The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-12-14
Wild Scenes at the Pine Ridge
Agency.
HOW THE INDIANS ARE FED.
Half-Siarved Steers Set Free to be Hunted
and Shot by the Copper-C0lored
Claimants

string OF buttes that protected the camp
from the east winds. The post house beef
issue was to take place and every one was
going out TO view the exciting spectacle.
Three miles from the agency are the cor
rails, strongly fenced yards with connecting
gates aud one gradually narrowing lane
leading to scale house gate-the gate OF
death for the starved-looking steers that
are huddled together at the lower end Of
the yard. The issue of beef at this agency
is made twice month At one issue about
two hundred and fifty head of cattle are
killed and at the other only eighty eight.
The large issue is for all the Indians on the
reservation and the smaller one for those
who live near the reservation, and can draw
rations twice month. AS soon as the
Indian agent came out of his Office and
started in a light wagon for the corral
there was wild scramble in the same di-
rectlon by every one at the agency who
could get away. Bucks rode out on their
ponies and the squaws drove out in wagons
so as to bring in the carcasses OF the steers
after the bucks had killed them.
When all was in readiness the Indians,
sitting on their ponies In two columns
dozen deep formed an alley from the cattle
yard hundred yards out on the prairie.
An employee called out the Indian name of
Red Deer and this put the members OF his
family on the alert. Then the gate swung
far enough open to allow one steer to crowd
through ana escape from the pressure
caused by the COW boys whips as they
crowded the cattle against the gate. The
first steer was long black brute that
looked as if he had been wandering over
the Texas trail for years Once through
the gate he stopped for minute and threw
up his long horned head in search OF some
route of escape. Finding none he rushed
down the long walled alieyway, urged on
by the unearthly yells OF the Indians. AS
he neared the end of the line half a dozen
ponies each bearing some member of Red
Deer's family with robust appetite, sur
rounded the animal and one of the Indians
succeeded on the second effort in throwing
rope over the animals horns. Then the
Indians riding three on a side drove the
steer on gallop in the direction of their
wagon. AS they approached 1t Red Deer
holding the end of the lariat galloped
around the steer until it's legs were en-
tangled, when he ierked the lariat taut and
threw the animal to the ground. Then the
rack of one of Clusters carbines was
heard. The shot, which had been fired by a
son of Red Deer, killed the steer and mo-
ment later the Indians had cut the animals
| throat and begun with feverish haste, born
of hunger, to dress the carcass and get it
home to their tepees
| Meanwhile other steers had been iber-
ated and similar scenes were being enacted
in all directions. Many of the Indians
seemed to prefer an exciting chase over the
plains after the steer, and permitted the
animal to start well off before beginning
the persuit. With dozen families, all
well mounted and armed, charging over
the prairies in pursuit of cattle and shoot
| ing whenever the chance of killing seemed
| favorable, without checking the speed OF
the ponies, it required but little effort Of
imagination to fancy the chase to be one Of
the now traditional buffalo hunts. There
were eighty eight of these long horned con
tract skeletons in the corral and in hal
as many minutes they had been FLEE
through the gate and driven off to thei
death by the Indians Occasionally SOM
steer would seem to have a charmed lif
and would run straight over the plateau to
ward the encircling buttes, regardless o
} the steady popping of his pursuers' rifles o
their frantic efforts to change the cours
of their rapidly disappearing hopes of some
thing to eat. None of the steers escaped
however, though many of them SCENE
built with view to speed instead of steal
, The word family" used in the distribu
| tion of beef means merely division OF tn
tribe, made by the agent for convenience
in issuing beef. Each "familynis compose
of about thirty Indians of all ages. To tn
community, rather than family, one {
these steers is issued semi-monthly. Their
is story to the effect that these steer
weigh 500 pounds each, but this Is an III
5 doubted exaggeration.
;. There were great times in the Indian vi
lage during the afternoon and evening, an
the Indian dogs seemed to breathe a trif
easier while their masters were feastlr
of beef. About sunset tremendous bea
ing of drums accompanied by an uproar
t GUS chanting attracted everybody to the Il
: dian camp. The commotion proved to
+ the introductory movement TO one of Il
peace dances known as the squaw dane
What seemed at a distance to be the sour
of many drums proved to be the poundir
3 of one old drum by dozen squaws eaC
, armed with a Enthusiastically decorated drum
stick the end of which was wound Wi
thongs of leather, forming ball about 1
large as an egg. A dozen drummers sat
3 a circle, and welted away with perfect IL
difference as to time, each one getting in
Q crack whenever convenient Around tn
couchant cirdla were the squaw dancer
dressed in their brightest colored carmen
and wearing all their available tin trim
cts. One squaW who made herself qui
conspicuous as sort of leader displayt
i some iewelry that evidently had not con
It through the Indian traders store. o.
J. article of jewelry as her dress slee
q slipped to the elbow of her raised arm du
: ing the final of the dance, was beautif
bracelet, an elaborate affair composed
half hundred slender silver strands grac
, fully interviewer. An officer who stood b
side me admiring this bracelet drew upC
his imagination for explanation of t
sQuaw's possession of the trinket. We Fl
ally concluded that it was q bracelet tn
had been stolen by some road agent al
v that he had given it to the squaw. At OF
time during the dance this squaw stood {
' rectly IN front of me aud | asked her
> compound fractural Sioux and by gestur
: 'Where did you get that bracelet:' ''Tt
!. bracelet was purchased at Tiffany's as
a present to me from lady in Brooklyn
said the squaw in good common every d.
7 English. II used to travel with the xxi
Cure Indian herb doctor after l Cal
= home from Carlisle"
e The dancers numbered FROM fifteen
II twenty-five and were arranged in a Giro
!, around the drummers Each squaw CO
Quoted an independent dance, there was
J. claShlng OF hands or executing of fgur
J. but simply a swaying Of the body and
peculiar movement, their feet remaini
on the ground and their bodies nearly pe
:. pendicular, but rising and falling much &
a same as the drawing out and closing up
= telescope. Around the dancers formil
: the third and outer circle, were seated
q or more Squaws and children. In front
d each one of the squaws in the outer Giro
h was tin dish with a small piece of d
meat and couple of crackers. Early
the day dog had been killed and stew
Q in preparation for the dance and when til
$ for refreshments came and old mediu
e woman after series OF wierd incantatio
" moved around inside tee outer circle a
= distributed pieces of the dog and ir
. spoonfuls of the soup.
q The squaw dance lasted for about t,
/ hours and was ended by suggestion fro
e an old Indian who them made q she
:, speech in Sioux which was interpreted
. crowd. He thought that the white N