Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-01-04
AMONG THE eLAckroor INDIANS.
Wonderful Sight Of n city of Tepes. a,
m Annual Feast aud Holiday.

an Annual rsa.t aud Holiday.
Presently, as we Iourneyed, n little
line Of sand hills came into view. They
formed the Blackfoot cemetery. We
saw tho "tcpees OF the dead" here and
There ON the knobs, sgme new and per
feet, some old and weather stained.
some showing mere tatters Of cotton
Tapping ON the poles, and still Others
only skeleton tents, the poles ROMAN.
Ing and the cotton covering gone com.
pletely. We knew what We would SOC
Il We looked into those dead tcpees'
(being careful 10 approach from the
windward side) We would sec, lying
on the ground or raised upon a frame.
work, bundle that would be narrow
at top and bottom and broad In the
middle--an Indians body rolled up In
a sheet of cotton, with his best bead
work and blanket and gun in the bun.
die, and near by kettle and some
dried meat and oornmeal against his
feeling hungry on his long journey to
the hereafter.
Az one or two Of the tepecs were
now, we expected TO see some family In
mourning and. sure enough. when we
reached tho great sheer sided gutter
which the bow river has dug for It,
course through the plains, we halted
our horse and looked down upon n
lonely trio OF tcpeos, with children
playing around them and women
squattcd by the entrances Three fam.
lilies had lost members and were scques
tered there in abject surrender TO grief
Those tents of the mourncrs were at
our feet as we rode southwark, down IN
the river gully, where the grass was
green and the tnoes were leafy and
thriving, but when We turned our faces
TO the eastward, where the river bent
around great promontory, what q
sight met our gael There stood n city
OF tapocs, hundreds Of them, showing
white and yellow and brown and red
against the clear blue sky. A silent
and lifolsss city II seemed, for we were
too far of to SEQ the people or to heat
their noises. The great huddlc Of littlc
pyramids rose abruptly FROM the level
bare grass agains, the llawloss sky, not
like one Of those melancholy new tree
lcss towns that white men are building
all over tie prairie, but rather like q
mosquito neet beoalrned at sea.
There ARE two camps on tho Black.
foot reserve, the North Camp and tho
South Camp, and this town OF tents wa.
bctwoon The two. and was composed Of
more households than both together;
for this was the assembling for the sun
dance, their greatest religious festival,
and hither had come Bloods, Piogan.
and Sarcls as well as Blackfect. Only
the mourners kept away, for here were
10 be echoed the greatest ceremonial,
OF that dead past wherein lives dedi
Gated TO war and to the chase inspired
the deeds Of valor which each would
now celebrate anew In speech or song.
And at each recurrence OF this Won
dcrful holiday tlmo every night wa
spent la feastlng. gorging and gam
bling. In short. II WAS the great event
Of the Indian year and so it remains.
Even now you may zee the youns
braves undergo the torture, and II you
may not see the faithless wives disci.
piincd You may at least perceive a
scon who have been, as well rs hear
the mighty Boosting and witness the
dancing, gaming aud carousing. -Ju
liam Ralph ia Ilarper's.