Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1913-08-31

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., Aug. 80.
-( special When the persuasive
tuence Of Christian missionaries and
the yUV more emphatic opposition
Of government agents prohibited in
Fiction of bodily torture among the
oklahoma Indians in their religious
"sun dances" and other customs Of
religious worship they lost interest IN
their annual fe2tvities and now
very few care TO observe these old
time customs. In fact, the sun
dance" a. ii is now has little to offer
IN he way OF interest or enthusiasm
among the old warriors who have In
dulged in il to the fullest significance
II the harbarous practice. An at
tempt was recently made to hold one
OF these sun dances at Calumet but
robbed Of its chief features, sticking
splin.eis under the skin, running
sabres through the shoulder blades
and other trivial side issues, the at
tempt was an utter failure, and only
a few Of the younger Indians came
at all Seeing nothing Of interest
to them they 'stOmped" around
few minutes and left. disgusted.
The younger Indians have also
ceased to feel the religious signifi-
canoe OF the sun dance, as most OF
| them have been raised In an atmOs-
| phere dominated by Christian mis-
| sionaries and teachers, II not them
selves actually Christianized The
\ agents and teachers who have been
| trying to make farmers out Of the
Indians have impressed upon them
the bad results to their crops IL they
start on a round Of dances and visits
| to other tribes Just at the time when
their farms most need their attention.
| Al such a time, in the language OF
| one Of the more progressive Chey-
enncs. 1T will be 'howdy weeds and
| goodbye corn crop" at their homes.
John II. Scgar, who has done more
than any other one man to educate
and train the Choyennes and Arapa-
hoes I'm the white mans way and Is
more familiar with their history and
customs than any man outside the
tribes. says that while they were Nv
Ing under tribal government the sun
| dance filled a very important part
IN their affairs and had many useful
and commendable features, although
II course under existing conditions 81
Is bound to 20.
THE Indians" said Mr.. Scger, like
| some civilized people, believe that
trouble and misfortune is visited upon
people for their sins. They also be-
reve that there Is an evil as well
as a good spirit and that all the good
visited upon them comes from the
good spirit and all the bad from the
| avil spirit. The good spirit delights
In doing them good, while the evil
spirit delights In misery and suffer
ing.
AT sun dance male members of
the tribe volunteer to submit to SUI
fering and torture to satisfy the evil
spirit | cant better illustrate how tn.
, indian looks % his master than TO
repcat from memory the substance
# a prayer made by Raven, ocle-
hratpd Arapahoc chief and medicine
man. at o. sun dance held at the Red
Hf'Is. near where the town Of Goay
IS now located.
"This dance was held thirty years
ago. az q time when the buffalo was
becouina scarce in oklahoma. and
he ArapahUCs were living mainly on
rations given them by the govern
lmcrl Although these rati0us were
given them. they considered it very
Unfortunate that they had to live on
charity instead OF living the free and
independent life of the hunter. and
having plenty Of fat and juicy buf-
|falo meat. which I can testify TO Will
satisfy the appetite = an epicuTo
"Bu 10 return to Ravens prayer.
Tn. sun was up TO high noon. Sis
warriors stood nude. except a breech
clout and pce string; IN their bleed
ing breasts was fastened a rawhile
larit rope. fastened to sticks thrust
under the skin, or TO some tied 90
the skin. which had been raised ~
for that purpose. one warrior was
dragging a buffalo head. with the
horns on. by buffalo larlat rope
which was fastened to the raw skin