The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-28

stranger, for he took prominent part in
Louis Riels rebellion against the
Canadian government and after the exc
cution of Riel fled with his followers to
the side of the line where his people are
the pariahs of the land, earning n few
dollars by tanning hides, polishing buffalo
horns, selling ponies and too often feed
ing from the offal heaps and swill barrels
of the whites. They have no homes, they
stay at one point until driven To another
as Little Bear says; "ManitO made
one country. White man draws a line
and makes two countries. l fight the
white man north of the line, l am driven
south OF it and the bones of my children
lie scattered on both sides"
His explanation of the sun dance is
this: when Mantle gets high in the
heavens and the grass is springing up and
the trees putting out their leaves, though
Mantle sons are sick with the long win
ter, we dance the sun dance to thank
Mantle for the things that grow and ask
him to make us well. The white mans
priests East for several days at certain
times in the year, so Manito's children
fast and think of him. The white man
and the half-breed kneels and pravs to
/ his God, we dance before Mantle; it is our
church and our preaching; the young
| listen 10 me and ! instruct them in the
/ ways of orr fathers
/ Waving his arm at the Salvation Army,
! which passed in the street Just then, Lit
| tie Bear went on:
| 1--WE have days like the white mans
/ Sundays, and then like those in that pro-
| cession we ask everybody 10 come and
! hear US, and we do not care if they laugh
| inside that is because they do not UNI
! derstand. Nepakishemonatick sun
dance is from Mantle, He taught my
/ ancestors and they taught me My ia
Their and the old men of the Crees told me
/ tn lyR their nlnpae ~ tbaKr1a lA
Teach our people to make the sun dance
in the spring, and when the day comes
around again dance once more; and if at
| the time there are children who have no
father, no mother, no kin, give them
ponies and blankets and what else they
need So we remember the day.
We also meet to punish ourselves for
! sins. For many days and nights before
the dance we eat nothing. drink nothing
! we grow very thin. The men sit apart on
one side of the lodge, the women on the
other, and all think of Mantle Then
the old men 20 into the woods, and select
ing growing tree, report to the lodges,
passing from tepee to tepee chanting the
songs of Mantle. We form q procession
on horseback, the young men carrying
| guns and bows and the sQuaws behind
the men. We march to the tree, and dis
mounting, gather about il, singing and
dancing. As the tree falls we shoot il
| down, happy because the leaves have
grown so large, and drag it back to the
lodges. There we set it up, making stalls
III which naked worriors dance, screened
to the waist, and over all we
weave a willow roof Next the young
men come to me to ask permission TO
show their courage and to eXpinte their
sins. cut Sits in the flesh Of their arms,
making medicine to keep them from fos-
! tering. In these are placed small sticks
to which strings tied to loose logs or Ia
the top of the sun-pole are attached. The
young men dance dragging the log or lean.
| ing their weight on the strings as young
pony pulls back on the halter that leads
him. We have a sham battle, sending out
scouts; we march through the lodges, we
tear up bits of calico ana throw them on
the ground as the flowers grow, and the
men and women sing and dance. Thirty
men will play on the shank-bone flutes
and eight men on small skins stretchedou
hoops, and there will re a big hide, also q
The modern Indian has lost nothing by
contact with the white man, and Little
Bear is a good advertiser He has asked
permission to give a parade a la circus OF
the street before commencing tho dane,
and in it preceded by the band of shank
bone and cowhide artists, most likely
his warriors will appear in full dress o
paint and feathers. Many of the citizen.
are taking great interest In the matter, as
it is more than likely that it will be the
! last celebration of IL at any accessi bll
point. The Great Northern, 1t is under
stood, will run excursion trains at on,
and fifth fare. A large crowd is ex
pecten from others states and other part
of Montana. The dance takes place june
10 to II, but the Indians ''go into train
ing'' on June l.