Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-09-24
indian FAIR
At BER1n0LD
Or. Reede Delivers Interest.
ing Talk at Big Gathering
Of Red Men

old indian Fair last week, from Tues
day until Saturday. Rev. DR.. Beede
reports the following: ~. /
The Antelope society had their
tents pitched to the east, back from
the river, and the tents of the Dogs
faced them, nearer the river, and in
the space between them the games
and music and everything else took
place. In front OF each encampment
vas the large tent where music and
dancing took place,--this tent repre-.
senting the Holy House of olden
times. In o!den times every cillage
had, centrally situated the Holy
House. In front of the Dog encamp-
ment was a tent similarly situated,
The exercises In these large tents
continued until midnight, consisting
of music and singing, it being the
old-tlme music with the tom tom, and
some simple dancing, but nothing oh.
jectlonal took place. 1t was in the
tent of the Antelope's that Mrs.
Whiteman fell dead, Thursday night
at ten thirty. The music, as before.
stated was the old time music and
was fine, and was pronounced OF
aigh grade by musical experts. The
beauty OF the music Is the peculiar
blending Of its tones. The Smyth-
sOnian institution. is now making an
effort to collect some of these must
,al selections.
. Another amusement, was the horse
racing every afternoon, in which the
young mems anticipation eager for
The races was something worth see.
,ng. The old men were wonderfully
dressed in the old.time costumes,
md many had old-time moccasins on.
Shicn were beaded and some wore
onckskin suits; there were also many
Inc Elk's teeth in evidence on this
occasion. The regalias were such as
would make men willing to give a
great deal of money to have them.
Besides this, there were a large
number of old-timc Indian games,
which were interesting. 1t was quite
:. surprise to the large number OF
White people who gathered here to
see how little disturbance the Indians
made. There was none of that rough.
less displayed, SO often at similar
gathering of white people. One would
lave listened in vain for a word of
profanity, unless uttered by white
men.
The industrial building contained a
inc display Of farm products raised
IN the reservation; these included
specimens of corn, much Of the
'ld-tlme Indian corn, and there were
,lsO the old.time Mandan beans; the
brown and the white beans, and the
ienvente speckled beans. Good
pecimens OF alfalfa and alfalfa seed.
Also good specimens Of sugar beets;
inc potatoes, cabbages and other
arm products too numerous to men.
ion. There was also a creditable
exhibition Of old time relies, includ-
ng some fine specimens worked by
The women. ..,
Another fine exhibit was the school
display, showing the farm products
aised by the scholars in the gar.
lens, and also the specimens of in.
lustrial work by the schools. There
we're also specimens of drawing, and
music and similar things.
1t was expected that there would
oe three speakers on this occasion
besides Rev. Beede, +. o. Hellstrom.
2. D. Norton and l.. B. Hanna were
% have spoken. But as it happened
Gather Beede was the only one that
came, and he gave them a speech
Wednesday, in which they were high.
y interested. He told them about
aistory and the importance OF pre-
serving history, and the practical
benefits gained from history. In fact
he Indians liked Father Beede's
speech so well that they insisted he
should speak to them again the next
lay, and he thought the most polite
thing to do, was to get away quickly,
when bigger men were going to
speak, so he made a hike to Bis.
marck, this being the most delicate
way for him out of the awkward sit
uation Of competing with men bigger
than himself. And then as it hap.
pened these great and wonderful men,
whose heads now lie uneasy, in their
ardent desire to become the choice
of the people, and SO wear a crown,
did not appear, SO after all, if Father
.Beede had remained he would have
had ample opportunity to have given
the aborigines another speech on his.
tory, without any indelicacy, or lack
OF etiquette toward chose great men,
who are anxious to become the mould.
ers of presen history among white
men. Las :
There yer several men there from
the far east, one from New York
studying Indian ethnology.
There is n man VINO has been
with the Indians for some length OF
time, and knows something Of them
Intimately, who says he hopes those
Eastern students OF Indian customs
wont get their ideas concerning the
aborignes as twisted and perverted
as some of the people do who come
here and take a birds eye view and
then write a book by the aid OF con.
structive imagination, which is
neither truly imaginative or practi.
cally constructive.
To a Maple Leaf.
Sweet Maple Leaf! l look and sigh,
B%eholding Natures Soul in this
One leaf whose native glory, shy
And pleasing, is a world of bliss.