The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-07-04
THE INDIAN
SUN DANCE
Ceremonies Continued
for Three Days and
Three Nights
CURE FOR AILMENT


Monday evening about ten mile.
southwest of Blackfoot, at the foo,
OF the Ferry butte, was attended BY
about sixty dancers, and lodges tc
the number of seventy-five or eighty
we're pitched on the plain near the
dancing pavilion. The dance was
slated to last until Thursday evening
The dancing pavilion was made
mostly of the boughs of trees and
was built in circular form with a
big pole in the center. A buffalo's
head was attached to the pole abou.
ten feet above the ground and this
was the center of attraction of the
dancers. There was no floor, but
there was some protection from the
heat of the sun afforded by the cir
cular wall and narrow inclosed space
rooted over within the wall and at
distance of about twenty-five feet
from the pole in, the center.
Only the men engaged in the dance
and these were barefoot and other
wise scantily clad. Most of them
were painted to some extent and each
one carried stick whistle in his
mouth with an ornament attached to
the end of the whistle. Some of
the dancers were resting all of the
time, some merely standing for a
few moments and others lying on
the ground.
A band of about a dozen players
surrounded large raw hide drum
and used drum sticks which were
willows about foot and half long,
wrapped with cloth for few inches
near the end. The music was
rhythmic and was accompanied by
songs made by the drummers and a
dozen or twenty women and maidens
seated near them.
The old men of the tribe, who had
engaged in wars, took turns acting
as master of ceremonies.
Each dancer danced forward and
back with his eyes fastened on the
buffalo head and as he approached
the pole he sometimes carressed the
pole or held out his arms appealingly
as prayer of supplication.
The sun dance is religious
ceremony and concentrates attention
on the central object for a long
cd, while they take exercise, but
no nourishment, is supposed to have
a curative effect on whatever physi-
cal ailments the dancer may have.
The dancer is supposed to receive
the greatest benefit from these
ceremonies at the time of his great
est concentration of mind and faith
on the object fastened to the pole.
1t corresponds pretty nearly to the
revivals conducted by some of the
denominations among white folks.
The families live for the dancing
period in tents and teepes set up for
the occasion and some of the Indians
go to the fields to carry in shelves
of green grain or grass to spread
around the edges of the pavilion
where the dancers drop down to rest.
1t is our understanding that the
persons not engaged in the dance
take their meals and drink as usual.
They are seen going back and forth
pretty much the same as white folks
at camp meeting.
1t is not agreeable to the Indians
to have people go to the dance to
take photographs. A gate keeper
stands by the road side a few hun
dred yards away from the tent and
all visitors are stopped and SO cents
apiece is collected by the gate keeper.
Visitors are expected to respect the
wishes of the Indians and especially
the dancers relative to taking
pictures or exercising undue curios-
ity while witnessing the events at
the pavilion.