The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-05-15
OLD INDIAN RITES.
PAGANs IN WISCONSIN HOLD TO
QUEER BURIAL CUSTOM
Ceremony OF Menomoness includes
Dancing, Fsasting and Drink
tng-Get Drunk Over
the Sick.

But few OF the church people In
Wisconsin realize that while they are
supporting foreign missions, yet liv-
ing in their own state, within stones
throw OF white neighbors and within
ten miles of railroad, Is a tribe OF
pagan Indians who neither believe In
the Christian religion nor in the
| science of medicine. While they have
learned to till the soil like the white
men, and the sQuaws run sewing ma
chimes and other modern conveniences
they nevertheless retain their primi-
tive custom of having medicine men
look after sickness and conduct the
medicine dances. says the Milwaukee
Sentinel.
A person passing along the Wolf
river, where 1t runs through the Me-
! nomonee reservation. will notice a
white flag high up on the bluff. If
one follows. a winding trail for 100
yards from the road he will see the
flag, which is a faded American one,
floating at half-staf in a pagan Gene
terry
The burial place is far different from
that of the whites. There are 33 graves.
each one covered with wooden roof.
which is supported by sfdings of two
logs In the rear of each OF these is
a shelf, upon which water and food
are placed and hole cut. SO that the
spirit may come out and eat and
drink There is also a faded Ameri
can flag at the end of each grave.
A short distance from the graves Is
81 ruio NV
and about II feet high in the center
Six months after each burial this is
covered with blankets and skins, and
the medicine dance is held for the de-
parted spirit. At these there is much
dancing, feasting and drinking for it
appears to be no trouble for the In
dams there to obtain liquor During
the interval between the death and the
dance the place OF the deceased is set
at the table for each meal during the
six months, and the amount of food
which he. would have had if alive is
placed there. If visitor happens in
at meal time he is given the food,
which is considered a high honor. If
no one appears it is eaten by the fam
lily.
II one OF the tribe Is taken SICK
dance is held at his place. where the
Indians all gather for an all-day dance,
and even more feasting and drinking
than at the cemetery. Up to a few
years ago there was no drinking at
these festivals, but those living in that
neighborhood report that the Indian
no longer considers the affair success
unless all get drunk. As the dance
progresses the sick person sits at one
end of the wigwam, and the medicine
men, with their faces painted and car
rying their medicine, which was manu-
featured from herbs, in small snake
skins or the hide of a small animal.
dance in a circle AS they pass the
victim they throw some of the medi-
cine on the one to be treated and push
him over 1t is told that at one OF
these dances a squaw whose husband
had died was obliged to appear on a
cold winter day in a light dress. with
face painted and otherwise gotten up
for the occasion, and compelled to run
through the snow in the woods for
half a mile in zigzag course, so as
to lose the spirit