Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-01-25

miss Florence Minis Witnesses
( Indian Basket Ball Game.
1t was my good pleasure on Mon
eday and Friday evenings to witness
Ebasket ball games between the Uni
Eyersity Preparatory School and the
EChilocco Indian School, played at the
IU. P. S. gymnasium.
1 In the balcony above me there sat
IAN old Indian man dressed as white
man with the exception of huge
s5lack hat bound with white, This, and
la brilliant orange tie proclaimed his
fred mans instincts. He sat during the
First part of the game, stolid and star
}ing, not relaxing muscle of his face,
s5s though "of monumental bronze,
his look" During the mid
Eale of the game, his face thawed into
"a furrowed smile, and near the end,
IIwhen some particularly striking feat
occurred, his face melted into a
Ebroad laugh and he clapped his hands
I'm delight. Not once did his eyes wa
liver from the players, but the game
|had started sometime before he
deigned to show the, slightest excite
Iment.
Z The following evening, he sat in
EXACTLY the same place, wearing the
|aarge black hat bound with white.
B The Indian boys played magnifi-
Gently. They reminded me of tigers,
80 1.-THE and graceful were they, and
SO sinuous. They raised the ball as a
Tiger might his paw, but the hand was
sclawless, and the stroke registered
not the prints of five fingers on their
opponents, but ever climbing scores
In the board. Their movements were
like those of a mighty wind, yet
formed and breathing. -
|. Most of them looked distinctly
oriental to me, but one had finely
,chiselled face, almost Greek in its
sshapeliness.. The two games were
fights from start to finish. When they
fell, some looked like statues | have
iseen-of the dying gladiator, but they.
Esprang to their feet again, and Gid
I'D across the floor with lightning
like rapidity. To me it was wonderful.
lhere; are. two kinds Of fighting
one where the opponents look al aeztEi
other with mad abandon, moved by
anger. The other is. where opponents
are guided by thought and where
rules are back of each pugilistic
movement. That is art.
Among the Indians in the audience
were an Indian father, mother and a
papoose. The papoose's face was fat
and round, it's eyes were like mid
night, at once black and starry.
For morning, afternoon or evening,
the Indian women bedeck themselves
in shawls or blankets. The shawls and
blankets are both woful and beauti-
full and therefore adaptable.
The other day l saw tall Indian
man on the street dressed exactly like
a white man, which is somewhat un-
usual. But in the side of his hat he
had stuck a peacock feather. l was
SO amused. thought that even as
Mason wears his emblem (symbolic
of something that only these worthless
know about), as nurse wears red
cross symbolic of sacrifice, so the
Indian wears the peacock feather,
sign unmistakably of pride.
The Indian resembles the oriental
also in his ancestor worship, not by
kneeling at crumbling shrines, for
the warriors spirit is out bear hunt
ing, but by adherence to the ancient
mode of dress, in great many in
stances.
1 have wondered lately what be-
comes of the Indian woman after
death, according to the Indians re-
ligion, for the women do not care for
hunting. How thoughtless is the un-
regenerated Indian male, not to pro-
vide a heaven for his womankind.
I have been told here that there
are more Indians in the United
States at present than there were
when Columbus landed. Then they
were more or less crowded along the
shores, fighting against. their common
enemy, the white man.