Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-01-17
AN INDIAN CHRISTMAS.
Much Noise Necessary Concomitant
OF the Celebration.

Much Noise n Necessary Concomitan
OF the Celebration.
ceived from the Rev. w. Arendzen, $. $
e., of Tongue River Reservation, Mon.
tana, formerly n member of the teaching
force at st. Michael's College, the fol
lowing interesting letter as to how the
Rev. Arendzen and Mr.. bowers brother
Edward j. Dover, formerly of this city
spent Christmas with the Cheyenne In
dams:
THE LETTER.
Christmas of 1917 has once more sped
through the circle of time and left be.
hind 1t only memories of sacred as well
secular Joys and happiness. Even our
boys at the front have had their special
Christmas rejoicings though 1t were mix.
ed with powder and shot on battlefield
OF bloodshed and carnage. Our Cheyenne
Indians were not behind In this universa
idea of celebrating the birthday Of Our
Saviour. Now that Christmas has pass.
ed. all Is quiet once more amongst them
but their dreams are still wild. Their
bodies may be heavy with sleep through
fatigue of long nights Of revelry but theii
brains still work on memories of scalps
figuratively taken. during their Christmas
war dances and of over-laden stomachs
In reality experienced. Indeed an Indian
dance Is not complete If the dancers have
not scalped, In their imagination at least
half dozen enemies, and their day has
not been really a happy one IL the sleer
that. follows does not lull to forgetfulness
the actual sufferings following a toe
greatly satisfied 70 An Tndt %
way of enjoying himself is far from
similar to the white mans art of having
n good time. To make this more plain
should like to give a small sketch Of g
night during Christmas week spent amons
these Indians.
On this particular night Of which / wish
to write, Edward j. Dover, the teacher
or the boys, and myself pulled our fui
caps tightly over our ears, since the nigh
was cold and bleak, and silently slipped
out of the house just as the clock STRUCK
o:3O p. M We had to leave the mission
as If on an errand of great secrecy TO,
we dared not disturb the children. whf
are allowed to assist at only two or three
dances during the season, while the res,
| of the tribe dance for two solid weeks
! almost day and night. After rather
perilous walkover an icy mountain trail
the frozen Tongue river at our feet on GU,
left and high cliffs on our right, we reach.
ed n little Indian settlement CONSISTING
OF about GO tepees all clustered around
the dance hall. The dance hall, or to be
more correct, this spacious log house. Is
, about 6OX15 feet in size. Within we find
four heavy pillars holding up the roof
In the center stands kind of pen ir
which the orchestra SITS. along the fou,
walls long hOn rdc cof m, hn
four wood stoves. one in each corner, keer
the hall comfortably warm: a load OF ha,
spread on the ground completes the fur.
nishings. When we threw open the large
door we were surprised that none of the
Indians had as yet come to the meeting
especially since one of the chiefs "Pat
Spottedhawk," had for two hours pre.
vious filled the hills around with shouts
and l could say bowls, announcing the
program FOR the night. We visited the
camps around until II o'clock Space will
not permit me to speak of the interesting
scenes of typical Indian life we saw. Al
ii O'Clock the first sound of the drum
broke loose within, so we re-entered the
dance hall. There was q bunch OF Indians
squatted In the center beating most VIC.
lently large kettle drum very rythmet-
ical but without intermittance. They al
so exercised their lungs by weird hum
ming and casual savage yells, all almost
simultaneous and without any order. The
squaws were squatted on the hay at the
right end of the hall and the bucks stood
supercilously on the left of 1t; the two
never mix. Soon the Indian Judge, James
Tangleyellowhair, entered all dressed uu
as an old warrior. A hundred feathers
bristled like crown around his head
trailing down his back to the ground He
wore a gorgeous beaded vest. buckskin
trousers. with heavy leather belt
around his waist and bells circling his
ankles. Beads of all colors sparkled from
his neck down. to his embroidered moe
casins. With his large cloak thrown care.
lessly over his shoulders he strutted in
to the hall like an Indian Mephstopheles
The music slenced down to mere thump,
thump, and his squaw in frenzied admir-
alton jumped up and down in front of
her lord and master. Other chiefs fol-
lowed behind, each one dressed n little
different, but all looked delightfully."- pic
turesque. Spottedhawk, the crier we met
outside and possessor of iron lungs then
started to wall and howl inside the hall.
No pen can describe his spasmodic bursts
OF oratory. consisting of yels intermingled
with verbal periods. When the chiefs
tinuous thunder wrought by the dozen or
more musicians pounding their drum till
one began to think that even a German
bomb could not destroy it. Slowly long
string of squaws and bucks began to
move along the floor in slow and steady
cadence. They all covered one another
shoulders with their blankets which made
the dancers look like fairy ring moving
round and round in perfect order. The
warriors soon grew tired of passing the
pipe of peace to one another as they sat
haughtily on the bleachers so condescend-
ed to take part in the dance. The man
with the, iron lungs was shouting all the
while but unexpectedly he began to give
forth different kinds of bowls, undis-
tinguished by us ignorant and uninter-
ested whites" but we'll understood by
his ACKNOWLEDGMENT. The drum stopped.
the squaws and bucks returned to their
seats on the hay, and began once more,
men. women and children, to suck at their
cigarettes. The cause of this sudden
change in proceedings then started in
earnest to exercise his lungs. This time
phrases were longer and yells less fire.
quent. On inquiry found that they were
going to give presents. A young mission
girl. 16 years of age, Elsie Littlecoyote,
now stood alone near the center of the
hall dressed in very loud colored gar
ment embazoned with all kinds of beads,
a porcupine bodice and Of course the in
separable blanket over her head She an
nounced that she desired to give the pro-
ceeds Of one Of her horses among the In
dams present. The audience showed their
Iat L 1T 3