Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-03-26

glory of his tribe. Intense loyalty to
his nation and chief was bred into
the Indian youth from his birth.
The Indian Ball Game.
al game. Upon a large level field,
parallel lines of posts, 800 yards or
more in length We're set up. A raw
| hide rope was stretched upon each
| line of posts about ten feet from the
ground. A ball about the size of a
baseball was used, which no one was
allowed to touch with his hands. A
raquet similar to tennis raquet, with
slightly longer handle and head
only about six inches in diameter,
made by weaving small raw hide
thongs together upon light wooden
circle was carried by each participant.
| About ! 900 Indians took part in each
game, the number divided equally be-
| tween the two nations. The ball was
thrown into the center of the field and
the struggle was on. The excitement
of a college football game is tame
compared with the wild abandon with
which these thousand Indians and the
4 many thousands OF spectators entered
! into the game. The proficiency which
some of the Indians attained in hand
A ling the ball with the raquet was Won
derful. They were remarkably fleet
of foot, quick in action and decision
and of great strength. When either
party threw the ball over the rope
stretched upon the line OF posts as
signed to the opposing party point
was won. The side winning the most
points during the play was the win
ner. The betting between the tribes
upon these games was something ire
: mendous and hundreds of ponies
changed hands at the end of each
game.
The Indian Horse Race.
The Indian horse races were long
distance affairs, averaging from three
to five miles. Over them the excite
ment grew even more intense than up
on the ball games. Usually they We're
, individual contests between two ponies
|, but frequently many ponies were en-
tered on each side, and the race was
run field against field. In the dual con
tests each rider had set of helpers
, as they were called, stationed along
the race course, which was simply a
level stretch of prairie. These help
, ers were mounted upon swift ponies
Instead of acting as pacemakers and
running beside or slightly ahead Of
the contesting horse as is the custom
in the present day racing against
time with running mae, these help
ers followed the running pony, whip
ping him at every jump At the enc
of the first quarter mile, the second
, helper took the place of the first ant
carried the running horse on to the
, third. This was continued on down ths
course, to the end.
Thousands of Ponies Change Hands
The horse race was the great bet
ting proposition of the Indian. In the
; excitement he would bet his every pos
| session, almost to his wife and chill
! dren. Not hundreds. but thousands o
ponies changed hands upon the result.
: of every race. Bets We're not made as
at present, through bookmakers. Eacl
man made his own bet with one of thu
opposing nation. A rawhide rope abou
i 800 feet long was stretched upol
g posts. One side of this rope belonged
+ to the Sacs, the other to the Fox
e When Sacs bet against Fox they tiet
# their ponies each on his own side. TIL
i larlat ropes were tied together AM
y when the race was run and won, tn
S winning man in the bet united bot
e ponies and led them away.
Their Yearly Pilgrimage.
:. Each year early in the fall some 200
g or more warriors from the two tribe
n quietly withdrew and went away int,
It the far west. Usually they went t,
l. the Rocky Mountains, to the land o
d the Sioux. There for a time the
r gave free vent to their savage natur
and waged a war of conquest .agains
their old foes. When their fighting az
. petite was satisfied they returned
ID bringing back their prisoners. The
" followed the great event of the Ind
i ans life, the war dance, which cele
"a brated his victory and triumph owe
:. his enemy Preparations were mad
IT for several days, and then upon a dar
night the prisoners were taken into a
open field not far from Agency an
securely tied and staked. Huge boz
u fires were built, but not to burn tn
" prisoners, for they were carefully pr
IL tected. In huge circle about tn
prisoners and the bonfires thousand
9 of warriors. decked out in all thei
= hideous barbaric devices, danced an
Q circled hour after hour, bowling Xix
8 demons An Indian in a war dance
: declares Mr.. Baker, is not huma
y being he is a demon, fiend, the yer
81 incarnation of the devil. The tran
Ia formation is miraculous and cannot b
= comprehended by one who has nc
0 witnessed it. The sight of these wa
81 dances struck terror into the stoutes
70 heart of the white man.
When the dance was over the CHIEF
80 at once entered into negotiations wit
20 the tribes from whom the prisoner
2 came. and they were either exchange
80 for Sacs and Fox prisoners or sol
10 back to the home tribe at so man
: ponies apiece. The prisoners wei
50 simply hostages, and it was a matte
of tribal honor that not one of thei
q should be injured in the slightest.
81 Their Departure.
Sl In the fall of 1912 the Indians wer