Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-21
Some Things You Want to Know
Indian Dances.

For more than a month the news OF the
day has been ~enlivened with reports from
different secuons OF the country recount
ms fcats OF endurance at so-called Mar
athon dances" in which the t-erpsichorean
marvels are said to have danced from
eight 60 fifteen hours continuously. In
more than one instance the police have
intsrfered. But how trivial seem these
efforts when compared with the truly re-
markable feats OF endurance performed by
the Indian braves OF the plainsl For the
Sioux. the Cheyenne and the Arapahoe
tribes a dance Of seventy-five hours was
not an i~nfreauent event In the old days
when the Indians were allowed to ceie-
brate their victories in orgies OF blood
and torture.
The most striking Of all Indian dances
Is known as the Medicine Dance" which
now has passed into history. Originally
the medicine man, or doctor, was the die
ator OF these dances. Usually about once
a year he sent out his eall 70 the war
riors OF the tribe, naming those individ-
uals whom he wished to dance in this
ceremony OF ~divinatiOn. for the medicine
dance was not a ceremony OF devotion,
but rather a sort OF American Depths
Oracle to determine what we're to be the
fortunes OF war. the state Of the crops
and the health Of the tribe.
When all the warrior dancers were as
sembled they marched to the Hoch-e-a-
yum, or lodge of the cottonwood poles.
beneath which a circle Of about twenty
feet in diameter was roped off. The
dancers assembled in this ring. Then be-
gan the beating Of the tom-toms and the
Indians. slowly hopping from one foot to
the other, began to make the circuit of
the central pole. from which was sus-
pended a two-faced image. one OF the
faces representing the bad Medicine
and the other representing the Good Med
icine."
During the dance the women and chill
dren Of the village would gather around
the roped circle and shout encouragement
to the dancers. After about ten or twelve
hours OF this ordeal the dancers would
begin to drop from exhaustion. AS soon
as a warrior was overcome he would be
seized by the feet and dragged from the
circle. The medicine man would bend over
him and paint symbolic figures over his
body, which was always naked except
for the breech clout. II these symbols
did not revive him he was hauled from
bereath the lodge and water was thrown
in his face. This usually caused the war
rior to revive and he would be ordered
back into the circle to continue the dance,
unless the medicine man could be persuad-
ed by the members of the dancers family,
through the gift OF ponies. blankets OF
beads, to allow him to retire.
1t is estimated that ordinarily. II 100 war
riors were in a dance, fifty would drop out
before the end OF thirty hours. and another
twenty-five by the end Of the forty-eighth
hour. Usually from ten to fifteen survived
to the fourth day. or the seventy-fifth
hour. During this long period there was
no rest, no sleep. no eating and no drink
ing. No warrior was ever required to per-
form the medicine dance a second time,
however. Usually one dancer was selected
for every 100 inhabitants.
After the waning OF the power Of the
medicine man these dances were continued
but the participants were always volun-
teers and these were confined to youne
men who were anxious TO- impress some OF
the young women OF the stribe with Their
prowess, or some warrior who wanted Il
do penance for a supposed transgression
or else some person anxious to propitiatt
the evil spirit n restore the health OF
10AAN lIAAADC VI has AdLAANs OsuuAAg III
volunteers were the young bucks who
Joined in the ceremony chiefly because Il
was the thing to do'-fashionable, In Other
words.
After the dances there were the seif-in
flicted tortures OF the young men of tn,
tribe who were anxious to be rolled as full
Pledged warriors.
These ordeals were truly remarkable. 4
lad Of 10 would be examined by the medi
cine man and there would be a council {,
determine how much torture he ought L
be able TO endure. He would lay bare hi
breast and the medicine man, armed witt
a broad bladed knife would make two in
cisions in each breast, about one incl
apart and about four inches long. Tn
flesh and muscle would be lifted ava.
from the bone, and beneath these tw
strips would be passed a horsehair rope
about t-hree-qusrters OF an inch In circum
ference. Then. fastened by his own fles
the young man would be tied to the to
Of the central pole Of the lodge, with abou
ten feet OF play, and would be required t
remain there until he could tear himsel
loose. Sometimes If the youth were par
t~icularly robust he would be suspende
three or four feet above the ground an
would be required to remain until throug
his own exertions or the softening OF IN
tissues, he was able to break the cords c
flesh and muscle. No food or water Wi
p given to the would-be warriors durln
this ordeal. AS soon as they succeede
in breaking loose the victims usual
plunged into a river or lake to cool the