The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-08-05

- George Bird Grinnell knows what
: . g vrfting about when bis subject Is
x ~ xi..e He Is. himself. chief OF the
4 sr.~ tf~e4 tribe. and he has devoted HIM
I ~ ~ Ipdian-study for the last thirty
~.svx He has been by turns prospectcr.
S6.rr cowboy, hunter and Indian. HIS
- volume 1.-THE Indians Of Today Is
- Interesting even to the casual read
e whose vague impression has been that
3 =, ely good Indian Is the moribund
/, Il ssThe Indians OF Today Mr.. Grim
IN e1vee 4 vivid and picturesque account
= lD6ian character and customs as he
~ 1pund them and OF Indian life as 1t is
- livcd He considers the former dia-
evlkufion Of the Indians and the differ
Z u linguistic stocks; then the reserva-
- % they exist today. One OF the
- valuable features Of the volume 10
~ amateur Indian sharp will be his
611austive chapter upon the reservations
"a the conditions prevailing there, the
n6s6r Of Indians belonging TO each tribe
y IN reservation. etc. There Ii no other
w Nched volume which brings together
- 1iflerent sources In convenient form
y nuoh general Information ss to where
~ various tribes are situated. what they
~ lolng for themselves, whether they are
o6vonctng or retrograding. and what is
~ ouil0ok for their future.
B ~ book IN illustrated with fifty or
dx&y fuil-paEe portraits taken at the
loG1an congress at Omaha by +. A. Rinc-
M, and these are not the least attrac-
IN. feature OF the volume.
C4Ths Indians OF Today" by George
IA 0rinnell II. 9. Stone & Co. 81. Fer
~ ~ Lowman 4 Hanford)
Nh Alice Fietcher's Indian Story and
ouats II also from the pen Of an expert.
~ book contains large number OF the
po4lve melodies OF North American In
0sns. chiefly Omahns. Pawnees and Da-
taeas collected by the author directly
nm the people, Accompanying each
oeax Il tho explanation OF lis origin ana
&sanins furnished by the Indians them
6tlver Music. says Miss Fletcher. zen
toIopes the Indians Individual and social
w Hike an atmosphere" There Is no i'm
1prtant personal experience In which It
- not bear part, nor any ceremonies
|shsre It Is net essential to the express
7Ion OF religious feeling.
'sThis universal use OF music was be-
xause OF the belief that II was q medium
~ communication between man and tho
>nseNn. The invisible voice could reach
~ invisible power that permeates all
>nture. animating all natural forms. As
Dscccss depended upon help from this
mysterious power In every avocation. In
ssery undertaking and In every ceremon-
Nj the Indian appealed to this power
through song. When a man went forth to
hunt that he might secure food and cloth
~ for his family, he sang songs to In
ouss the assistance OF the unseen power In
espturins the game. In like manner when
~ confronted danger and death ne sang
nat strength might be given him to meet
~ fate unfiinchinEly. In gathering the
Aealing herbs and In administering them.
sang brought the required efficacy. When
- planted. no sang In order that the seed
might fructify and The harvest follow. In
~ sports. IN his games. when he wooed
and when he mourned. song gave alike
nsst TO pleasure and brought solace to his
sufcring In fact. the Indian sang In
every experience OF lie from his cradle 10
his grave"
Songs had their owners, Each belonged
10 : society. secular or religious. to GER
tain clan or organization. to definite
rite or ceremony or TO am individual. The
rtsht 10 sins song which was the prop
erty az an Individual could be acquired by
purchase. Singing IL always In unison.
The song. to the Indian. Is subjective lie
has no taousht FOR the audience. he IN SIM
ply pouring out his feelings.
The songs and the explanations which
Mas Fletcher gives certainly show Indian
character In It's higher aspects. Some OF
the stories are both touching and poetic
Here Is Miss Fletcher's account OF the
ghosi dance which shr sass IL widely mis-
Understood ia it's meaning by our oN a
fsees II IL survival OF several ancient
ceremonies and is but an appeal 10 tha
unseen world 10 como near aud CONTEXT
those who have been ovcrtaken In the
aad Of their fathers b. conditions beth
suAnxe and incomprchcnsible.
an me hypnotic vision which follows
'as mcno,enous dance. the landscape OF
~ former days, untouched ~ the white
m&h. appears 20 The controlled Indian:
sas streams wander through an unbrosen
fs1i5ie; no readways. 40 fields Of wheat
'a''aas upon the bread stretches of ma
aNe grasses the vanished herds Or huf-
s'o GENE back 60 their EraHias groaads:
M deer ana the antelope, the wolf and
'ae Bear are again in the land and the
sssses hook down On the Indian villages.
snsFe are 70 be seen the faces o: old
meals returned from the spirit realm
sasss are the scenes which come 10 the
aNassssek indian who is stranded tn his
sAsise land HIS ears aacd with foreign
sounds bis old activities gone ana bis
aAnas uHskilled ana unable 10 take up
hew enea
fas shcss dance Is III. cry OF a for
eANSn people forsakcR BY the gods ia
1ae'n they ence trustedv~a people te-
'Asessd ny The eomplexity 81 the new
INTO they must follow. misunderstood
~ ana NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. the race With
saen they arc forced 10 live. In this
~ ~