The Somerset reporter., 1902-11-27
THE INDIANS
THANKSGIVING

W
tense these days among the res
ervation Indians as In college
towns where great football
games are scheduled to occur, says the
New York Times. Especially Is this
true in the southwest, where the In
dams have had an opportunity to be-
come thoroughly civilized of late years.
The white people find no more enjoy
ment In this day of universal good cheer
than do these same dusky redskins.
1t is day Of feasting, playing and
gambling, with a big dance at night.
Such sport only comes once a year to
them nowadays, when they have had
to forsake the scalping knife for the
plow. Their wild nature rebelled at
the idea of work, and 1t has been with
much difficulty that the government
agents have made farmers out of the
young braves. A day Of rest and
amusement is considered good for their
better nature, and the government au-
thorities are willing that Thanksgiving
day shall become festal time for the
reservation wards of the nation.
have but recently been placed on al
lotments. will have forsaken many of
their wild plans of amusement this
Thanksgiving, owing to the fact that
they have been cut off the free list of
beef issues. They have arranged to
draw grass money on Thanksgiving,
and goodly portion of this will be
IL. ,t, p,,, a
feast. At night they will take part
In a green corn dance, at which pray
ers will be offered to the Great Spirit
for the good crops which they have had
the past season. The spirit of thank
fulness pervades the Indian celebra
TONS
The Osages hold big feast at Paw
huska, their capital city. All members
Of the tribe are invited to take part in
the festivities. At the beginning and
end of each meal-and there are many
the aged missionary who lives among
them is invited to deliver n short pray
er thanking the Great Spirit for the
good things which the agent has sent
to them. The food is cooked by the
squaws, and, while it could be pre-
pared In a much cleaner and more
tasteful manner the cooking is an i'm
provement over that of few years
gone.
The Apaches and Cheyennes are In
the habit of holding pony smoke.
Often the Osages indulge in this ex
pensive festival. A pony smoke is
friendly meeting of two tribes and is
especially appropriate for the occasion.
The tribe giving the smoke Is sup
posed to bear all of the expenses. They
provide the best game and vegetables
in the market for their guests, and at
the end of the first days meeting they
present good pony to the head of
each family visiting them. As tribe
consists of from 300 to 800 families,
the expenses soon mount high. The
Osages, being the richest reservation
Indians there are today, can better af-
ford to hold pony smokes, and, com
bined with their feast day, they gen
orally invite several hundred guests
from the Poncas, Tonkawas and sur
rounding tribes. Those accepting the
ponies are supposed to return the grit
with equally expensive ones later on,
but few of them can do so.
The Poncas hold every Thanksgiving
as beef issue day. If the agent does
not come forward and present them
with herd of cattle for this occasion,
they mortgage their property and buy
cattle of some neighboring ranchmen.
A beef issue Is the most typical OF the
redskin and also the most picturesque
of Indian Thanksgiving celebrations.
For years the government has forbid
den the issue of beef after the manner
of an old time issue, but on special
occasions they are allowed the amuse-
ment of killing their own meat. 1t Is
said by the government officers who
succeeded in having the practice stop
ped that beef issue tends to make the
Indian wilder and more difficult to
civilize.
A hundred cattle are turned loose In
q large pasture. The young men of the
tribe are mounted on mustangs and
have shining field guns. With the good
wishes of the squaws and medicine
men ringing in their ears they ride out
to kill the cattle The beasts have no
chance for life whatever. The chase
Is accompanied by an undue amount
of wild yelling, while excitement grows
intense In the camp. The smell of fresh
blood makes the squaws wild, as 1t
were. After all of the cattle have been
shot down then the killers give a sig
nal which means that all of the tribe
are at liberty to rush forth and secure
their portionA A half beef is awarded
to each squdw The beef is cleaned
and cooked on fire on the open plain,
while the medicine men dance their APP
prevail and the warriors sing in their
glee. The feast follows, with more
dancing, and the whole day is thus
spent, ending late at night with a final