Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1907-07-12
Indian Day

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$500 people gathered to witness /
the interesting exercises, and
they certainly were most inter-
esting. At 2 o'clock Tuesday af-
ternoon they came pouring into
the grounds from the Fort. Ev-
cry kind of conveyance was used I
in the procession, and there was
about 100 Of them. From the
two wheeled carts to large farm
wagons they rolled in, each with
camping utensils, tent poles and
canvass packed in the beds. The
Indians Immediately upon their
arrival at the base ball grounds
pitched camp around the edge
of the ball diamond and in very
few minutes tents, tepees, camp
fires and dogs gave evidence that |
a bona fide Indian camp had
been established.
About 700 braves, squaws and
papooses are estimated to have
been on the grounds Wednesday.
Early in the morning their ex-
ercises began. The braves
decked themselves out in full re-
gala, looking glasses, sleigh
bells and beads of many colors,
forming prominent parts in the
decoration. They painted their
faces in all conceivable colors
and designs some Of them re-
sembling ga horse blankets or
the latest style of night mare
wall paper. On their heads
were long streamers of eagle or
hawk feathers and head dress,
made of badger hair and the
hair out of deer tails, dyed red.
The squaws, too, were arrayed
in gala attire. Some of them
had painted their faces almost
as gaily as their sires, and had
added a broad streak of red
paint on the space of the scalp
laid bare by the parting Of the
hair.
In the morning the Indians,
arrayed in full attire, many be-
ing seated on ponies, gave pa
rade through the principal
tstreets Of the grounds. The
yearly grass dance, the circle
dance, the dog, wolf and buffalo
dances, proved interesting sights
to the spectators. In all these
dances six or seven muscular red
/, men sat on their launches in
the center of the circle and
!, pounded monotonously but in
perfect time on the head of a
bass drum. In the circle dance,
I which was participated in by the
whole band, men, women and
, children, each participant was
provided with a branch of an
oak tree. These they waived
gracefully, keeping time to the
poundings of the drum, as they
moved slowly around in a cir
Gle. At times the dance became
faster and more furious, and
then again would retard and di-
minish. Only the braves partic-
ipated in the grass dance, which
was quite lengthy and consist
! ed of six or seven different
dances, or "sets'' as we would
! say in a quadrilIe. One hun
ldred and tWenty-seven men took
!. part in this dance, most of them
being plentifully adorned with
:, small looking glasses, which
! lshown :bravely in the sunlight,
A prize dance between two
young bucks, Casle, the Sisse-
ton and Onjapina, the Chippe.
h wa, was next given. This dance
consisted, of the most grotesque
!. movements and contortions
!: which the young men were capa.
l bic OF, it being left to the audi.
Ience to choose which was the
most aughable. rs 7 ( 7. /.
s s$5 The orange dance, wherein 8
half a dozen oranges are placed
iii a pile in the center Of the cir.
81. lcle, was participated III by ter
j braves, FIVE being arrayed or
Sc. each side. The Indians, while II
q kneeling posture, chanted I
weird refrain, then rising the,
y | approached the heap Of orange.
y III perfect unison, retreatins
each time, but always approach
q ing 8! little nearer the center
NH Finally the top orange wa
4 speared by one of the dancers
J This seemed to be the signal TO
the conclusion of the dance, d
the leader who had speared th
D fruit then picked up the remain
der and distri blted il alaongl hi
B Iside.