The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-09-19
.BARBAR|C DANCES
WELCOME INDIANS
FROM WAR TRAIL
(Kansas City Starr

The following account of what took
place when the young braves" came
back to Oklahoma from overseas serv-
ice a few days ago to met by their
tribal chiefs, heroes of other conflicts,
is by staff correspondent for the
Star:
From the group of six old men gath
cred about the big tribal drum there
lifted suddenly chant, slow and meas
ured of cadence, poignant with a wild
sadness. At the same time began a
drum beat, slow and measured as the
chant, a weirdly unchanging tum-tum,
tum- tum, tum-tum.
Out of the midst of the brightly ac-
coutered warriors encircling the dance
pole arose the tall figure of the over
chief, gliding out into the center, his
steps stately yet incredibly light, his
bulky form splendidly erect.
An instant later Indian after Indian
| arose silently and swung into the ry-
thin of the dance, their feet scarce
seeming to touch the gorund. Yet so
measured were the steps of the dance
that the jingle of each dancer were
time din a perfect unison with them
selves and with the drum beat an I'M
varying jing-jing, juggling, juggling.
Blaze Of Color
Then the chant fell way in strange
shifting of minor strains. The drum
beat Quickened and the steps Of the
dancers became enlivened. The circle
about the pole was a wildly Changeful
blaze of color, for every Indian was in
ancient costume-headdress of eagle
feathers, brightly beaded and fringed
jenkins and leggings with the band Of
bells about the knee, mOcCasinS on
their feet and in the hands of most
were carried the head and back and
tail feathers of the eagle, tribal tails
man. Some of the Indians wore sur
coats of exquisite texture and picture
esque and colorful design. The faces
of a few were daubed with vermililOn
and ocher.
! It was the dance Of the Society OF
| the Erusca, one of the oldest of all the
Indian dances as well as one Of the
most solemn and impressive, in other
times, long gone, when the Pawnees
ruled the prairies of Kansas and Ne
| braska, it was danced on the return
of the warriors from battle with their
| ancient enemies the Cheyennes and
the Sioux But now it was being
danced to honor the return of the Paw
nee warriors from victory over new
| foe the Germans. In COmmemOratiOn
| of the successful end of the war and
return of the young men from battle
! the PawneeS gave a three-day dance
and celebration near Pewnee, Okla,
! a few days ago. 1t was one of the
greatest Indian dances in years. the
Pawnees having invited the Otoes
Osages and Poncas, their neighbor
| tribes, to participate.
Past and Present
! The celebration was a queer blend
ing of the primitive and the modern
At the head of the parade Of Indian
warriors, some CARRIED in khaki, some
in their older war finery, rode a white
man wearing the Croix de Guere, Maj
or Charles W. Johnson, of the 46th
| division.
And at the head of the mounted war
riors was borne, instead of string OF
scalps, the service flag of the Pawnees
with its fifty stars. For the Pawnees
are proud of their showing in the war
And well they might be, for out of a
tribe that now numbers only about
500. they gave fifty fighting men tc
Uncle Sam. Back of the lines OF
mounted warriors came a still longer
line of motor cars. for the Indian anC
the motor cars ara inseparable today
At the camping ground where the
dances were held, that incongruouS