The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-29

I
dams Great confederaeies held by right
of habitation every inch of this country.
They chased the vast herds of buffalo
across the table-lands of the west they
kindled their signal fires on the Ale
ghanIes. and the Rockies; they held their
splrit-communings along shores washed
by the Great Lakess and. along the Faith
er Of Waters. they built their affairs and
their shrines.
These great confederaeies were driven
ln\front of civilization like chaff before
the wind. The empire of the pale-face
steadily sought the shores of the Pacific.
The buffalo was quickly exterminated'
game and fishing grounds despoiled, un-
til at last the red man became the ward
and prisoner of the white face. There Is
no sadder page IN history than the con-
quest and extermination of the Indian.
He knew no law save the edict of the
cohncl-hre: no custom save that of his
tribe; no emotion save that of stold in
difference; no policy save that of the
ambush and the tomahawk He knew
only the freedom Of the deep forest, the
boundless prairie and the moonlit night.
Nothing could be more intolerable than
| the prison and the reservation. He was
born with the stars for a compass and
the whispering winds his monitor. Nor
will he ever listen to any voice but that
of Nature.
Away back in 1856 Longfellow sung
THE Song of Hiawatha-" 1t was an In
dian edda--a song of the legends of North
| American aboriginees. Hiawatha, savage
| 1,s1 o1Aar
an Indian maiden in the far northwest.
The thirst for blood and the frenzy of
the warpath fade in the glamor of that
first wooing:
AS unto the bow the cord is,
So unto man is woman.
Though she bends him, she obeys him.
Though she draws him, yet she follows,
| Useless each without the other;
Thus the youthful Hiawatha
said within himself and pondered,
Much perplexed by various feelings,
Llstless longing, hoping, fearing,
Dreaming still of Mnnehaha,
OF the lovely Laughing Water
| In the land of tho Dakotahs.
The brave is not alone In his romantic
sentiments. The Indian maiden's heart
is stirred by visions of her warrlar-
| lover To find this out one needs but
to watch the harvest of the maize-corn.
Down south, at the big corn-huskings,
| If one should come across red ear he
gets another dram. When an indian
maiden finds a red ear It proves that
there Is for her some admiring brave,
| and she is looked upon as a f1t present
to some young warrior. But II the ear
happens to be crooked, no matter the
color, the whole circle Is in an uproar.
They limp and hop about like the old,
bent man who shall come to lead the
/ maid away. The warrior, enamored OF
the old braves daughter, brings pres
ents to the lodge A council of the old
men and chiefs is held. The fate or the
courtshp hangs on their decision. IL
they decide favorably, the young war
rior leads his youthful squaw away to
his own wlgwam, where she will dress
the bear skin for his robes and plants
the maize-corn for his feasts
The war society frapes It's history out
of daring exploits and tragic events. Two
of the most prominent amongst the
Kiowas were the Kaits enko and Ton
konko. The Kait senko was composed of
ton and only ten, of their bravest war
riors. They took pledge to lead every
desperate battle, and to retain their places
| In front of the charge until relieved
by victory or death. Thus originated
what is known as the Indians death
1 song" When victory was impossible. and
| death certain, a member of war So
clety would begin his death song Notn-
ing could be quite so weird chant.
II bid farewell to life and reclklessly de-
fled death To hear 1t makes one feel
| creepy If not used to border warfare.
The red skins prophet, or medicine
| man. versed as he is in all their myths
and legends, holds his tribe in the grip
| of his hand Their savage dreams some
| times creates the widest furry and
| brings the white no little trouble The
Kiowas in 1887 were run mad by their
| conjuror, Paingya. who got message
from his fire god. Old Lone Wolf would
not let them plant their corn that spring.
He prophesied that a great whirlwind
would blow all the whites away In
its wake would come raging prairie
fire. It would burn the schools and the
agency, and every white man the whirl-
| wind had not blown away. After that
the herds of buffalo would come, their
hunting grounds would swim with game,
and the Indian would come unto his
| own. It was a wild and happy vision.
All the Kiowas listened to the medicine
man. except Stumblin-bear's and Sum
boys bands They moved to Lone VOLTS
camp on Elk river. They returned to
died once more the sacred fire with
block and stick Matches flint. and steel
| were discarded The spring drew on to-
| ward the summer, ana no whirlwind, no
raging prairie flre. The prophets son
died, and he promised to raise him from
the dead, but his medicine lost Its magic
/ mower The Kiowas discovered the de-
| ception. But not until old Paingya had
| grown rich in horses and blankets given
him by the faithful. 1t was this same
Indian that revived the ghost-dance at
| his wigwam on the Washita.
| The most uncanny and ghostly OF all
| IL the death chant. They never sing 1t
| as long as there Is shadow of chance.
! But when all hope is gone, when the toni
ahawk and scalping-knife lose their cum
! ming the warrior strikes up his chant in
which he toys with death and bids fare
well to happy hunting grounds. The eye
| alitters under the recital of war-like
| deeds the post he strikes with his toma-
! hawk has many times as the scalps he
| has won; that done, he submits to death.
| The ghost dance celebrates their hope
| of some messiah that will deliver them
from the encroachments OF the pale-face.
II occurs on the announcement of some
newly arisen prophet 1t is an extremely
! dangerous custom because It stirs the
savage blood until they long again for
the freedom of the plains.
The scalp dance celebrates the return
NJ war party. The tribe forms In
| half-circle opening in the direction from
which the warriors are coming. They
return in full war dress, and paint thor
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