The Cairo bulletin., 1908-04-24
THE LAST SUN DANCE
Final Unrestricted One
Which the Sioux Indians
Were Allowed to Give.
b A K b ARITY OF 1T
Flesh Cut from Womcns Arms to
Test Their Bra,ery-Men Fas-
tened Ia Various Objects by
Loops of Flesh and Compelled TO
Tear Themselves Away.

t Now and then the mufiled rum.
BILE of the Instruments was broken
by cAant from the musicians .
that reminded one of Dante's de-
scription of his visit to the place OF
lost souls. In its way, the song
: was as devoid of music as was the
instruments which accompanied the
singers, And yet, its weird rhythm
comes back to me. says writer
: In Army and Navy. from the distant
; past as sort of doleful chant OF
mournful measure.
e An unusual commotion and our
attention was attracted to some
squaws nearer us. who were attend
ed by medicine men. They had
pared their shapely round arms,
and around them above the elbow.
were laid pieces OF muslin. The
men worked with each woman in
turn, From the upper arm were
cut small chunks of flesh: while the
women endured and watched the
operation without LInching. The
pieces were then placed in the mus
lin. tied up like little balls, prepare
tory to being buried. The women
had displayed their bravery. and
were assured that by the time the
pieces had decayed in the ground
the wounds in their arms would he
| healed.
The youths had been dancing as
before to the sun since early morn
Ing. and about clock in the after
noon they began to take their med
icine."
A number of medicine men had
brought rods, to the ends of which
were attached by a string some
Kind of fancy takle resembling
that used by an angler to lure his
hnny prey. The tackle was dan
gled before the dancers eyes lust
out of their reach. Each young
man endeayored to follow 1t con-
unually with hts eyes, and apparent
ly tried TO catch it, And so. with
heads thrown back at a break-neck
angle, they followed the medicine
men around and around, as they
careiessly danglei the tackle up
ana down. Thus they led the dane
ers about, now causing them to turn
one way, now another. now to whirl
to the rear so quickly as to almost
C nse them to fall TO the ground
The evident purpose was TO make
the dancers SO dizzy as to fall from
exhaustion; thus rende ing them
less sensitive to pain-surely a he
roic aaaesthetic If such 1t were AS
they already had been dancing with
several hours II was not long before
the sunlight binding their eyes for
they succumbed to the "medicine."
Soon as they dropped other doctors
sprang upon them, and by different
hendish methods prepared each for
his ordeal
Seeral kinds of trials had been
arranged, which were considered !
equally severe. ard before the rites |
began each youth had been given |
his choice-a grim privilege
Some were led to pens. two of /
which had been erected, at either
side of the arena, opposite each
other. They were formed by four
strong posts about six feet high,
firmly set in the ground at a quad
rangle about four by six feet In
those quadrangles the unfortunate
would-be braves were stood and
loops of the flesh on their backs
and breast were fastened securely
by thongs to the four posts. There
they had to stay until they succeed
ca in tearing the thongs loose by
frantic lung,s of their writing
bodies. Their heroic efforts as they
jerked forward and backward in
the effort to berak free, with the
terrible liberation, made a horrible
and sickening sight, yet there was
worse to come.
Some of the men had to walk (al- !
most stagger really around the /.
ing with great buffalo skulls at
ached by cords to the flesh of their
Jacks. The weight OF the skulls
md their hitching and dragging
long the ground had to tear the ,
hongs loose from the flesh before ,
he men could be relieved of til cir i,
BURDENS and their end rance pow !
RS be aijudged thoroughly proved.
Sot for moment were they allow 9
d to rest, and their agony must +,
ave been dreadful ,
| sank back in horror. At all g
he hideous sights and the flowing ,
t blood | had become very faint :
iy husband saw t, and immediate I
Y applied the smelling salts he had ,
rought for an emergency. 4
| was revived somewhat by the
ats and again hegan to notice the |
lights about me-
The first thing / beheld was a fig |
re hung twenty feet or more from ]
he ground by the flesh of its back s
ttached by a thong to the pole in
he centre of the Enclosure The
lood was steaming down HIS body @
nd dripping to the ground. Sew.
raj more men were being pui M
! the same way. They were left
, hang until the flesh by which 7