Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-12-12
The Spirit Dance.


Accompanied by Buckskin Jack Rus
sell, the scout, Major Burke, and a
half-breed named Hall Eyes, United
Press reporter witnessed one of the ia
nous ghost dances of the Sioux.
Mounted on cayuse ponies the party
started early last evening for Wound
ed Knee.
The trail lay over Il rough rolling
country where the buffalo grass is now
yellow and short, and where the snow
lies in depressions in the earth. Half
Eyes was in the lead. The travelling
was hard and extremely painful, and
it was nearly daybreak when the low
moaning chant oi the Sioux and the
snarling of the dogs were heard in the
distance. The camp of the fanatics
could not be seen until the ridge of a
low chain of buttes was reached. From
this elevation one could see the fires
burning.
Half Eyes tethered the ponies near
the ridge, and the rest OF the trip was
made on foot. The sky was just flush
ing with the dawn when the expedition
reached Il clump of young cottonwoods
which skirted the banks of Wounded
Knee. From this point an excellent
view could be had of the dance, while
it was at its most exciting stage.
As near as Half Eyes could estimate,
$50 bucks and squaws were in the
dance. Big Tree stood in TIE middle
of a circle of Indians squatted on the
ground. while within radius OF GO
yards were 400 Indians who were chant
ing with the dancers. Many of the
Indians were in war paint, some of
them were naked to their hips and
across their big muscular breasts weie
streaks of red and yellow paint. Beads
tinkled from their porcupine fringed
legs, and eagle feathers hung from the
crown of their glossy heads.
Some of the dancers were robed in
white cotton cloth, which was pinned
at the breast and drawn over the head
in the form of a hood. Five medicine
men sat on the ground outside of the
circle. They were old men with wrink-
led, skinny faces, and rs the chant rose
and fell, according to the higher or
lower drumming, they waved medicine
sticks above their heads. These sticks
were painted green with handles FASH
ioned after the shape of snakes.
The dancers held one another's hands
and moved slowly around the tree.
They did not raise their feet as high
as in the sun dance. Most of the time
it looked as if their ragged moccasins
did not leave the ground, and the only
resemblance to dancing was the weary
bending of the knees.
Round and round the dancers went
with their eyes closed and heads bent
towards the ground. The chant was
incessant and monotonous. al see
my father; see my mother; see my
brother; l see my sister," was Half
Eyes exclamation as the squaws and
warriors moved laboriously about the
tree. Half Eyes said the dance had
been going on all night.
Stretched upon the ground close to
the tree were two warriors and one
squaw. They were in fit of a catalep-
tic nature. Their faces were turned to
the sky and their hands clutched the
yellow grass. One of the warriors was
a tremendous fellow whose breast was
SCARED and painted and whose ears
were pierced with rings. The dancers
paid no attention to them. Their eyes
were closed.
Suddenly one of the warriors ON the
ground leaped to his feet and exclaimed
al have seen the great father, but he
will not talk to me-" Then another
warrior got up and cried: al have
seen the great father, but he will not
talk to me, because i have no ponies"
The squaw was the last to get up on
her feet. She was a young woman
with bells on her blanket and red
ochre streak marked line where her ra-
ven black hair was parted. In a shrill
voice she cried out: 81 have seen the
great father; he sent an eagle which
picked me up and carried me to a far
away mountain. The great father told
me that the whites would be driven
from the country and that the Indians
would rule the land and buffalo and
deer would return"
The Indians now danced with greater
vigor, and their cries were louder and
more vehement, but they kept their
eyes closed. Round and round they
danced; some of them SO fatigued that
they pitched forward on their faces on
the grass. Their faces were distorted
with paint, but there was no stop for
food, drink or rest.
One by one the squaws and war; ors
fell unconscious upon the ground, and
as they did they beat their heads against
the tree and on the sand and stones
until blood spurted from their wounds.
One big Indian, whom Half Eyes rec
ognized as Big Road, rolled and tum-
bled on the ground until his splendid
face was mass of cuts and swellings.
AS each dancer fell, the circle was
reformed and the dancers resumed.
Nearly all of the dancers were covered
with wounds from previous exertion.
One of the bucks wore white hood
and cloak smeared with blood and he
danced in his bare feet. The sun had
been up two hours when the dance
closed from sheer exhaustion OF the
Indians. They fell in all kinds of po-
sitions and many Of them were in cat
aleptic fits.
The fires burned dimly and the med