The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-10-24
cuSTER'S LAST FIGHT
R%E-ENACTED BY SIOUX

Chamberlain, $. d, Oct. 23.-Ihe
great summer festival of the osalalla
Sioux Indians, one of the chief features,
of which is a realistic reproduction OF
the Custer massacre. has just taken
place at Pine Ridge. The statement
that Red Cloud, the most famous of
the Ogalalla Sioux chiefs, is dead, has
often been printed. but the aged war,
rior was there in the flesh participating
in the celebration of his people which
has now been conventionalized as a sort
of Fourth of July. :,
Old Red Cloud is totally blind and
very feeble, and his mind is wavering,
but his people carried him re~verently
to the camp grounds, about three miles
from the Pine Ridge agency, and paid
him all the Difference that he has
earned by many years of wise counsel
and courageous leadership.
His son, Jack Red Cloud, acted as
herald for the numerous functions. On
The breast of the u man We're tWd
silver medals fully five inches in diam.
eter. one of them had been given to
his father and the other to his uncle,
and he wore them proudly with his
war bonnet of eagle feather and his
clothing of heavily beaded buekSkin
The medals We're dated 1871 and bor6
the portrait of General Grant. and HE
famous saying: Let there be peace"
DuAl MS MS son = lOuAl oIilolS anu IIle
t%hrobbiug of the tomtoms and this
rhythmic yelping of the war dance, the
WORKOUT old veteran, Red Cloud, lay
under q ieafE shelter. his muttering lips
showing plainly he was recalling tina
events of Ills own life.
Eaatman in the Cast.
No matter how much culture had
been acquired by the individual mem.
bers Of the tribe, or how much they haG
assimilated of the white mans ways
the old indian ceremonies brought forth
the Indians love of his own people
Every fullblood entered into the cere.
monies with complete abandon.
DR.. Charles A. Eastman is a gradu.
ate of Eeloit, Kno and Amherst. He
is one of the best educated Indians III
history. He has raveled about the
world and addressed many audiences.
always appearing in dress and manner
exactly as any other cultured gentle
man. His Yankee wife and their six
children were at their home in Am.
herst while DR.. Eastman was at Pine
Ridge among his people. 1t was with
evident PRIDE that the distinguished
scholar donned The eagle feathers and
took the most prominent part. that of
Chief Crazy Horse, in the realistic re-
production of the great Custer battle.
To see him with his erect bearing. his
towering head dress. and his flashing
eyes, one would scarcely imagine that
this was a man accustomed to address,
ing metropolitan audiences in polished
accents.
There were others. too, who had been
away in school at Carlisle. who laid
aside their acquired culture, forgot for
the the White mans ethical
theorizing, and threw themselves heart
and soul into the spirit of the festival,
even including the feast of dog flesh.
Re-enacts Battle Scene.
Beside DR.. Eastman playing the part
of Chief Crazy Horse. there was also
the famous warrior No Flesh going
through the same part that he took in
the actual conricr over thirty years
ago. 1t was he who killed the color
bearer of Clusters command and cap
tured the flag. His old eyes kindled
and his scanned and aged features
glowed as he re-enacted the events Of
his youthful days.
Old Chief Blue Horse was among his
people, but evoked less attention than
Red Cloud, for the reason that he al
ways preached peace and took pride
IN the statement that he had never
fought the whites. His son, who served
as a scout under Generals Crook, Nc
Kenzie. Sheridan ana Miles, was also
present. His name is Standing Soldier
Stands First was another brave and
ancient warrior who rejoiced in the fes.
tiVal and renewed his youth. Other
prominent sioux who We're participants
We're Red Bear and Afraid of Bear, Lit.
tie Crow, Bear-Lays-Down, and Clowns
Horse.
+. 5. Curtis took advantage of the
opportunity to collect materials for his
work on the North American Indian.
the first two volumes of which will ap.
pear in January. The difficulty of oh.
tanning data and photographs for this
great chronological and historical rec.
ord is almost beyond belief. Five more
years will be consumed in complet.
ing it.