The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-08-29
(1ay of "Hiawatha" Is Re-
produced At Chautauqua
in Unique Manner.
USE NATIVE TONGUE
A Papoose Proves Very Pop
ular With Audience
Mrs. Waltz in Poses.


management to be one of the largest,
If not the largest, crowd in the his
tory of the assembly was on the Chau-
tauqua grounds to witness the per
Torrance of the Ojibway Indian com
pany, a groug of Canadian Indians,
who belong to the same tribe which
originated the play "Hiawatha." The
tent was filled long before the hour
when the Indians were to appear, and
the crowd on the outside was of con.
siderable size when the entertainment
began. The Indians do not talk any
English on the stage, all their re-
marks being in their native tongue, so
II is necessary for one of the white
men who manage the company to be
on the stage and explain what is hap
pening.
Show Life Of Indians.
; The entertainment Of the afternoon
was the representation Of a series OF
typical incidents in the life of an In
dian. The first Indian who made his
appearance was a scout, who selected
a camping spot and left to bring on
the rest of the tribe. They came on
the stage, bearing with them the va
rious necessities for establishing a
camp. The approach of spy, his
capture, and his subsequent escape,
were all played out by the Indians.
The tribe then took a rest, and the
manager gave a short lecture on the
Hiawatha land, exhibiting skins of va
rious animals and also some of the ex-
cellent work of the natives. Several
royal robes made Of the fur of all the
animals of the northland and put to-
gether in a wonderful design were
among his exhibits. He also explained
the sign language which is used among
Indianas of different tribes.
Crow Likes Papoose.
The hit of the afternoon was the ap-
pearance of the little Indian papoose,
only fourteen months old, who made
his appearance with the rest of the
tribe, bearing a burden in each hand.
He walked up and down across the
front of the stage unconscious of the
audience. A little girl two years old,
is also an active performer The star
dancer Of the whole troupe Is Little
Redbird, lad not more than ten years
old, and yet he dances the difficult In
dian dances with ability and enthus-
iasm of a warrior.
The evening performance was be-
gun by a series of stereopticon views
of the beautiful lands where he beau
tiful legend of Hiawatha originated.
The recitations of parts of the poem
-. h. -
good knowledge of the story before
the play began. The Indians came
to the platform as representatives of
the various tribes and were paciRed
by the Great Spirit, and promised the
advent of a prophet, Hiawatha. The
play then traced the growth of Hia-
watha from a papoose, through child
hood, into manhood, showed his mar
riage to Minnehaha, and the exciting
gambling scene. ending with the scalp,
ing of the gambler and the dance of
glee over the event. Then came the
final scene. the appearance of the
priest, who brings to them the mes
sage of God, and the play ends with
the departure Of Hiawatha.
Stage Was Too Small.
Although some difficulty was expe,
ment of the lights and the smallness
of the stage, the performance was very
creditable and unique, and was en-.
joyed very much by the audience. The
stage presented a good picture of a
forest. branches having been put up In
the corners, on the poles at the front
and wings of foliage at each side. The
wigwam was in the center of the stage
and skins and blankets were spread
about.
The Indians have a little village of
their own, which was set up back OF
the stage. and surrounded by a canvas
wall. The regulation Indian tepee Is
used to sleep in, and the cooking is
done by the squaws.
Dancing and Singing.
The part Of the performance which
was most unusual and interesting was
the dancing and singing done by the
Indians in true native style The In
dians have a dance for almost every
emotion they wish to express. and the
steps are not as easy as might be i'm
agined at first sight. but require a
great deal of practice and endurance
Especially interesting was the beg
CARS dance done by one of the braves
and Little Redbird. who shows d
child's enthusiasm in all his dancing
Poses by Mrs. Waltz.
While the audience was waiting for
the Hiawatha play, 1t was entertained
by Runge's orchestra and Mrs. Waltz
who appeared in Greek costume and
gave series Of poses illustrating the
art side of physical culture. and also a
pantomime Of the Star Spangled Ban,
ner. In the last she was assisted by
Mrs. Charles Igelman. a local vocalist
who is very popular with Richmond
audiences. The latter sang while Mrs
Waltz did the posing, The accompani
ment was played by Miss Grace Shera
The whistler, Miss Sybil Pagan, gave
several solos yesterday, one of them
accompanied by the orchestra. This
talented young woman halls from
Springfield. and although only eigh
teen years old. whistles with beauty
of tone that is rare and wins her au
dience by her simple, unassuming
manner.