The Indianapolis journal., 1896-04-26
ASIOUX GIRLS VANITY
SHOWN IN SOME CURIos IN A PENN
sYLvANIA-sTREET DEN.
An Interesting Collection Gathered /,
by an Army omcer ON the
Frontier.


is the den" Here the man or the house
Is allowed to smoke without fear o. nnolssta-
ton To It are brought all the most com-
Portable chairs. The lounge IS there and the
light swings low, where IL may readily be
used for reading. The privileges Of the den
are almost unlimited It's open At all hours
and Is never expected 20 be in the prim and
immaculate order OF the company room It's
style Of decoration Is wholly unlike that Of
any other room In the house. This decora-
ton may be Of the odds and ends OF furni-
ture. which began its career In the utmost
respectability- In the den new things are
out of place. Collections OF various kinds
may be brought in for its establishment
When the visitor is a familiar friend IL II
not long until the hostess and caller find
themselves In the less formidable surround
ings OF the den and the choicest morsels Of
gossip are enjoyed, just as one likes TO hold
a chicken bone in the fingers when there
isn't company for dinner.
In North Pennsylvania-street house lne-e
is den which probably has as unique a lot
OF articles TO make up it's furnishing and
ornamentation as any In the State. The
couple who dispense the Inequalities have
passed a large part Of their married life at
army posts of the frontier. The Indian has
ly neighbor. The walls Of this den show
signs OF both. Some OF the articles have
been presents: some have been bought:
others have been picked up here and there.
from the land Of the Apache, the Navajo
and the Mexican. One OF the wedding gifts :
was Sioux war club. There was no note
OF explanation with the gift 10 enlighten the
couple as to its appropriateness This war
club has a handle about three feet long.
At one END there is buckskin moose, which
is slipped over the wrist Of the rider when
out on the warpath. At the other end there
is heavy weight red clay or sandstone.
This clay is found in Pipestone county.
Minnesota. The club is used TO brain a man
when he is down. The Indian swings II
with terrific force and the one hit probably
never knows what hurt him. Attached 10
the club by dirty calico string is a single
feather. 1t looks ordinary enough. but IL
means that the Indian who carried the club
took scalp with it. Every feather on a
war club counts "a scalp. Hanging on the
same hook with the club is a knife. an ugly
locking weapon. There is strong wood
handle, and set firmly In side at right
angles is long pointed blade that would
pierce the very vitals IL thrust at a man.
The little bit OF history connected with II
means much. The man OF the house which
has the den. who may be called captain.
for short, took the knife from an Indian
who had threatened his life just after
the Custer massacre. Had not the captain
been dextrous the knife which now hangs
peacefully on the wall of his den might
have prevented his ever having such a place
In which to enjoy life in the calm atmos-
phere of the Hoosier CAPITAL
/ CLUB AND MEDICINE BAG.
Attached another war club is a medi-
cine bag. This is always an accompaniment
OF the Indian when he goes TO any pace
OF danger such as on the warpath or out
hunting. Before starting the Indian goes
| TO the medicine man and gets an herb. or
he goes TO the mountain, where he makes
I an incantation. and believes IL is revealed
to him what herb or stick TO take The
herb Is tied in piece of calico and attached
to the war club. II the Indian is success
full he keeps the bag of medicine. and often
has the same old dirty rag for years; but
| If he is unsuccessful. the next time he goes
on the warpath or hunting he goes
| through the performance Of the incantation
again and gets another herb. One OF these
medicine bags opened once and was
| found TO contain few leaves OF Wild sage.
The end-of-the-century maid may wei be
happy that she Is not Sioux belle; not
because the Sioux belle cannot dance the
two-step. ride bicycle or know the de-
| lights Of ice cream soda, but because she
does not have to have her ears pierced in
order 70 wear the Sioux bellies earring.
| This ornament is not a gem set I'm gold or
silver and fastened through the lobe Of the
ear by gold thread. The earring secured
| from a belle OF the nation OF red men
reaches from the to the belt. The up
per part is strap of leather about an inch
wide. 1t is decorated with brass tacks ana
shells. Below this are two thongs OF raw
hide. around which colored beads are
wound AT the extreme end are a couple
! OF dog ears. with the hair left on Tho
length is about eighteen inches. II is fas-
tened In the ear by q large brass hook
about two and half inches .ong. To ac-
commodate the hook the ears are split
sometimes in three places-just inside the
curve at the top. along the outside edge
and in the lobe. The ceremony OF splitting
| the ears used TO occur at the sun dance.
which Is now obsolete. and was performed
on the little children any time from the
age Of two weeks upwards. A large butcher
knife was run through, and the two or
| three cuts were made. BY having so many
| cuts earrings of all kinds could be worn.
Hanging on the wall is a pair Of mocea-
| sins that once worn by the famous
chief Spotted Tail, presented as a tsken OF
| gratitude for box OF chewing gum These
moccasins are OF buckskin and are decorat-
&c in geometricai designs with beads OF all
| colors. The soles are made OF par fieche.
or rawhide. ard very stiff. Even in
travelling over rough stones. thorns and
hard country the soles last long time.
The Apache has not waited TN within the
past few years to get a pointed toe for his
footwear. He had IL before the twentieth
century was thought Of The Apache has
| a pointed toe. but ~ was fashioned for use,
and not for supposed sdornment.
The little girl of the pains has 70 be
amused well her North Meridian
street sister. Her toys are not subject to
duty in the United States customhouse and
her dolls are not from Paris or Germany
| From a point OF vantage on the east wall
OF this den the White mountain Apache doll
may see the-1ndiana sunset This doh is
one which Miss Dorothy might call a rag
doll II she did she would not be exactly
correct. for the doll Is or buckskin. On her