The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-06-08
SAW ESKIMO DANCE.
Tribesmen Staged Entertainment for
Alaska Official.

S1Ao SAASidl.
An official visit of Gov. Thomas Riggs
of Alaska Territory, to the Eskimo
settlement at st. Michael, Russian out
post in the old days, is described by the
governors wife, Mrs. Renee Coudert
Riggs, in the New York Times. A part
of her story follows:
The chief of the tribe came to the
governor and said his people would like
to honor INN with dance; they awaited
ms pleasure; so, on the appointed day.
with an Eskimo guide and interpreter, we
wendell our way down the hillside, among
the huts, dirty and squald looking dwell
{lngs to the KAHN" or casino, where the
dance was to take place As the perform
ers were not quite ready Though their
costume did not suggest that it would
| take long to dress), we were ushered into
the palace of the chief
A very superior abode it was, consisting
OF two rooms with lineoleum on the floor.
a real range in the kitchen was the pride
of the tribe. The chiefs wife regarded
lis without displaying any great interest
grunted unintelligently in answer to a few
remarks of the Interpreter, walked to the
, kitchen table where she stood leaning over
1T, with her chin resting on her hands and
gazing out of the window with the fal
D away, melancholy gaze of some queer ape
!. at the 700, utterly oblivious if the curious
: stare of the sightseers Her calico Mother
!. Hubbard was clean, perhaps in honor o
the festive occasion; her iron-gray hai
:, being in two very long, very thin braids
$ and they looked so old, all bumped up
;. gazing into space, apparently neither hear
y ing nor seeing anything, but thinking
what?
+ Her grandson, the interpreter, brigh
: tyoung fellow, educated at some missio,
and keen to go into the army, entertaine,
n us with tales of Eskimo life and customs
The dance was about to begin.
!, We walked single file down a narro1
= passage, then STOPPING on all tours, passe
through large door into a large room
II lighted and ventilated by square openin
in the moss grown roof, through whic
J we could see dark faces peer down upo
Irs with furtive eyes and drawing quickl
= back among the grasses and heathe
% when we looked up
IN + All about the room at about four fee
~ from the floor, was a wide shelf; on tn
in shelf, at the end opposite the entranc
SuI tue tHiel. With inc LlusiChals Sedlc
W on either side of him. They all hel
to tomtoms with round, fiat heads and shol
Is handles The heads were of seal hid
I'd stretched taut. This they moistened fro
es time to time with sponge to keep
a frightened up, and with long, slend'
willow wands they beat on the under sic
70 of the drumhead, little chips breaking Q
q the sticks all the time and flying abou
l\Ni+b Clnxv oh nj fir
n. tthey gradually worked themselves up in
I. frenzied shout and loud, resonant beatil
~ of the drums. as the dance went on
Around the wall on the shelf sat Il
men, with their wives and offspril
squatted on the floor at the feet of the
rightful lords We sat upon the shelf,
course. | drew up my feet and gather
les my skirts close about me, somewhat a
prehensive of the proximity of the da
heads beneath.
ing The men stripped to the waist to dane
res but the women wore their calico moth
csc hubbards - or denim parkas, with
cleaning halo of wolverine about the fat
nv and all donned gloves for the occasio
10y The ceremony began with a muscle dan,
n;, A young boy started it, moving slow
- from one foot to the other, then fast
with quick barking noise like some W
animal; then a man joined him, and {
"a other and another, all with muscles T
anr pling under the bronze skin, cleaning w
thesweat of muscular effort
- They are very Japanese in type, th'
cd Eskimos, and might be taken for ii
80 anese jiu-jitsu wrestlers
C. After this came the ''wolf Dance" me
80 energy, more barking, the pursuit and
treat; then the women joined in, one
,on one, with marvellous, rhythmic grace
nos movement perfect oriental dance
.n,,a swaying, undulating arms and hands a
~ quiet feet. | thought of the sensat
,ao. these dancers would create on the vau
,oro vile stage, and what lot of money Il
tba could make on the circuit when Il
VITO danced ''the coming of the spring"
GOSH But we were far from the great wi
veJ Eway," and the perfume that greeted
To- suffering nostrils was less expensive.
10. When the dance was over one of
inc musicians, at the direction of the en-
ain took up collection in his tomtom.
osad contribution was candy and tea; we
,laoa been told not to give money, as we W
ain the guests of honor
onldl. The chief parleyed at length upon
rao woes and wishes of his people; the go
osed nor made digniied and proper respo
than and the party was over
eous
,ous Not Fast Color.