Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-12-27
THE WEIRD FIRE DANCE.
THRILLING CEREMONY OF INDIAN
FANATICS IN CALIFORNIA,

Into Raging Flames in Supposed ODE
dience to the Great Spirits Will
Proving Their Fitness to be Chiefs.
The most thrilling ceremony that
has come down from prehistoric times
among American Indians is the fire.
dance of three tribes of Indians in the
lonely mountains of CALIFORNIA; mad,
frantic, crazy outbreak of crude super
stition in the nineteenth century, and
in its most enlightened country.
The fire-dance did not take place in
1896. This year it was held at the
height of the harvest season among the
Pachango, Temecula and Saboba tribes
of Southern California.
1t Is not lik ely to be given again for
few years, or until another fiesta sea-
son is held by the tribes. Hundreds
Of white people went from remote
towns purposely to witness sthis thrill
ing scene.
The recent fiesta continued for six
days and nights. There were horse
races every morning, tribal dances
among bucks and squaws in the after
noon, while gambling continued at all
hours, day and night.
The fiesta eliminated in the fire.
dance, and all the ceremonies of the
week led up to that as the climax of
savage zeal and piety. The Pachan-
yos, Sabobas and Temeculas have a
tribal tradition that once the Great
Spirit came to their ancestors hun
lreds of years ago and told them that
strong Indian who could endure much
without murmur was his ideal good
ind an. So the fire. dance originated
10 prove the prowess and endurance of
jhe red man, to earn smiles from the
Great Spirit in this life and in the last
happy hunting ground away beyond
the mountains.
The firedance was prepared by
seven of the oldest men in the three
ribes that participated. Branches
Ind trunks of dried eucalyptus and
pepper trees were brought down from
she canyon, and pile was made some
seven feet high in the centre of the
oval inclosure, about which the In
lians were camping.
The logs were about four feet long,
ind varied in diameter from two to six
inches. A few were eight inches
through. Baskets of dry leaves were
brought and were placed beneath the
Try timber. Quantities of brea,
species Of crude petroleum known by
;he Indians, was poured over the pile
Then the old priest, Orazzo, ap-
preached the timber with reverent
bowed head and apparent deep emo
lion. When he reached the pile he
;aised his head and his hands and ut
,ered a wailing invocation to the Great
Spirit to draw near and see how his
children were about to do his sacred
bidding.
All the on-looking savages, squaws,
children and babies sank on their
knees, while old Orazzo continued his
wailings, repeating the same idea over
md over. Then he rose, and with ex-
ireme ceremony plunged brand of
ire many times into the leaves at the
bottom of the pile. The fire was start
ed and the flames leaped up.
At Orazzo's whoop the red curtain
in front of the wickiup was drawn and
fifty Indians marched out in dou-
BILE file. Their legs were painted solid
blue, their chests and backs were hori-
zontally striped with red and yellow
and their heads were CHASTITY white,
while their ears were blue and their
arms solid red. A more hideous group
of human beings it would be hard to
find.
Then, at signal from the priest,
the nearly naked Indians began a
series of rapid whirlings and wild
gyrations, while the Indian spectators,
especially the squaws, started o weird,
cultural chant in their native tongue.
Suddenly the Priest Orazzo raised a
wand of eagle feathers above his head.
Instantly every fire dancer who had
his eyes upon the priest gave a mani
acal yell that startled every one pres
ent. In twinkling, before any one
could realize it, the red men threw
themselves forward into the fire.
The pile of burning wood was torn
asunder in a flash and the logs were
hurled apart as if thunderbolt had
descended. Smoke arose, and a myriad
of cinders and sparks went flying about
the circular enclosure.
And now the fire dancers were
struggling among the burning wood
and by Herculean strength were beat
ing the flames with bare hands,.
Then they were out of the fiery
mass as quickly as they went into it.
The smoking timbers lay scattered
over an area of some fifty feet square,
and some were still flaming.
In trice the frantic performers be-
gan extinguishing the cinders. They
beat the charred ends of the logs with
their hands; they jumped up and down
with their feet ON the glowing Goals.
1t must have caused excruciating
agony, but not moan was heard.
Several young bucks, to show their
Indifference to pain and to make them
selves fit candidates for tribal sub