Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-10-27
CHARACTERISTIC FIGURES IN THE GREEN
CORN DANCE

CORN DANCE.
period of the year the green corn
dance. When the green corn ripened,
the festival was to begin, the wise
men agreed, and it should continue for
three days, during which time thanks
should be offered to the Great Spirit, to
the sun, the moon, the stars, the winds
and all the elements in nature which
make the crops.
The ceremony is, of course, not OBJ
served SO deliberately as it was years
ago, when all the Indians were pagans
and when religious rites were an all
absorbing factor in the lives of the alb
Hrigines, and many Of the more poetic
Ind picturesque details have been lost.
though the dancing is done just as it
was done by the red men of two CEN
turtles ago. The first day of the cele-
bration is almost solely religious in it's
character The dances, which consist
of a series of indescribable gyrations
performed to the music-if music it
be called-of turtle shell rattleS, are
interspersed with celebrations and in
vocations from the head speakers"
and keepers of the faith" The turtle
shells have been used by the Catta-
raugus Indians for more than 30 years.
They are almost as hard as iron and
have hickory handles With these the
musicians pound vigorously upon the
council house floor or benches while
the dances proceed. At the intervals
Of rest thanks are offered to the Great
!,
for everything in nature including the
sun, moon and stars. Most deyoutly
are thanks returned to the guardian
spirits of the corn, three sisters, whose
aid is invoked by young maidens who
walk the fields Mt midnight before
the planting scattering grains of corn
as an offering to those three mystic
guardians Should the harvest be plen-
tiful these sisters have listened and
been generous. but if it is a failure and
the maize is blasted this band of maid
ems are blamed and can never serve
again. At the close of the thanksgiv-
ing ceremonies arrows are shot ut the
sun as a token Of gratitude to the Great
Spirit for the gift of light.
on the second day of the festival
the dream or naming day-canddates
for second and third names are given
their titles. Dreams, which are an es-
seuually important feature of Indian
prophecy, are interpreted by the seers,
and gifts toward the feast are laid be-
fore the people. The bestowal Of sec
ond names is a peculiar custom among
pagan Indians. In infancy the child is
given what is termed "the baby name"
which is borne until maturity, when
the second name is given. In old age
a third name is bestowed, and that the
owner carries to the grave.
The third and last day is the grand
gala day and is devoted to festival
dances. which, unlike those Of the first
day. have no religious significance; to
Indian games, speechmaking, the dl-
vision of the feast and finally the
farewell dance"
Ii is at this feast that the corn from
which it takes its name is cooked In
all the ways known to the Indians.
one of the principal dishes is sort Of
succotash cooked with potatoes and
chunks of beef in huge iron cal
drons. on this occasion is distributed
'the wedding cake" to those who have
been married within the past year.
This cake is made of the green corn.
scrapcd down from the ear, wrapped
in three layers of the husks. bound
with strips of elm bark and baked In
| the ashes. At this time also corn,
separated from all others, Is chosen for
the parched corn powder to be laid
| aside for the runners or In case OF
famine A small portion of this corn
powder will sustain life for a long
time. The Great Spirit is also asked
! to bless certain amount Of the varl-
ous kinds OF "consecrated' corn which
Is put aside for the next years plant
| ing q HATFTowW