Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-03-17
The Sun of the Sioux.

article we quote the 1OllOWlng
''W hen all had assembled and the
medicine men had set the date for
the beginning of the great dance ded
icated to the sun, the 'sun-pole was
selected. A handsome young pine
or fir, forty or fifty feet high, with
the straightest and most uniformly
tapering trunk that could be found
within a reasonable distance was
chosen. The selection is always made
by some old woman, generally the
oldest one in the camp,if there is any
way of determining, who leads a num-
Der of maidens gaily dressed in the
beautiful beaded buckskin gowns they
wear on state occasions; the part of
the maidens is to strip the tree of its
limbs as high as possible without fell
ing it. Woe to the girl that claims
to be maiden, and joins the process
sion the old squaw forms, against
whose claims any reputable warrior
or squaw may publicly proclaim.
Her punishment is swift and sure, land
her degradation more cruel than in
teresting.
s'The selection of the tree is the
only special feature Of the first days
Celebration. After it has been strip
ped of it's branches nearly to the top,
the brushwood and trees for a cOnsid-
cradle distance about it are removed,
and it is left standing for the ceremo-
ny of the second day.
"Long before sunrise the eager
participants in the next great step
were preparing themselves for the Or
deal; and a quarter of an hour be-
fore the sun rose above the broken
hills of white clay long line Of naked
young warriors, in gorgeous war
paint and feathers, with rifles, bows
and arrows, and war-lances in hand,
faced the east and the sun-pole, which
was from five to six hundred yards
away. Ordinarily this group of war
riors numbers from fifty to possibly |
two hundred men. An Interpreter |
near me estimated the line | beheld |
as from a thousand to twelve hundred |
strong. Nor far away, on high hill |
overlooking the barbaric scene, was |
an old warrior, mediterranean of |
the tribe, think, whose solemn duty |
it was to announce by shout that |
could be heard by every one of the
expectant throng the exact moment |
when the tip of the morning sun APP
peared above the eastern hills. Per-
feet quiet rested upon the line of
young warriors and upon the great
throng of savage spectators that black
ed the green hills overlooking the
arena. Suddenly the old warrior,
who had been kneeling on one knee,
with his extended palm shading his
scraggy eyebrows, arose to his full
height, and in slow, dignifed man
ner waved his blanketed arm above
his head. The few warriors who
were still unmounted now jumped
hurriedly on to their ponies; the
broken, wavering line rapidly took on
more regular appearance and then
the old man, who had gathered him
self for the great effort, hurled forth
a veil that could be heard to the ut
termost limits of the great throng.
The morning sun had sent its COM
mands to its warriors on earth to
charge.
1.-The shout from the hill was re-
echoed by the thousand men in the
valley: it was caught up by the spec
tators on the hills as the long line Of
warriors hurled themselves forward
towards the sun-pole, the objective
point of every armed and naked saw
age in the yelling line. AS they con-
verged toward it the slower ponies
dropped out, and the weaker ones
were crushed to the rear. Nearer and
nearer they came, the long line be-
coming massed until it was but
surging crowd of plunging horses and
yelling, gesticulating riders. When
the leading warriors had reached a
point within a hundred yards of the
sun-pole, a sharp report of rifles
sounded along the line, land moment
later the rushing mass was a sheet of
flame, land the rattle of rifle shots was
like the rapid beat of drum resound-
ing among the hills. Every shot, ev-
cry arrow, aud every lance was di-
rected at the pole, and bark and
chips were flying from its sides like
shavings from the rotary bit of a
planer. When every bullet had been
discharged, and every arrow and
lance had been hurled, the riders
crowded around the pole and shout
ed as only excited savages can shout.
Had it fallen in this onslaught,
another pole would have been chosen
and another morning devoted to this
performance. Though this seldom
happens, it was thought that the nu-
merous assailants of this pole might
bring it to the ground. They did not,
however, although it looked like a
ragged scarecrow, with chips and
bark hanging from its mutilated
sides.
"That such vast, tumultuous
throng could escape accident in all
that wild charging, firing of shots,
hurting of lances and arrows, and
great excitement would be bordering
on a miracle, and no miracle happen