Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-12-12
INDIAN DANCES.
Ceremonious and Social ,Observ-
ances Of the Red Man.
The Most Important and Interesting OF
Which Are Now ObsoIete-CiviIiza-
ton Accounted Responsible
for the Change.

tion Accounted Responsible
for the Change.
The publication recently of the per-
Torrance of the medicine dance brings
out the fact that the Indian dances and
ceremonies are almost obsolete. 1t is
true that on rare occasions the savage
tribes indulge in some ceremonial dance,
but the round of pleasure that few
years ago marked the Indians year is
gone forever, and many dances that were
formerly often seen will never be wit
messed again, for while there are still
many wild Indians, each tribe has its
distinctive dances, and with the ciyiliza-
ton of tribe or its extinction came the
loss of its peculiar dances.
The Cheyenne, Arapahoe and Sioux In
dams were the most noted among the red
men for their dances, both as regards the
variety and number of good dancers An
investigation reveals the fact that now
dances are of rare occurrence, and when
they are performed it is done in per-
functory manner, as though it was all
duty and no pleasure. The contrast with
the conditions of things in the same
tribes ten years ago is striking, and this
decadence of Indian ceremonial has
,aused an inquiry into the old rites.
Living near Leavenworth is an old
Arapahoe chief, who is peacefully end
ing his days in good, civilized man
ner. He was noted for his great agility
in the dance, and to such an extent
were his performances remarkable that
his name of Black Wolf had been trans
formed by the French trappers into La
Loup Cuyier, or the Leaping Wolf
Knowing his former fame he was
sought and asked to give some informa-
ton regarding the dances in which he
took part. The old Indian was slow to
start, but, as he became interested, he
was animated with the recollections Of
his youthful days, and with flashing
eyes, he almost seemed to renew his
youth as he recounted the achievements
of his race. The substance of his talk
was CLEANED and is here given.
There are three kinds of Indian
dances: Religious ceremonial, secular
ceremonial and social The hoch-e-a-
yum or medicine dance of the Cheyennes
and Arapahoes is identical with the IA
nous sun dance of the Sioux, and all the
wild tribes had dance which repre-
scented the same idea, but in tho more
warlike tribes the dance was followed
by horrible tortures. These tortures
were accepted as the tests of endurance,
which is looked upon as the loftiest
human virtue. These fortunes are not
part of the hoch-e-a-yum, but take place
at the close of that ceremony. Twenty
years ago when an Indian youth desired
to leave the ranks of childhood he was
obliged to go through an ordeal as brutal
and bloody as it was possible for Indian
ingenuity to conceive. AT that time
there were volunteers for torture at the
close of every medicine dance. They
were generally young men, but on rare
occasions an older warrior would desire
TO expiate some wrong and would do so
through seif-torture. Those who vol
unteored for the torture did not join the
dance, but spent the few days immedi-
ately preceding the trial in fasting and
seclusion.
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 stripped to the
breech-clout and were examined care
fully to ascertain what amount of suf-
fering they could endure without fatal
consequences. When all had been
looked over certain religious ceremo-
MES were performed, and the medicine
chief took broad-bladed knife and
approached the line. On some he would
make two vertical incisions on each
breast, about two inches apart. passing
the knife through the pectoral muscles.
The portion between the incisions
would be lifted up and the ends OF
horse-hair rope passed through and
fastened to pieces of wood. The free
end of the rope was then fastened to
the top of the lodge pole, giving the
Indian about ten feet play. Some
times the incisions were made through
the muscles of the back and the ropes
attached to blocks of wood or buffalo
skulls. Others were dragged up into
the air and left to hang until their
weight and struggles tore out the flesh
and released them.
In this condition the sufferers re-
manned without food or water until by
their own effort, or the softening OF
their tissues, they were able to teal
themselves loose from the ropes. Each
man would make most strenuous efforts
to free himself. They realized that II
was best to tear loose as soon as posi-
BILE, not only as a quicker end OF thell
torture, but also from religious POM
of view, as it was good medicine tC
tear loose at once. but bad medicine" te
be long time about it. As soon as the
victim was freed he was examiner oN
the medicine chief, and religious eere
monies were gone through with. aitel
which the wounds were dressed and th'
warrior received the congratulations o
his friends.
should any one finch from the knit
or cry out or show any signs of suffering
during the progress Of the trial he was
released atonce ard was thereafter as
kraced man. He vas held in great con