Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1890-05-06
DopAihsutllt ReHtatktaA
TUESDAY; MAY 6, 1890
THE GRASS DANCE.
Ono OF tho Surviving Festivities OF tho
| North Ame erican Indian.

North American Indian.
Every race, civilized and savage. mus
have its play. When David danced be
fore the ark, 1t was in tho performanc
OF q religious rather than social cere
mony, and this is true Of many Of tn
dances of the ancient races, and esses
TALLY true in the main OF tho dancin
of Indian tribes. Many of these dance
partaking OF tho nature of the savag
race were barbarous and cruel. Man.
innocent dances, however, are still on
joyed. The majority of these are plain
ly religious ceremonies, and with rae
so filed with mysticism and reverence
for the supernatural as tho Indians II
mere pastimcs, even fetichism bears
relation.
To-day your correspondent witnessed
at the Crow Agency hop or gras:
dance. the most picturesque and wildes
scene that could be painted or imagined
The savage finds nothing useful o.
aesthetic in the habiliments OF civiliza
tom and even blankets and Logging
more to his fancy are discarded In the
two most important occupations OF life
war and dance. The only garment his
sense OF modesty or comfort requires II
the clout, yet IL must be said his aesthetic
sense is instinctively higher or more
cultivated than that OF his white
brother. The painted and beaded and
feathered savage Is far more pict
uresque and pleasing sight than the
dude and his adornments, and his adorn'
ment is loss homogeneous to the artistic
eye than the civilized gentleman's even
ing dress, and, might add, not much
more without the bounds Of modest
delicacy than the evening dress OF the
civilized lady.
As among all ancient nations, the
sexes mingle in very few Of the dances.
There are squaw dances and buck
dances, but promiscuous dancing seems
undiscovered or under the ban. The
grass dance is buck dance; the squaws
arrange the area and contribute the
grace and inspiration of their presence,
but bear no part in the dance.
The costume OF the dance is striking.
A crest OF gaudy-colored bristles sur
mounts his own reached and braided
long jet-black hair. At his waist Is
bound feathered garment which covers
half the back and trails on the ground.
As he dances arms and legs are en-
circled by girdles Of shining metal or
rich-hued furs, and horns and rosettes
of many various varieties of ornaments
are disposed about his body, but the
most important part OF his makeup is
the ornamentation applied directly to
the skin. This is painted from face TO
feet in most fanciful and grotesque
variety; one-half the face will be red or
black, the other white, or perhaps on a
solid ground will be imposed figures OF
white, or green, or blue. The body
may be painted white, or red, or green,
or may combine all the colors the fancy
suggests.
''0h, aren't those pretty silk tights9"
was the comment OF tenderfoot when
he saw the first full-dress dance. A
neighbor suggested that they were not
silk tights, but only buckskin, mot"
| think worth preserving.
The instrument which furnishes mu-
sic for the dance Is huge drum, made
usually by stretching skin over Sec
ton Of the hollow bowl OF a cottonwood
tree. Around this are seated ten or a
lozen drummers, each provided with one
stick, with which ho pounds vigorously
md in excellent time The arena Ia n