da ce Of the Sioux, and all
the wild tribes had dance which repre-
sented the same idea, but in the more
warlike tribes il was followed by horri
BILE tortures. These tortures were ac-
cepted as test of endurance, which is
looked upon as the loftiest human virtue.
Those tortures are not part Of the Hoch-
e-a-yum, but take place at the close of
that ceremony. Twenty years ago when
the Indian youth desired to leave the
ranks of childhood he was obliged to
go through an ordeal as brutal aud
bloody as it was poss BILE for Indian in
genuity to conceive. At that time there
were volunteers for torture at the close
of every medicine dance. They were
gene ally young men, but on rare occa-
sions an older warrior would desire to
expiate some wong, and would do SO
through self torture. Those who volun-
teered for the torture did not join the
dance, but spent the few days immedi-
ately preceding the trial in fasting and
seclus!on.
The old men and the Medicine Chief
decided when the proper time had ar
rived and sent for the volunteers one by
one. They were examined carefully to
ascertain what amount of suffering they
could endure without fatal consequences.
When all had been looked over GER
tain religious ceremonies were perform
ed, and the Medicine Chief took a broad
bladed knife and approached the line.
On some he would make two vertical in
cisions ON each breast about two inches
apart, passing the knife through the pee
toral muscles. The portions between
the incisions would be lifted up, and the
end of horse-hair rope passed through
and fastened to piece of wood. The
free ends of the rope were then fastened
to the top of the lodge-pole, giving the
Indians about ten feetplay. Sometimes
the incisions were made through the
muscles OF the back, and the rope at
tached to blocks of wood OF buffalo
sculls. Others were dragged up into the
Dir and left to hang until their weight
and struggles tore out the flesh and re-
leased them.
In this condition the sufferers remain
ed without food or water until by their
own efforts, OF the softening of their It's
sues, they were able to tear themselves
loose from the ropes. Each man would
make most strenuous efforts to free him
self. They realized that it was best to
tear loose as soon as possible, not only
as quicker end of their torture, but al
so from religious point of view, as it
was "good medicine" to tear lose at
once, but "bad medicine" to be long
time about it. As soon as the victim
was freed he was examined by the Medi-
cine Chief and religious ceremonies were
gone through with, after which the
wounds were dressed and the warrior re-
ceived the congratulations of his friends.
Should any one finch from the knife
or cry out or show any signs of suffering
during the progress of the trial he was
released at once, and was thereafter o
disgraced man. He was held in great
contempt, could neither hold property
nor marry, and was made to do woman's
work.
These ceremonies were common to all
wild Indians, though under different
names. At times some warrior would
announce that on certain day he would
undergo the torture in expiation of some
deed he had committed. A plant pole
was planted, and after the rope was run
through the incisions the other end
would be tied to the top of the pole,
which was bent over for this purpose.
This is the most exasperating form of
the torture, for the pole would give with
his struggles, but at the same time re-
tain its CHASTITY hold, and the victim
would frequently be several days freeing
himself.
As rule each tribe had at least one
purely religious dance each year. If q
tribe was in good circumstances they
sometimes had two or more.
OF all the ceremonial dances the med
icine dance took precedence, and the
scalp dance came next in Importance.
This always occurred the day following
the return of successful war party.
Before the dance ceremony was per-
formed by the warriors, who took the
scalps, no one else being permitted to be
present or see what was done. The In
dians who took part in the ceremony
would sit in close circle, and during
the ceremony the scalps would be trim
med and cleared of all feshy matter and
the skin cured. Each scalp was then
stretched on wooden hoop and the
hair dressed. After this each warrior at
tached his scalps to small pole. This
ceremony was looked upon with great
reverence, and was preparatory to the
scalp dance. When it had been finished
all the warriors marched in single file
back to the camp and planted theil
poles, with the dangling scalps, in q cir
Gle in the center of the espotchosen for the
dance. Those who had scalps were then
joined by the others of the party who
had taken part in the fight and had won
the right to participate in the dance.
All assembled around the circle facing
the poles, A sign was given, all the
warriors joined hands aud commenced
q monotonous song, keeping time with