The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-04-08
BRAVE UTES AND GENTLE
! SQUAWS in BEAR DANCE.
Leave Their Wictiups and Celebrate the Open
ing of Spring at White Rocks.

thar means a step Tor the dancers, and
tsfey r-r-r-r-r-ip it cut TO march time,
and it gets faster as the enthusiasm in
creases
The enclosure where the dance takes
place is about a, mile from the White
Rocks ageney, in the bottom land, and
where the willows are a shelter from
the wind ami eyes of the curious Posts
have been set in circle about 80 feet
across and willows closely interviewer
between them TO a height Of five feet,
except at two entrances. one at each
side OF the ring.
When a dance is called by the master
Of ceremonies the maids and SquaWs
advance toward the musician and Sc
lect their partners by~a touch. Then
they go back and form a line. facing
the music. and the bucks advance and
face them. about six or eight Get away.
Then the music begins and the lines
advance and retreat, taking two steps
forward and three back, one line ad-
vancing as the other one retreats, and
two days, when the music is contin-
uOus. Before this the tdances last but
about four minutes,
When the music stops the squaws
usually go to the side of the enclosure
opposite the music, and the bucks sit
or stand, or hudGle around fire at the
side about the music, SO that when one
of the players is chosen by a squaW.
another Indian takes his place quickly.
Two Big Days.
The last two days the big thing is a
daisy. and an Indian will not work at
this time for love or money. The music
is incesSant and the dancers often
dance, It'll exhausted from exercise
and hunger, they are carried from the
circle and given water and food and
any other old thing their heart desires
so long as it is within the power OF
their hest girls or squaws to get it. The
SQuaW who has not a buck of her own
can win herself a home if she can
dance long enough to make some brave
weaken.
on the morning OF the last day the
bear. or, rather. an Indian who imper-
sonates the bear. and his Mrs. Bear
come into the ring and from opposite
directions approach the line of dancers
each hopping as a bear would, on his
mind feet. Keeping time to the music
they join the line and dance until ex-
hausted, when the dance breaks I'D and
all join in the big feast that follows.
Just before the dance, contributions
ere made by the traders and others OF
DOar, meat canned goods, etc. and
these. with what the Indians contrib
ute, are cooked near the dance while
1t is in progress. When the dance is
over the gaily-clad squaws and bucks
SIT down 10 repast and celebrate and
eat until Jneir capacity is exhausted
There are many private feasts for like
his white brother, the gay Lothari6
loves to squander his all on his best
beloved and many an Indian spends
his last dollar and exhausts his credit
10 DO honor to his best girl, vino has
worked like a slave cay and night tc
make herself and her buck the talk nj
/ the tribe and the cynosure of all eyes
Many school girl is led from the
dance 10 the wicSiup. the acknowledge
Z bride of some brave, who looks gooc
10 her, and she is willing hencefortf
20 be his slave and carry his wood anc
water and if need be, to rustic a colo
bite from the back door Of a benevolent
white. giving the most Of it 20 her lore
and master.