The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-03-09
MAGIC OF

\ Red Hot Kettle--A Lodge Shaken
and a Bound Mar Released By An
Unknown Agency.
I'm the day long previous to the ad-
vent of the white men into the North
west territories of Canada and into the
Western territories Of the United
States" says CaptainO E. Denny, who
went out to the Northwest with the
mounted police in the early seventies,
and since then has been Indian agent
and has held other offices under the
Canadian Government, 1.-The Indians
used to practice their medicine Ger
monies, and many Of their medicine
men were adopts in 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
Northwest territories with the North.
west mounted police in 1864, l was
curious to find out how far these medi
cine men carried their arts, and also
what these arts consisted Of. / heard
from Indians many tales Of wonders
done by them, but it was a long time
before | got a chance to be present at
| one of these ceremonies. The Indians
were reluctant to allow a white man to
view any Of their medicine ceremonies.
As I got better acquainted with the
several tribes, particularly the Black
feet, I had many chances to find out
the truth regarding what I had heard
Of them, and I was truly astonished
at what I 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 a cloth
around his loins, and I sitting within
a few feet of him
"Au Indians believe in their familiar
spirit, which assumes all kinds of
shapes, sometimes that of an owl, a
buffalo, a beaver, a fox, or any other
animal. This spirit it was that gave
them the power to perform the wonders
done by them, and was firmly believed
in by them all. On one occasion I Wis
tied a lodge where a medicine smoke
vas in progress. There were about a
dozen Indians in the lodge. After the
smoke Was ove a large copper kettle
about two feet deep and the same or q
little more in diameter, was placed
empty on the roaring fire in the mid
die of the lodge. The medicine man,
who was stripped, with the exception
of a cloth around his loins, was all this
time singing a medicine song in a low
voice.
THE pot after a short time became
red hot, and a pole being placed
through the handle it was lifted in this
state off the fire and placed on the
ground so close to me that the heat
was almost uubearable. On the pole
being Withdrawn the medicine man
sprang to his feet and, still singing
MS song, stepped with both naked feet
into the red hot pot and danced for at
least three minutes in it, still singing
to the accompaniment of the Indian
drums. I was so close, as I have be-
fore said, that the heat of the kettle
was almost u~nbearable, and 1 closely
watched the performance, and saw this
Indian dance for some minutes with
his bare feet in it. On stepping out he
seemed none the worse; but how he
performed the act was and is still 6
mystery to me.
"Ol another occasion I was sitting
in an Indian tent alone with one Of the
medicine men of the Blackfeet Indians
1t was at night and all was quiet in ths
camp. The night was calm, with
bright moon shining. On a sudden thu
Indian commenced to sing, and pres
, emily the lodge, which was q large one
, commenced to tremble, and the tremb
!, ling increased to such a degree that i
rocked violently, even lifting off th'
ground first one side and then on tn
other, as if a dozen pair of hands werC
heaving it On the outside. This LASTED
for about two minutes when / ran on
2 expecting to find some indians on tn
outside who had played me a trick
9 but to my astonishment, not a soul wa
t in sight, and what still more bewilderC
me was to find on examination tina
the lodge was firmly pegged down t.
the ground, it being impossible for any
number of men to have moved and re
placed the pegs in so short a time.
9 did not enter the lodge again tina
night as the matter looked, to say tn
: least, uncanny.