Omaha daily bee., 1898-10-08

the great god OF the Indians, by whom he
was informed that by going into trance the
people of the earth might gain a sight of
heaven and meet their departed friends.
When In this state he said that the new
earth would open before their eyes and d
new life be unfolded to them. The ghost
dance began to develop Immediately among
the Piutes and belief in the teachings of
Wovoka spread like prairie fire across the
plains until the new religion and it's at
tendant ceremonial became the life of the
western tribes. Its elimination came with
the outbreak of the Sioux at the Pine Ridge
agency and the massacre at Wounded Knee,
where the government intervened, believ-
ing that the ceremonial tended to intlame
the redskins to rebellion.
The ghost dance given yesterday was OF
too short duration to show the effects. How
ever, 1t was not an imitation to amuse the
spectators, but a real ghost dance partici-
pated in with all the characteristic vigor
and frenzy. Fifty redskins from the Arap
ahoes, Sioux, Cheyennes and Wichitas-men,
women and papooses-joined hands in a
ring. With no musical instruments but the
sonorous tones of their voices singing in
unison they began to move in circle. Low
and droning like the voices of monks
they repeated the strains of the Indian
messiah's message to his people, while their
feet, stepping in perfect time, marked the
rhythm of the Arapaho song. Then the
Cheyennes Joined in, humming the tune but
not the words. The volume of sound in
creased and the sidelong steps beat the
ground more firmly They stopped and the
Wichitas and Sioux began the weird strains
again with other words in which the whole
circle Joined. Their bodies began to sway in
time to their voices, lifting a prayer to the
great father, while cries of lamentation
broke in on the monotonous strain.
Hypnotizers Begin Work.
Then three medicine men of the tribes
broke from the chain and with bodies bent
almost to the ground began to wheel around
the inner circle, waving their white hand
kerchlefs in the faces OF the dancers. Round
and round they went as the music changed
from lamentation to a frenzed song that
indicated the mesmeric spell induced by the
rhythm of their own motion and the incanta-
tions of the medicine men. Finally, two OF
the women dropped their hands to their sides
and trembling to the finger tips danced
into the center OF the ring, their eyes fol
lowing the medicine men as they spur
around them in search of subjects. The
outer circle continued the awful strain o.
the song while those within, oblivlous L
rhythm, threw up their arms in weird fan
tastic gesticulatons beat their breasts anC
tore at the roots of their hair, half conscious
OF what they did and needing only the men
dicatons of the mesmerists. Then the Sloul
began the song sung at the Pine Ridg
agency whose words translated are "Ou
father, the crow has told us to dance arount
FIVE times and stop" 1t began with th
frenzy of the song of lamentation, but will
each successive repetition became softer ant
, softer, until with the last turn OF the circl
it died away and the famous ghost dane
was over.
Had 1t not been that the dance was begul
so late in the afternoon 1t might have beel
possible for the medicine men to hav
| broken up the dance and sent the Who'll
ring into a state OF semi consciousness, a
often happens when the ceremonial continue
| late into the night.