The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-08-07
Sun Dances TO Cause
Rigid Investigation

Washington, o. c., Aug IA ser
ious controversy. which will probably
result IN rigid investigation, has
arisen between the officials of the hu-
reau Of Indian affairs and the bureau
Of ethnology. over the recent revival
Of the sun dance by the Cheyenne
and Arapahoe Indians in Oklahoma.
As is well known, the government,
through the Indian service. has been
endeavoring for years 20 induce its
Indian wards to abandon their savage
lcustoms. among them the barbarous
ghost and sun" dances. with their
accompanying features Of madness.
muti!ation, physical ruin and death
1t succeeded so well that for years
there has been no regular sun" dance
this rite having been succeeded by the
less Objectionable corn feast" and
peace" dances. An official report re-
ceived today by Commissioner of In
dian Affairs Jones from superintend-
ent Seger. ot the Seger Colony Indian
training school of Oklahoma, says,
however that the work of years has
been undone and a sun" dance under
the direct auspices of government Of
hcials held
The men named by superintendent
seger are Professor James Mooney.
assistant chief OF the bureau Of ethnol-
ogy. and Professor George A. Dorsey.
curator Of anthropology of the Field
Columbian museum Of Chicago
Superintendent seger was present
during portion of the personally
conducted sun dance. held for ''pur-
poses Of observation" He was at the
Indian school when he was informed
that "sun" dance was being held at
a point in the territory about fifty
miles south
Although he did not believe the
rumor. the barbarous rite not having
been held in that vicinity for fifteen
years. he made a hurried "trip and
found that the report was true. Al
though he arrived rather late he found
the dance still in progress.
In his letter to Commissioner Jones.
in which he gives a vivid account Of
the ceremony, he says he saw Indians
undergoing torture. and speaks OF one
in particular, who. although almost
at the limit Of physical endurance. was
dancing slowly around the central
pole, his body cut aud slashed ami the
skin Of his back cut into strips. under
which we're inserted wooden pegs.
To these pegs a rope was attached
and at the end Of the rope was tied
the dried head of a buffalo AS the
Indian pranced around the wide circle.
the buffalo head dragged and bumped
along the uneven ground, while the
pulling and straining Of the wooden
pegs in their flesh sockets drew blood
from the Indian at every step.
Mr.. Seger says that few feet away
Professor Mooney and Professor Dor
sey stood taking notes, while a pho
tographer with the party took snap
shot photographs of the mutilated In
dian at every new contortion. A brief
investigation by Superintendent Seger
disclosed the fact that the mutilated
Indian mad got SIS to torture himself
and to perform the dance Others
had been paid in like proportion.
Superintendent seger does not say
that Professor Mooney or Professor
Dorsey raid this money but merely
that "tas money was paid" He does
say, however, that tho dance was or
ganized by an Indian, who. for thir-
teen years, was student at the Car
Isle Indian school. and Who. since his
graduation, has been in tire employ Of
the government.
Mr., Seger adds the information that
there was no desire among the In
dians for this daree, and that outside
of the participants. who had worked
themselves up to a pitch Of fanatical
frenzy. there seemed TO be little in
terest IN the anair.
AS the desire for a "sun" dance di
not originate with the Indians on this
occasion, and as the whole affair was
little like the original "snn" dances
OF years ago, when whole tribes partio
ipated in the ceremonies. Mr., Seger
says, that such dance does not CON
stitute history" and amounts TO lit-
tie more than an expansive -pastime"
Officials of the Indian bureau are
not as conservative as Superintendent
lSeger. They characterize the idea OF
the "sun" dance under government
supervision rs an expensive fake, ex-