Evening journal., 1901-02-11
STRANGE RITES
Oh FHE WICHITAN
Solemn Ordeal Of Ghost
DahCe- Drawback to
Indian Civilization
Copyright, 1901, the Christian Herald
New York.

Indian life IS many sided. OpJlmlst
and pessimist can ind ample proof
with which to verify his extreme views
Of what he believes the Indian TO be,
the story of one tribe being equally
applicable to all, varied only by place.
A fair example is cited in the Wichitas.
who live on the Wichita reservation in
the eastern part of Oklahoma. Their
earliest recorded history dates to 1910,
when they were discovered by the
Spanish under Coronado. An Indian.
who had been hired by the soldiers to
guide them on a buffalo hunt, betrayed
them, by leading the army on by his
stories to a supposed El Dorado, which
proved to be an Indian village of grass
houses, the homes of the Wichita In
dians. These are the only Indians who
make and live in grass houses. They
are an agricultural tribe. They pre-
pare the dry corn for food by grinding
it between stones They also raise
great crops or squashes, which they
cut into strips and dry for Winter
food. In every garden there IS a
melon patch, They are a peace-lOving
people. Among them are sCme Indians
who have tried to keep up with the
march of civilization, and others who
cling tenaciOusly to the superstitions
anu udDlS DI the past.
Indian dances are serious drawbacks
to the civilization of Indians. One very
warm day during the past Summer.
when the thermometer registered "a
degrees in the shade. il was rumOred
that the Wichitas were going to give
a dance, that was to be both a war
dance and a ghOst-danCe. AS the
camps were approached, a voice call
ed attention toward one of the grass
houses, and from the enclosure came
forth a company of at least fifty In
dians, painted and dressed most gor-
geously, with feathers and Othsr loose
Indian finery waving on the breeze as
.hey came gailOping on their ponies
two by two, hOOting and yelling. The
women and those about the camps be-
gan crying and mourning, while at the
foot Of the hill was a group Of Indians
painted and dressed in q similar bar
barrie fashion. and singing. while six
men, who sat on the ground around a
big drum, beat it most vigorously.
Those on horseback rode round and
- round in gradually decreasing circles,
till they came to stop in front of the
group awaiting their arrival
Jumping from their ponies they
stood facing the sun, and all Joined
y
it was repeated with greater volume.
the drum, was beaten with increased
force and the dancing began This
wild confusion was increased by the
wailing and mourning of those who
had gathered about, forming a circle,
1t was bewilderlng spectacle of color.
noise and confusion, and the quiet
lonely prairie seemed transformed to a
veritable pandemonium. The att tude
of prayer was frequently assumed
either while dancing or standing still,
by looking directly at the sun and ex-
tending the hands in supplication.
The dancers kept il up till it seemed
they must drop dead from sunstroke
or sheer exhaustion. The medicine
men went in and about the dancers.
blowing upon this or that to keep on
the evil spirits, stamping upon the
ground and waving their hands be-
fore the eyes or behind the head OF
some dancer. The person thus noticed
would become greatly excited, shaking
and swaying till a final stamp upon
the ground by the foot of the medi-
cine man could not be resisted. and
then the dancer would fall over in a
trance, lying upon his back with the
broiling sun shining full upon his face
One dancer after another, mostly
women, dropped upon the earth amidst
the noise, crying in an apparent tu-
multi, though doubtless to the devOtees
OF this religious performance every
sign and motion was full of meaning
Those lying in frances We're unnOucet
and undisturbed. Suddenly the un-
conscious one would sit up, fully
awake, and tell of wonderful message.
from the spirits of departed friends
Others got up from the ground uncon
cernedly and danced again. Tewacon
Jim, the chief, did not dance, bu
stood in a wagon talking continual,
in a very loud tone, evidently preach
ing. Nearby some women were bus,
preparing coffee for the feast of beef
bread and melons. There have beel
missionaries among these Indians a
early as 1873, when the Friends work
ed among them. Through their infiu
ence, the Indians built for themselve
a little church, where they still wor
ship. They choose one of their Owl
number as pastor. At the presen
time he is John Wolf. a full-blooC
who is clerk in a traders store. Tn
preaching and whole management c
the church is conducted by tn
Wichitas.
There are Indians who try to tax
a middle course in religion, and VIII
at the same time, want to be Chris
tians and ghost-dancers. The youn
Indians believe implicitly what the ole
er ones tell them, and when an India
declares he has been to "the world b.
yond," and has seen departed friend
they are convinced. Their prophe
Wovoka, who caused the greatest r
vival of Indian religion that ever o
Cured, and who instituted the ghos
dance. says: Il went up to heaven, al
saw God and all the people who hs
died a long time ago. God told me
come back and tell my people tn
must be goodand love one another, al
not fight or steal or lie. He gave 1
this dance to give my people"