The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-10-04
THE INDIANS GALA DAY
The Close Of The Hop Picking Season
Celebrated at the Fair Grounds.
BARBECUE, RACES AND WAR DANCES
weird and Picturesque Dances by
the Yakima, UmatiIia, Ceiyiiie,
Ncz Perez and other Tribe. OF
Red NIen.

the Yakima valley and their red brethren
from the Umatills. Nez Perez and Col
vile tribes, all of whom have been en-
gagged in harvesting the hops in the va
rious yards this fall, did not enjoy them
selves at the top OF their bent" yester-
day, then anyone is nightly mistaken.
The crowd at the fair grounds was most
certainly heterogeneous, yet it thoroughly
enjoyed itself even while matchmaking
the clouds Of dust that filled the air and
the grand stand to repletion.
The attendance at the grounds yester-
day was equally as large as was that OF
any day during the state fair; the only
difference noticeable being a diminution
Of the sum received at the gate, caused
by the 1000 free passes given by the hop
growers association to its pickers. The
| m oney taken in at the gates Wednes-
day only amounted to $50, with perhaps
an equal amount at the grand stand; yet
the crowd on the grounds was estimated
at about 5000
Oxen, sheep, bread and watermelons
galore found a resting place in the rotund
receptacles lying just below the belt Of
every siwash at II o'clock yesterday /;
and, with contentment chasing the red
paint over their innocent faces, the wards
Of the government latter buying several
blocks of stock in the merry-go- round)
ambled in the direction of the track, and
the sports began.
Race No. was two-mile jaunt. 1t
started off at Robert ]. gait, tapered to
gentle canter near the mile post, and
looked like delineation of the story OF
the hare and the torpoise a. the wire in
the second lap, the torpoise, OF course,
being strictly "in it." The beautiful
part of this, as indeed in most OF the
other races, was the fact that every ST.
wash got prize OF some sort, thereby
insuring the presence of the pipe of peace
The second race was a mile dash, and
in this the speed was not so disappoint.
ing. Three horses entered, three prizes
were won, and three souls made happy.
Two white men then entered horses for
quarter-mile dash in match" race.
One OF them won, but it took good eye
to tell which, it was so close.
The third race was an Indian foot race.
Perhaps dozen sprinters from the vari-
GUS tribes were participants here. A Nez
Perez buck looked very well before the
race came off as he paced up and down
in dignifed strides and pair OF peculiar
leggins However, he ran out of assur-
ance as well as wind before the others
had well begun; and when he came in,
perhaps five minutes after the "ngger'
passed under the wire, he was saluted
with howl of derision very similar to
that which greeted the |. Y. l.. sorrel in
the novelty race of Saturday last. The
'nigger" was halfbreed Yakiman, and
right valiantly did he defend home hon.
| ors.
| Another match race preceded the event
of the day, the ''squaw race"
| Five dusky maidens upon (of course)
an equal number of cayuses, put their
neither extremities man-fashion over as
many saddles, nodded approvingly to ia
vored suitors in the crowd. and were off.
Paul Revere wasn't a circumstance to
these people, John Gilpin was far out
shone; and the manner in which those
horses were bestridden recalled, perforce,
that old song the psalmists sung about
amazing grace" The bucks had filled
the grand stand when this race begun,
and as horse after horse dropped behind
or spurted ahead, different yells from DIFF
ferent Threats filled the ears OF the white
listeners. Pandemonium itself broke
loose at the close finish, three horses be-
ing almost neck and neck under the WIRE
| Then came the pom pom dance of the
Yakimas. Under the direction of Rev.
George Waters the Indians formed
squares and circles, wound IN and out OF
them in snake.like lines to the tune of a
monotonous chant, and paired off in the
center OF the blanketed crowd like small
white boys and girls do when they sing
liking William was King James son."
And the way those bucks danced was as
tonishing. No toe artistic from Paris
could more gracefully have toed-out and
toed-in, and no Bowery dance house
could have furnished better can.can ma
terial than was here presented. They
kept it up for an hour-over $50 of them.
And when they were completely exhaust
ed handful of silver was thrown from
the judges stand, occupied by DIR. Hill,
| A. Is. Ross and James Mackison, and the
crowd OF dust which arose from the
scramble made the vast audience think
twilight was upon them; and the track
and grounds emptied themselves into car
riages-and the first day of the Indians
| jubilee was over.
On Thursday the crowd in attendance
was even larger than ON the previous day,
and the sport equally attractive. A num-
Der of the races were closely contested,
and again the squaw racewas the feature.