The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1898-02-16
( Human Nature.

It's astonishing how unlike human
nature is the world over, among all
classes and conditions and even all
colors says d writer in one Of the Du-
luth dailies. The writer gives the
conditions as they exist in small cities
especially.
On the Chippewa reservation at
Grand Portage this winter, below
Grand Marais, the ruddy-faced abor-
igines have had dancing school in
Funny Fellows tepee. A famous
medicine man, known as Professor
Hooraw, has had charge, and the at
tendance has been quite large and
general. AS the result drumming the
class for revenue only, all grades of
red people have attended -aristocratic
blue bloods, full-bloods, half-breeds,
quarter breeds and even French hab-
itats and Scandinavian fishermen.
Some have really attended for the
purpose Of learning to dance; others
simply to show off steps they learned
under other medicine men On other
reservations; still others have put in
a night week because it was cheaper
than going to a regular pow-wQw,
where much wampum and bright tog-
gerry would be required. Then few,
it must be confessed, go because in
those dances Especially in those
where they hop around in circle two
together) it is easy to embrace fair
Minnehahas whom it would be impos-
sible to embrace in parlor seated on
comfortable sofa.
TO these dances had come a maiden
tall and somewhat fair. called Biting
Icicle. She had ignored all but the
aristocratic blue-blooded, full-blooded
braves, and had gone through the
corn dance, the dog dance, the war
dance, the heap swell two-step and
the heap big Klondike jump solely
with them. Even then she has a
barbed arrow in their sides, for she
has assumed that they rarely do a
dance right and that she alone has
knowledge Of what is correct and
proper,
"Now don't hold me in that way;
hold me this way exclaims Biting
Icicle, as.some springy brave encircles
her waist.
"That's not the way to take step;
this is the way" she snaps out when
she fails to keep time witch her part
ner.
"Miss Biting Icicle, will you dance
this roundy-round with me?" asks
Young NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
"Naw!" pettishly replies Biting
Icicle. I'm not going to jump this
time, You fellows have pulled and
hauled me around until Pm tired"
A minute after the poor fellow
sneaks away, young Thinks-He-Has-
Much-Money asks Biting Iccle to
dance.
Certainly" she replies with a
smile that looks like wild honey and
gooce oil melted together.
care you going to the canoe pad
dler's ball?" she asks big Chief High
Collar.
YES" he replies.
Biting Icicle wants to go too, but
% hpo II hnr
"Dear me" she says; II do so want
to go to that, but no one has asked
me. [ never do get to go to anything
Il really want to go to-" Then she
signs and looks amiable and bewitch-
ing.
But Chief High Collar is not easily
bewitched. Biting Icicle leaves the
warm tepee to enable herself to freeze
up little and keep her curls from
melting down.
Big Chief High Collar grins at little
Chief Pointed Moccasin and says: GA
hint is as good as Il kick" Then he
goes and asks Smiling Curls, who can
not tw0-Step lick, to go to the dance
and she says yes.
Biting Icicle goes to the tepee,
gloomy. unhappy and sour at heart.
She wonders what makes all the big
braves so unappreciative and regard
less of her existence. Poor Indian
maiden. She has no idea that men
do not care for her stereotyped eX-
pressions and smiles. She has no
magic mirror in which to look when
she braids her dusky locks and arrang-
es her blanket across her shoulders.
Grand Portage Indian reservation?
or course that's where this story
comes from, Indians are just like
white folks, in many ways, as stated
in the beginning.
*x*
The RIGHTEOUSNESS of some peoples