West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1895-02-14
SOME INDIAN sUpERsTlTIoNs.
The Snake Dance TO Appease the Rain
God and Break a Drouth.
Special Correspondence Of The Argos.

/ J
Many arc the gross superstitions
that possess the Indians mind, but
have been able to learn Of only q
few OF them. and these | will en-
deasof to give you. We must not
blame the Indian too severely for
believing these old traditions, for if
we look at some of our own, we
will find them clinging to us like a
negro to a Watermelon.
How many have sign for drop
ping knife, fork or dish cloth, itch
ing of nose, ears, eyes, hands, crow
ing OF IA cock. sneezing, ETC.? How
many believe in planting vegetables,
fence pc Is, and roofing house Gin
the moon ?" Into how many houses
can you 60 and not find one or
more horse shoes, which is belief
handed down from the early history
OF our country, when everybody be
lieved in witches, and many were
put to death for being suspected
OF practicing witchcraft. 1t was
then claimed that witch would
never go near horse shoe, and
everybody had them nailed over the
doors to keep the witches out, and
n thousand and one more are we
guilty OF believing. In fact, plead
guilty myself of believing in witch
cry, but my belief is not orthodox,
for instead Of all the witches being
old, ugly and wrinkled, my obser-
walton proves that it is the young,
fair, blooming damsels that do the
witchery.
Well, | wander from my text;
but wandering has been my lot. or
| never should have found this for
saken spot.
AS / have already told you. the
Indians will not live in house in
which some one has died, but burn
it with all the belongings of the
deceased (Which, rs rule. is not
very much). | can count the burnt
spots by the hundred all over the
plain where houses have stood. if
we may 'cill them houses, for they
seem to be built for burning rather
than to live in. They believe the
evil one comes into a place where
one has died.
They will never tell a white man
where there is gold. if they have
eound any. rs they believe ali their
family would die by thus offending
the evil one, whose duty it is to
watch over all precious metals. 1t
is believed that many know where
there is gold.
They believe the spirit that brings
rain Is an enormous snake which
strikes the clouds with his tail,
causing the thunder and lightning.
They believe ne sleeps when there
is drouth, and so they proceed to
awaken him with what IS known as
the "Snake Dance" There was
one held some distance from here
about two months ago. and | got
an account of it by an eye. witness.
They select number of the best
braves aud divide them into two
groups. The one is the antelope
group and are dressed in the skins
and horns of that animal. The
other is the eagle group. and have
eagle feathers all over them aud
head dress made from whole eagle.
They go through many ceremonies
with the medicine man before they
are ready, lasting two DAYS. When
they are fully dedicated to the God
of Rain, the antelopes start on the
hunt of snakes, gong the first day
south, next day north. next east.
and last west, and catch and place
in bag which they carry all the
venemous rattlesnakes they see. All
this time the e'gles are prepjrlug
the ground, which is on high hill
difficult of ascent. On the morning
of the seventh day as soon as dawn,
they start on run for the top 0f
the hill. They must get there be-
fore the sun rises or the charm is
broken. From the beginning Of
the proportions until the end If
the dance the antelopes nor eagles
are allowed to cat bite Of any
thing, and it IS pitiable sight to
see them straining every nerve leap
ing from rock TO rock in their Ell d.
thusiasm TO do their dirty to their
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