Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-12-03
DAKOTA FEAsTs AND DANCES.
Mystic Ceremonies Preliminary to Hostile
Expeditions.

Mystic Ceremonies Preliminary to Hostile
Expeditions.
The Dakota Indian, in the days when
| tribal organization prevailed and white
supremacy was yet thing of the flu
| ture, began all his notable enterprises
with dancing and feasting. He danced
before going on the warpath. If victo-
| rious, he danced for joy on his return.
If defeated, he danced in Precipitation
of the angry deities. He danced to
make the grass grow, as well as to get
| rid of an Objectionable wife. He danced
when receiving into the blood brother
hood of his secret order fellow-mem-
Der of the tribe. He Toasted and danced
in homage to the sun and moon, and
when his larder was full and his ''heart
was good he called in his friends and
neigh bors to share with him his pros
perity and happiness.
Preliminary to hostile expedition,
the whole tribe to which the braves
destined for the foray belonged, partook
of a sacred feast styled Makaowakiya.
Numerous mystic ceremonies were
practiced, and the warriors carried
blankets filed with pulverized earth
into the great teepee of the chief medi-
cine man. Of this earth were built lit
tie hills, similar in shape to those
formed by gophers, and over them in
cantati ons We're performed.
The observances connected with this
feast being at an end, the young men
who were to face the enemy for the first
time retired and took part in the armor
banquet, termed by them Wotawewo-
hanpi. Gathered about great fire,
they ate raw flesh, and besought the
god of war, in shrill accents, to make
them valiant and to deliver the foes of
the tribe into their hands. "Give us
brave hearts, o Wakantanka," they
cried, land if we must fall, let it be
like good men and true. But rather,
o father of battles, let victory crown
our efforts Then shall the Crows fly
to the hills, yea, even. to the noun
tains, and with faces painted black, be-
wall the day they met the sons of the
Dakota. But to us shall be the greet
ing of the conqueror. The maidens of
the tribe shall hail us, bind up our
wounds and bring us food The sun
shall smile on us by day, and the moon
make light our path by night. The
wise men and the warriors of renown
shall call us brothers, and with the
horses of the enemy shall we purchase
wives to guard our teepees and rear our
sons. Hear, oh hear us, Wakantanka,
fierce and mighty one"
If the invasion proved successful, and
scalps were taken, the homecoming
was celebrated with the Iwalacipi or
scalp-dance. In this circle was formed,
one-half composed of braves who APP
peared with their bodies painted, and
wearing on their heads magnificent war
bonnets of feathers. in their hands they
held drums and rattles. The other half of
the circle consisted of young women
carrying the scalps stretched on hoops.
To the beating of the tom-tom and the
monotonous ''hi, hi, hi of the men, the
females danced until exhausted. Then
their places were filled by others, and
thus the festival was kept up, often for
weeks, the custom being, if scalps were
taken in winter, to dance until the
leaves grew; if in summer, until the
leaves fell. When either of these
periods arrived the CHASTITY trophies
were buried.
It may be noted in this connection,
however, that the earnest efforts of
noble Christian missionaries long since
caused the abandonment of the hideous
custom of scalp-taking. 1t is asserted
by those well acquainted with the tribes
of the Dal1otas. and also by several of
the head chiefs, that no member of the
nation has s'lifted hair" as they term
it, for twenty years Abstention from
the ancient practice was particularly
noticeable during the last great out
break, which was rendered memorable
by the death of Custer.-Yo Com
panion.