Omaha daily bee., 1896-07-05
INDIANS In ALL THEIR GLORY
Five Thousand Sioux and Kindred Tribes
Celebrate the Fourth.
WILD AND WEIRD SCENES At PINE RIDGE
Remarkable Combination In Honor Of
the Nations Natal Day Amung
the Remnant of Original
Americans.

Americans.
PM RIDGE AGENCY. S. D., July A.
Especial TelcgramJ-The morning OF the
glorious Fourth dawned here amidst a grand
d~iapason of whooping Indians, n~eighing
ponies and yelping dogs, and he who missed
this celebration OF the day missed such a
wild and picturesque conglomeration OF
sights and sounds as may never be the lot
of man to enjoy again. The dogs OF the
day of the Sioux in his pristine glory are
rapidly on the wane. and 1t Is the opinion
of those familiar with such expeditions
| that this will end these affairs in this local
ity. Many say II will be impossible to ever
again mass the thrOngs of the untutored
children of the plain that are to be seen
here today. There are 5000 OF them, Brules,
Ogalallas and Cheyenncs, and at their head
Is that historical old patriarch of the toma-
hawk and scalping knife, Red Cloud. While
the aged sachem Is boss of the day, he has
numerous illustrious assistants-He Dog, Big
Elk, Dog Ear, Running Bear. Lone Dog,
neutrality-suspicious. Wolf Nose and scores OF
others, distinguished alike on the war trail
and in the chase. The Bear family seems to
predominant, and an idea may be formed OF
its numerical strength when 1t is
Bears. The Dog clan is another power
full clan, and while they are NOT
quite so numerous they are fully as pretty
and fragrant. Truly it is a great congrega-
ton of the remnants of these once mighty
nations, and their tepees, numbering some
thing over 450, are pitched on the Hmitless
| plateau Just east of the agency along Wolt
and White Clay creeks. On the highest
point and overlooking this magnihcent piano.
| rama from the east the Omaha party, con-
sisting of Judge e. S. Dundy, United States
Attorney Sawyer and The Bee representa-
tive, under the watchful eye of Deputy
United States Marshal Bill Liddiard Rattle-
| snake Pete) and Baptise Fourier big Pat).
the famous old government scout, whom the
late General Crook once said was the only
man he had ever encountered who absolutely
knew nothing of fear, are snugly camped.
Judge Dundy and Marshal White, however,
| have been taken under the protective care
of Major Clapp, the Indian agent here. -,
WHOOPING IT UP.
The Indians were all here yesterday buslly
| engaged in cutting up beef and dog meat
and preparing for the grand jubilee today.
They warmed up a bit last night despite
their onerous duties of arrangement and
the fact that Major Clapp had interdicted
any war dances and at shutdown the broad
! plateau presented a scene of weird and novel
| picturesqueness that once seen can never
be forgotten. Squaw dances were in prog
ress at a dozen different points in the lurid
| light of a hundred campfres, while the
young bucks were engaged in horse and foot
races and other sports kindred TO their ma
| ture. The monotonous tumult OF the drums.
commingling with the hoarse shouts of the =
old men and the falsetto chant Of the dane
ing females, was to be heard long after mid
night. Nevertheless, Aurora had hardly be-
| gun to silver the tops of the tallest buttes
this morning before the whole plateau was
| in a very paroxysm of unearthly sounds and
motion. Scores and scores of half naked
| and feather-bedecked warriorsAdashed hither
| and thither over the plain on their little
rats Of horses, yelling like fends and firing
their rifles at every jump. Squaws busted
| themselves with the morning meal, chant
ing their national songs the while, while
wolfsh ours snapped and snarled as If theyA
| appreciated and partook of the frenzy. Fire
| crackers, brass bands, rockets, red fire and
| beer of the white man form weak and impo-
tent symbols by way of comparison.
GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS.
The initial orgies of the morning over and.
all fell to like wolves at a carnival, and the
way beef and dog meat and soup dlsap-
peared was a caution to snakes. The inner
animal satisfied, preparation for the grand
glorincation of the day took on shape. At
the ~gutteral nina of gesticulating chiefs
ponies were rounded up and the logs for
the big sham battle hauled forth. What a
scene of wild savagery and grotesque
ferocity was then presented. Painted In
dams on painted ponies were shortly swarm
ing the plain like the forking infusoria of
a s~tagnant pool, while a wall of squaws
two and three deep environed the whole vast
arena and kept the air vibrating with their ,
shrill and sturdy shrieks of encouragement
or walls Of lamentation, but SO like a coy
ote's is the tongue OF the Sioux belle that
1t is all but impossible to tell when they are
tickled out of their beaded socks or in the
last agonies of a torturous death.
Under the command Of Big Elk and Stand
ing Bear the opposing forces are deployed
upon the broad plain, scouts are thrown out
and all the minute details for the impend-
ing clash perfected with a system that Uncle
Sam might do worse than to sometimes fol-
low. Old Red Cloud, in boiled shirt, scarlet
scarf and plug hat, sits his pony of on a
little promontory with all the dignity Of a
monarch of all he surveys. His once far
reaching war cry has been hushed to a whis- .
per and his once agile red shanks stlffened
like sticks by the encroachment of time. and
he takes no part save that of a lookeron in
the frivolities of his children. But that his
enjoys these memory-waking scenes was
evidenced by the shining red leathery faca
and furtiye CLEANS of his eyes. as well as
by his occasional bluff at a warwhoop.
There was a short interval of bantering be-
tween Big Elk, stripped to eagle plume and
breech clout and Standing Bear in a war
bonnet reaching to his heels and a big brass
breastpin. Big Elk shook his rife in def
ance, while Standing Bear worked his brace
leted arms and long lance furiously.
MAD A GAME FIGHT OF 1T.
A hush, and then simultaneously each
sounded his respective war cry. Then came
the fire works. 1t was a very cataclasm
of white ponies with green tails, BLACK
ponies with yellow stripes and pink names.
polka dotted and checked ponies and ponies
in fact OF all the colors OF ~Joseph's coat,
some with tails painted with gaudy ribbons,
withes and willow branches; others with
buffalo horns attached to the sides of their
heads and scalps and coyote tails streaming
from bit and girths and their wild riders
with lance and shield, faces and naked
bodies bedaubed with the very intensity
of artistic ingenuity with flaming serpents
and horse tails, with cracking rifles and
twanging bows all to the accompaniment
Of the fercest and most hair-cuTling yelps .
and whoops that ever rent a summer air.
In a flash all were one writhing, '
struggling, shrieking mass, concluding
in the smoke and dust like a
huge colored serpent. the squaws all In
stiff legged motion are In a perfect frenzy
and wall in lugubrious tones or scream
in most eldritch %ferocity. making 1t impos-
sible to distinguish whether II was exulta-
ton or lamentation which was swaylng :
them, 1t would have been difficult to have
told which side won from the way In which
they dragged off the dead and dying and the
inextricable tangle in which they wormed
themselves after the little battle was over,
had 1t not been for old Red Clouds forcing
himself among them and presenting Stand
ard Roar with a IittIe headed Rapk nf goma