The Portland daily press., 1892-01-25

Dack his head swallowed IL at SUPP rub
blng his chest and the back OF his neck
after the operation, presumably to facili-
tate the descent of the pellet. The re-
naming three were swallowed in the
same way at intervals OF perhaps half
an hour. This is generally repeated
three times in the course OF the ceremo-
n.y. making twelve mescals to each man.
As soon as the first mescals had been
eaten the man sitting next the old tire
tender took the drum, while his nearest
companion took in one hand rattle and
in the other an eagle tail fan and curl
ously ornamented stick. Inns suck was
used as hand rest, one end being set
upon the ground. while the fan was for
the purpose of screening the eyes from
the blaze of the fire in front. The rat
tie, fan and stick were decorated with
various symbolic figures and colors. In
its main features the ceremony is form
of elemental worship. the prayers being
addressed to the mescak the ire, the
rain. the earth, the sun and the morning
star.
The one now began to shake the rat
tie and started plaintive mescal chant,
while the other kept up an accompani
ment with the drum. These chants are
hymns to the mescal and the various
powers of nature. Like most Indian
songs, they are in the minor key. Each
couple continued the song for perhaps
fifteen minutes and then passed the in
strunents on to the next two, who start
ed another song, and thus it slowly went
around the circle. AS the night dragged
along the tired ear became almost in
sensible to the low monotone OF the
songs and the incessant din of the drum;
the fire took on strange shapes as 1T
blazed up and again died down, throw
ing weird shadows over the dark forms
around the circle, until at last the whole
thing seemed as unreal and far away as
the memory of dream.
From time to time the old man placed
fresh wood upon the fire and carefully
piled up the ashes SO as to form white
crescent just within the crescent mound
of earth. The mescal was handed
around and eaten at intervals until day
light began to shine in through the can
vas and we could hear the Indians STIR
ring about the camp outside.
Now the door flap was suddenly lifted
and man stepped in, carrying in his
arms an infant. The child was sick al
most to death and as a last hope he had
brought it to the sacred lodge to be
prayed for by the priests of the mescal.
There was something deeply affecting in
the pathetic earnestness of the father as
he watched the priests praying over his
child, which seemed in stupor and
made no sound. The ceremony COM
pleted, he left as silently as he entered.
The sun mounted higher and higher,
and the fire burned low until at last,
when nearly noon, the singers took up
the raven song, which is always the
final one. While this was being sung
the door flap was again raised and some
women on the outside handed in pans of
hashed meat, parched corn soaked in
water, heavy cakes of bread and coffee.
AS soon as the song ended these were
passed around the circle, each man TAX
ing what he wanted. Before eating each
one threw a small piece of meat into the
fire as an offering. The fire received also
piece of bread from each man, while
one or two grains of corn were placed
upon the mound and a few drops of
coffee poured over it as a libation.
With final prayer and another re-
quest from the old man that should go
back and tell the whites that the In
dams had religion of their own which
they loved, the ceremony ended. From
sitting full fourteen hours in such a
cramped position, with the constant din
of the songs and instruments and the
glare of the fire in my eyes, / was pretty
well used up and for awhile hardly
able to move, but the mescal eaters ap-
peared to be as fresh as when they be-
gan. Before we had made ready our
horses to depart the sacred lodge had
been taken down and only the mound of
earth and the ashes remained to show
where it had been.
JAMES MOONEY.