New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-02

any he had ever heard, though familiar enough
with the music Of his people Then from .
thicket burst forth little mob OF men IN Mucous
masks tricled out with everything 70 make tnem
terrifying 70 the imagination. AS they ran aiong
in single file toward the cabin, the WE Oh
Skanawati came out and began beating inc doot-
step with a stick. Tie masked men ran lnbo
the house, and after some mysterious ceremonies
disappeared as they bad come. Though the medi-
cine man is still potent 1t would doubtless Dc
impossible for such an incident TO occur now
unless the minds Of the people were appalled, Dy
some mysterious epidemic or by some calamity
like prolonged drouth that destroyed the crops
of a whole season.
Another incident Of long ago, the like Of which
could never occur under present conditions. lends
on the shore of Grand River left by George John.
son to his family. When it became known
throughout the Reserve that Johrson had bought
the property, he visited by man then aboue
ninety-five years of age. who declared that h.
had killed a man in 2 cabin the ruins of which
still stood on the land Under the, old Indian
fable His brother had been murdered, and he
had traced the slayer TO this cabin. lie then
armed himself. not knowing but that he might
meet with resistance, went to the cabin. vet
his rifle down at the door. where he could reach
IL easily, and entered. He found the murderer
sitting astIide of bench in the middle Of the
room. Apparently the visit expected.
You lcrt my brother knife" the sem
tentious but picturesque remark Of the new
conner.
YES" was the still more sententious reply
WELL have come to give il back"
According 70 the old mans story. he pressed the
murderer backward upon the bench and stabbed
him to the heart. Leaving the body where It
lay, and remembering the invioable Indian GUS
tom that the weapon with which blood revenge
has been wrought must never be used again, he
carried his bloody huntng-knife away and thrust
IT into the grourd, point downward, between tho
roots Of tree. Johnson accompanied him TO
the spot, and, with a little digging. unearthed
a rusty knife. which the old man insisted was
the one he mad buried seventy-three years be-
fore 1t IS said that no murder has occurred on
of lnas fan hin
that time some Indians concerned with
two or three white rnflians in robbery which
lea to homicide, just over the border: hut it Is
almost certain that if were committed. the
old ceremony of blood revenge would be the last
thing thought of.
While UNDERGOING these notifications in habits
OF thought and in matters Of outward appearance,
tho Indians who cling 10 what they fondy call
the cid religion, have retained intact the two
most important features of their ancient ritual
the music and the dance. They have had no
cVlzod training in either Of those respects The
more or less frequent Use Of English has doubt
less modified their utterance but il has left them
stlll the barbaric power Of singing intervals that
are w"llnigh impossible TO one trained by what
is called the diatonic scale. Nobody could mis-
was astonishing how much grace an active young
fellow could put into movements every step of
which was made by raising the foot and setting IL
down fiat upon the floor There almost no
flcXure OF the ankle: the bending was all at the
knees and the hips. For difficulty. it was al
most ike dancing on stills There was no light
had 10 take all the thumps. Yet in the firsS
dance which was led by the warriors, many Of
the movements were highly interesting. All the
dancing and the music as we'll were marked ny
the most accurate rhythm. The women, in danc-
ing, used the alternating heel and toe movement,
so common among so-callcd uncivilized peoples,
which Fewkes noticed rs characteristic of the
| Zuni women in performing what he calls the
| dance of the Klar- hey-wev In this way they
| seemed to glide along the floor. In marching
they attained the same smooth. undulatory. mo-
ton by taking steps just half rs long and twice
as often as the men, without raising the fsss
men Were al ACTIVITY and exertion, the impassive
demeanor of the women was something 10 remem-
Der The dance led by the warriors was executed
TO tho rhythmcal heating Of two turtle rattleS
upon a bench, which had evidently endured the
same infliction many times before. Then the
women came out and danced - music furnished
by band of twelve musicians, who chante6
what seemed like invocation TO the Great
Spirit, for the words IIawennyo occurred in
il over and over again. The musicians sat facing
each other two benches in the middle OF tho
room. and the dancers cir'lel round them. Then
a dance was led by the chief men. and finally
most Of the per-ons in the room joined in what
was called the snake dance, an animated march
around the room. in which the whole line was
linked together hand to hand Doubtless tbe t 81
particular form of worship to which they are now
devoted
Aside from the chants, which seemed to he in
literary form appeals TO the Deity. no prayers
were offered The remaining exercises consisted
of addresses in the native language. SkanaWaII
several
Echo and Kanyadariyo (Gibsonl. blind man: who
seemed 10 he a person of rather rausual intel
lect, as well as Of staying powers in oratory ne
was formerly an expert lacrosse player, and his
Ioss Of eveecht was due 10 overeXertion at a
match in which almost the whole Dominion, was
interested The speeches .werr emphasized az
frcouent intervals by explosive words Of approval,
rnrirdinG one of the loud amens" that expedite
revival in the country besides calling up
Father Henncpin's Iroquois Senators with thelr
oft-roppated crv of Niaoua :"
Tho Green Corn Festival fitting close 70
pleasant soiourn upon the Reserve.