The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1890-01-31
INDIAN DANCES.
Ceremonious and Social .Observ-
ances OF the Red Man.
The Most Important and Interesting Of
Which Are Now ObsoIete-ClvIiiza-
tien 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. It 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
gooc forever, and many dances that we're
formerly often seen Will never be Wit
messed again, for while there are still
many wild Indians, each tribe has It's
distinctive dances, and with the civiliza-
tiOn Of 3 tribe or its extinction came the
loss Of its peculiar dances.
The Cheyenne, Arapahoe and Sioux In
dians 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 or rare occurrence, and when
they are performed ii is done in a per-
fuRctOry manner. as though IL was all
duty and no pleasure. The contrast with
the conditions Of things in the same
tribes ten years ago is striking, and this
deczdence OF Indian ceremonial has
caused an inquiry into the old rites.
Living nezr Leavenwo-th is "a old
Arapaloe chief, who Is peacefully end
iu- his DAYS in E good, civilized man
ner lie vas noted for his great agility
in the dance. and 20 such an extent
were his performances remarkable that
his name % Rlack Wolf had been trans
formed by the French traPpers into La
LOup Cuvier, or the Loapiug Wolf.
Knowing his former fame he was
scush. and asked TO give somo iniorma-
tion r-ysrcing the dances in which be
took part Tue old Indian was slow to
start, but, - re became interested, he
was animated With the recollections of
his youthful days, and, with flashing
eyes, Le almost seemed 70 renew his
youth as be recounLed The achievements
OF h.s 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 Chevenn5s
and Arapahocs Is Identical with the IA
nous sun dance Of the Sioux, and all the
Wild tribes bad a dance which repre-
sented the same idea, but in tho more
warlike tribes the dance was followed
-AH'- -As-5 NAI LAIt-S 1-t7.- LtF-LH..--1
were accepted as the tests OF endurance,
HLlch IS looked upon as the loftiest
human virtue These to-tures are not
part Of the hoch-e-a-y Jun. but take place
at the clOse Of that ceremony. Twenty
years ago when an Indian youth desired
70 leave the rsnl,s OF childhood he was
obliged - 90 through an ordeal as brutal
as-d bloody rs it was possible for Indian
ingenuity TO conceive. At that time
tber: Hgre y2lunteers fQC ..-,lurl-e ct the
close Of every medicine dance. They
were generally young men, lnt on rare
occasions an older warrior would desire
70 expiate some wrong and would DO so
through self-torture Those who vol
unteered for the torture did not Join the
dance, but spent the few DAYS immedi.
ately preceding the trial in fasting and
seclusion.
The old mon and the medicine chief
decided when the proper time had ar
rived, ard sent for the volunteers one
By one They were stripped 70 the
breech-clout and we're examined care
fully 70 ascertain what amount Of suf-
fering they could endure without fatal
conseq qUences. When all had been
looked over certain religious ceremo-
MES were performed, and the medicine
chief took a broad-bladed knife and
approached the line. On some he would
mako 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-h hair rope passed through and
fastened 70 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 10 blocks Of wood or buffalo
skulls Others were dragged up into
the air and left to harg until their
weight and struggles tore out the flesh
and released them.
In this condition the sufferers re-
mained without food or water until by
their own effort, or the softeniny OF
their tissues, they were able 10 tear
themselves loose from the ropes Each
man would make most strenuous efforts
70 free himself They realized that il
vas best TO tear loose as soon a. possi-
bic. not only "a a quicker end of their
torture, but also from = religious point
OF view. as it was good medicine 70
tear loose At once, but bad medicine" 70
be long time about il: As soon as the
victim was freed no was examined by
thc medicine chief, and religious cere-
MONIES were gone through with, after
y hich the wounds were d7essed and the
warrior received the cougratulatIons OF
his friends
Should any one finch FROM the knife
or cry out or show any Signs Of suffering
during rho progress OF the trial DO was
released atonce and was thereafter . dis-
raced man he was held in great con
tempt, could neither hold property nor
marry, and was made 70 DO wOnens work.
These ceremonies were common 20 all
wild Indians. although under different
names at times so-e warrior would
aunQuncc that on q certain gay he would
undergo the torture in eNpiauon Of somo
deed which he had committed A plant
pole Was planted, and after the rope was
run through the incisions tho other end