The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-03-31
BLACKFEET MAGIC.
. ONDERFUL FEATS OF JUGGLERS
AMONG THE INDIANS.


ue-A Lodge shaken and a Bound Man
Released by an Unknown agency Secret
of These Rites L. Not Now known.
I'm the days long previous 10 the advent
Of the white men into the northwest terri
tories Of Canada and into the western ter
ritories OF the United States says Cap
tain c. T. Denny. who went out TO the /
northwest with the mounted police In the |
early seventies and since then has been In
dian agent and has held other offices under /
the Canadian government, "the Indians
used 10 practice their medicine ceremonies, !
and many Of their medicine men were |
adopts i'm the use Of roots and herbs and |
were looked upon as having intercourse |
with spirits, and accordingly greatly feared !
by the tribes among whom they practiced !
their rites. On my arrival in the north
west territories with the northwest mount
ed police in 1874, was curious 10 find out
how far these medicine men carried their
arts. and also what these arts consisted of
/ heard from Indians many tales of won
ders done by them but it was long time
before | got chance TO be present at one
of these ceremonies. The Indians were
reluctant 20 allow white man to view
any of their medicine ceremonies. As
got better acquainted with the several
tribes, particularly the Blackfeet | had
many chances TO find out the truth regard
ing what had heard of them, and was
truly astonished at what | saw at different
times. Many of the medicine feats done
by their medicine men before me did not
allow of any jugglery, the man being
naked, with the exception of cloth
around his loins, and | sitting within
few feet of him
"All Indians believed In their familiar
spirit, which assumed all kinds of shapes
, sometimes that of an owl, buffalo,
beaver, n fox or any other animal This
spirit it was that gave them the power 70
9 perform the wonders done by them and
was firmly believed in by them all On
. one occasion | visited lodge where
medicine smoke was in progress. There
! were about dozen Indians in the lodge
= After the smoke was over large copper
. kettle about 2 feet deep and the same or
q little more in diameter, was placed empty
n on the roaring fire in the middle OF the
|, lodge The medicine man. who was strip
: ped, with the exception of cloth around
o his loins, was all this time singing med .
q icine song i'm "a low voice
q "The pot after short while became red
hot, and, pole being passed through the
handle, it was lifted in this state OH the
fire and placed on the ground so close &c
me that the heat was almost unbearable
g. On the pole being withdrawn the medicine
man sprang to his feet, and, still singing
his song. stepped with both naked feet into
the retlhot kettle and danced for at least
- three minutes in it, still singing to the
/, accompaniment of the Indian drums.
: was so close, as have before said, that the
g heat of the kettle was almost unbearable,
= and closely watched the performance and
- saw this Indian dance for some minutes
- with his bare feet in 1t. On stepping out.
~ he seemed none the worse but how I'D
~ performed the act was and is still mys
terry to me
ION another occasion | was sitting in ar
Is Indian tent alone with one of the medicine
49, men of the Blackicet Indians 1t was al
= night and all was quiet in the camp Ih'
y, night was calm with n bright moon SHIN
go ing On n sudden the Indian commenced
:, to sing and presently the lodge whlci
- was a large one, commenced 70 trembic
= and the trembling increased 90 such de
=, gree that it rocked violently, even lftinl
off the ground first on one side and then OF
-, the other, as If dozen pairs of hands wer
- hcaying it on the outside This lasted 10
- about two minutes when | ran out, eX
~ pecting to find some Indians on the out
be- side who had played me trick but q
os my establishment, not soul was IN sight
,o and. what still more bcwildered me wa
l., to find. on examination that the lodge wa
90 firmly pcggcd down 10 the ground 1t BEN
impossible for any number OF men tc nav
moved and replaced the pegs ~ 50 short
he time did not enter the lodge again ina
h night, as the matter looked 10 say IN
re least, uncannv
81 bave seen The loosenng Of ma
+ ga n Ion,
' nv some of our own lugg.erS but wit
an different variations In one case w IN
=, center of large lodge "A smaller one wa
,af pitched. the small! lodge being just larg
80 enough 70 hold one man sitting down A
a. over the space covered ty this small ten
10 ard about six inches or even less apar'
.bo dozens of wooden pegs were driven INTO tr
10 ground. They were each about six nchf
-bo high, and ali sharply pointed small De
,ar was also bound 70 one Of the poles AZ u
,ys top of the lodge The medicine man wa
y tightly bound with rawhde ropes and we
then carried by two Indians to the door
the small tent which was all this VIII
wide open, and was thrown all double
IL ND. into the center of ", and OF course on
nat the sharp pointed pegs The blanket W.
mo- quickly drawn over the door and Tor aoo'
rhe five minutes no sound was TO De hearu u
side the tent when of a sudden the nut
or. bell at the top of the tent commenced
inc ring, as it seemed, without human agenc
oy- The blanket was thrown back. ana u
ALL medicine man stepped out, freed from u
ropes and without scratch looked IN
,is. the tent and found the ropes lying amor
on the pegs not one OF wAich seei'eu W u"
an been moved
son II doubt If among the Blackfeet toda
on with the exception of Calf Shirt the Bloc
lid that tribe being branch of the Blackfe'
, / ANYTHING of the kind ] have mentioned
an 70 be met with, as since the advent OF I
{ / white man and the settling of the lndia
on reservations all the old time medici
"or men are dead, and the secret of these ri
the has died with them New York sun