The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-10-12
SIOUX INDIANS
HOLD WAR RITES
Interesting Ceremonies mt Annual Fair
i'm Celebration of Response of Their
Braves 10 [ 0untxy*A taH

i Eisf1areE. ~ u, t,tC..s TIT he Sioux
i Indians Of Standing Rock reservation.
! who have given 20o Of their sons TO
the cause Of democracy. celebrated the
taking 10 the warrath by these braves
during their annual fair. at Fort Yates
Tho most interesting sights OF the fair
wer" these eeremontals held by each
OF the tribes In front OF their council
tents They were much alike. and the
rites Of the Pine Ridge Agency Indians
may be taken as an example.
Families. relatives and friends of
the hnys who have kone to war took
| their places in the form OF a rectangle
with the chiefs ard leading men seated
in front of the council tent. Then
! In turn, each of the men and women
who had given the nation a son rose
and chantcd verse in HIS honor The
tune was always the same. but each
verse was individually distinct. sacred
to the Prov ess of the In whose
honor 1t was chanted.
| Then, in the center OF the rectAngie.
half dozen warriors and four women
| took their places about a btg base
drum, which has replaced thA old Time
/ tom tom. and in chorus they caanted
an epic eulogizng all Of the men from
this particular tribe who have donned
/ the khaki There was no vaiftnr:
|
Ono chieftain in this tribe chanted:
Tour father asked for our sons. and
our sons have gone. and we are glad
for II Ia good that our sons fight for
our father. whose battles are good bat
I Ties. Our sons have gone, and we ara
/ proud Our sons have gone, and we
are glad that we had sons to give"
| AS sung by the Indians these verses
were remarkably melodious. The cho-
raj music was particularly agreeable,
all of the singers keeping perfect TINA
with voices VIII ich harmoniously
blended in song whose cadences were
at once majestic. weird and tunetul
More than 100 men have gone from
the reservation in North Dakota" said
7 an interpreter. Bear King, who Is Ycre-
man of Il ranch. "A majority of them
have volunteered. and our people are
very proud of them. ] doubt IL there
Is an Indian family here which has not
AT least one Red Cross memhershia"
From one out OF at most every ten
tents which strung out on four sides
of the fair grounds to a length OF two
or three miles floated a service flag.
showing that son had joined the col
ors From every council tent, in COM
pany with an American flag, fioated a
bright red service banner. About these
aasstaffs several times each day the
tribes gathered for feast. council or
pow-wow, and always the war and the
sons that had gone to war were the
topics urpermost
-Buy Liberty Bonds-
On account of tho order issued by
| the state board of health prohibiting
public meetings, closing theatres,
schools. churches because OF the cpl.
demic of Influenza. the United War
! Work convention which was sched-
uled for Tuesday. October 20, has
been postponed until Tuesday, Octo-
her 29th. ut which time 1t is hoped
that the malady which has swept the
state and county will be checked
This United War Work conference
will be OF material interest 10 the
representatives and the workers OF
its various organizations. Y. NJ G.. A.,
Catholic War council. Jewish welfare
bard, War Wrk clnmunity service.
Salvation Army, and American Lib
rary association.