The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1907-08-07
THANKSGIVING EVENT
WITH THE OSAGES
[OmmenlOrateS Their Rescue
From FamineWhea Drought
Destroyed Crops.

Pawhnsia. Okla, Aug. Now that
roasting ears are ripe in the south.
west the Indian tribes are celebrating
the event with green-cOrn dancers an
annual thanksgiving for bouadful
crops While this celebration g. com
mon TO practically all the tribes, dat
ing back for centuries, yet it has far
more meaning for the Osages. who
link with 1t their thanksgiving cere-
rneies In commemorauon of their
rescue from famine In 1885. Travellers
Ia the Usage country at the present
time are being regaled with accounts
OF how the Great Spirit provided the
tribe with seed corn when they had
none for the coming season
Il Is tale In the telling OF which
the Osapes never tire. Owing to a se-
we're Drought they had no corn for
the winter months and none for seed.
A large party OF tie tribe was busy
laying IN the winters supply OF meat,
renison and buffalo and hunting these
animals in what Is now The northern
portion OF Oklahoma After killing
buffalo they would dry. the meat, pack
it on horses and carry il 10 their
'IAAilHs tAfu iVAnNNi III AiAN NNaN-aA ~
part OF the Cherokee nation
One OF the young chiefs. by name
Nen-tse-tan.ka was accompanied on
this hunt by his bride. He had only
four ponies and therefore II did not
take him long 10 kill and dry, with
the aid Of his sqaaw all the meat that
these four animals could carry So
while the remaining warriors OF the
party still pursued the chase after the
buffalo he. with his bride took up the
return trip homeward, follcwing The
Arkansas river eastward
Finds Corn in Thicket.
Nrntsetan-ka and his bride, on
the evening Of the third day, made
their cgmp just above the Salt Fork,
by a dense thicket that ran TO the
waters edge Nuntse-tan-ka hObblcd
bis horse while the sQuaw pprepared
their rude shelter of buuehs for the
night, and tnen, attracted by some
fresh deer tracks in the mud and sand
ne followed them Into the thicket
along the river bank
So interested did Nuntse-tan-ka
become IN the chase that he had wan
dered fafnher than he realized but
was suddenly awakened TO the fact
that the sun was getting very low, and
was ab0gt ON the point Of returning
when something struck his hand.
'Sooping to Investigate he found a
u rye ear of squaw corn. lnyestigat-
\ further ihe found the whole thick
A Nl Of growing corn. He recog-
ni- u tue miraculous presence lof the
grain in the denseiy shaded thicket,
where Il would be impossible for or
dinary corn TO grow and tariife.
All the next day NunFso-tan -ka
and his squaw spent ia gathering the
corn, three sacks OF the choicest ear
being saved for seed In the spring
time These three sacks were car
fied into the main camp of the tribe
by Nun-tse-tan- -ka and his bride and
for days afterward the squaws were
busy harvesting the miraculous grain,
getting sufhciency FOR the entire
tribe during the winter months
Spot Still Pointed Out.
The spot where the corn grew wild
is SIN pointed OFT by the Osages,
who believe that the tribe was mir
acrlously provided with tho grain.
Nuntsetaa-ka lived 20 an extreme
old age, and died about twenty-seyen
years ago. His children stit survive
and vouch io' the truth of The story,
as Ct was often related TO them by
their father
Always al This season, Whcn the re-
! uiiu Of roasting ear time rs being oh
served. tue Osaecs entertain many
visitors from thc other southwest
ern tribes and al ths prcssat time
I the Tmkawas dressed in tier gau
diest robes tho Otoes. Poncas Mis
+ sourics and. PaWnees are enjoying the
hospitality of their Usage niends and
+. participating In the green corn dance
No Indian eats green corn, or roast
ing cars. until after the annual dantt
has been held Then they feast ei
the ripcning grain for days This ra'
rs observed In particular hy ih'
Greeks. for IL the foriy-seven Indian
towns or clans of the Crcck tribe th'
annual greea corn dances are NOW be
ing held The Creek rnle thai he mus
not cat of he green corn Until ate
the dance Us an Oli superstition riggd
~ observed among the full hlo0ds
Tine custom rs SO old that Il is impos
sihle 20 get a clear idea of iis origin
The Creeks as rule hOid ih'
dances ia their yari9ts towns AZ th'
same time alihorsh when thes
towns are loested close together ire
quenily different dates are named 81
that she varlous clans may celebrate
together Ia the home town Of each
When single clan or town is huldinl
dance there are usually in th
neiehhorhood of ia0 dancers pariic
ratine. but the number is increases
10 as hieh as GO when seyerll clan
celebrate ioseiber
Among the Greeks the green coz