Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-09-23
INDIANS ARE
!. PROUD OF SONS
FIGHTING HUNS
Ceremonies at Fort Yates
Impressive and Inter-
esting.

who have given 200 of their bravest
sons to the cause Of democracy. cele-
brated the taking of the warpath of
those young braves during their an
nual fair which closed at Fort Yates
or Saturday, The most interesting
sights Of the fair were those cere.
monials. heldindividually by each of
the tribes in front of their council
tents. They were much alike. and the
rites Of the Pine Ridge agency Indi-
m may be taken as. an example.
Families, relatives and friends OF
the boys who have gone to war take
their places in the form of a rectangle, !
with the chiefs and leading men
seated in front Of the council tent.
and women who had given Uncle Sam
a son rose and chanted a verse in his
honor. The tune was always the
am but Zach verse wa individually
distinct, sacred to the prowess. Of the
son in whose honor it was chanted.
Then, in the center of the rectangle,
a half dozen aged warriors and four
women took their places about q big
! base drum which has replaced the
old-time tom tom, and in chorus they
chanted an epic eulogizing all of the
young me from this particular tribe
! who have donned the khaki of the
great white father.
There was no weeping nor wailing.
A high spirit of exaltation was visible
in every face. Some of the old men
were so ancient that their voices
failed them. but they kept on until
the end.
One particularly ancient chieftain
/, Of this tribe chanted:
H"Our father asked us for our sons,
and our sons have gone, and we are
glad. for it is good that our sons fight
for our father whose battles are good
battles. Our sons have gone, n we
are proud. Our sons have gone, and
we are glad that we had sons to
give"
In the Sionan tongue these verses
were remarkably melodious. The
choral music was particularly agree
able. all Of the singers keeping perfect
time with voices which harnoniously
blended in a song whose cadences
were at once majestic, weird and
tuneful.
More than 100 men have gone
from the reservation in North Da-
kota,'' said al interpreter, Bear King,
who is foreman on O. P. Burnstad's
Pollock ranch. "A majority of them
have volunteered, and people are
very proud of them. I doubt if there
is an Indian family here which has
not at least one Red Cross member
oAAAps may " "AAotO =
and breadth of the reservation and
find hardly an Indian home without
\ its Red Cross in the window.
raThat woman pointing to,aan ac-
tive matron who must have been at
least so years old. and who had taken
avery prominent part ih%the proceed-
igns. Ginning in with the songs Of the
their exhortations, and occasionally
breaking into a rhythmic dance, gives
a dollar regularly every week to the
Red Cross. That Is why she is talking
so much. They all look up to her and
respect her.
''That man over there" pointing to
a handsome full-blood, has just do
mated a horse for which he paid 500
to the Red Cross. 1t is a thorough
bred with which he has won many
races, and we will auction it off. 1t
should bring a big price. for it's prob
ably the fastest horse on the reserva-
ton. Our people are in the war with
; their whole heart and soul. They de-
light in doing war work, and they take
: pride in their Red Gross buttons"
. From one out of at most every ter
tents which strung out on four sides
of the fair grounds to a length of two
or three miles f1oated a service flag
!. Eshowing that a son had joined the
> colors. From every council tent, il
, company with a huge American flag
: floated a bright red service banner
; About these flag STATS several time:
> each day the tribes gathered for
feast. council or pow-wow, and Away.
the war, and the son that had gont
: to war, were the topics uppermost.
: A pathetic but noble figure was tina
: of Mrs. John Grass of Wakpala
widow of2the late chief justice of tn,
: . Sioux nation, and grandmother O
: Albert Grass, the last of this ancien
;: line. who has just paid. the supreme
. sacrifice for democracy on a Lorraine
: battlefield. Mrs. Grass is very old
! and she has been spoken Of as "th'
homeliest Sioux woman on the reser
vation." She was anything but unat
tractive as she sat c~ross-legged> il
r front of the tepee which. she occupied
alone this year for the first time
There was simple majesty in the calm
patient expression on her distinctivel,
Indian features. She looked every hi
the At mate for the great man VIII
left her a few months ago. and sh'
was accorded by everyone the homag
which was her due.