Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1922-08-03
LEGION POW.WOW
- OPENS TODAY
INDIANS ASSEMBLE TO-DAY
FOR FOUR DAY 4
EVENT

At the big Indian pow-wow, which
opens in this city today, under the
auspices of the American Legion,
there will be followed regular pro-
gram of interesting and instructive
ceremonial and tribal dances. The
pow-wow is being held at Oak Island,
near Stroller's bridge.
The first step is the placing of the
drums. There are always two drums.
The water drum" used by the squaws
in their dances, and the sacred
drum" used by the braves, and for re-
ligious dances. This drum is half red
and half blue, with stripes running
across the center of the head. 1t is
suspended upon four posts, and is al
ways placed according to the four
points of the compass, in such man
ner that the rays of the sun in pass
ing over it during the day, never get
out of the road made by the stripes
across the center. This drum is al
ways carefully guarded, and is never
left without box full of tobacco near
by. There is head man who has an
alternate, that are responsible for the
drum, and head man and alternate
for each of the four posts. One man
and alternate care for pipe. There is
a man in charge of all songs, and one
in charge of speaking.
Pipe Song
Following the placing of the drum,
the song Light the Pipe" is sung.
During this ceremony, the Medicine
Man takes the pipe, fills it with to-
bacco from the box that accompanies
the drum, points with the pipe to the
north, east south, and west, to the
drum and to the heavens above. This
is to signify that praise from his heart
mingles with the sound of the drum,
fills the four corners of the earth,
and ascends to the Great Spirit above.
The Indians never have social gath
ing of any kind in which they do not
recognize the Great Spirit in some
manner or form. This ceremony is
performed only three times In any
one day.
One of the most interesting dances
used by the Indians, is the Green
Corn Dance. In the fall, after the
harvest, they gather together in great
numbers and dance and feast for four
days and four nights. Four is sa-
cred number among the Indians. This
dance is to show gratitude to the
Great Spirit for the bountiful harvest.
In the olden times, it was the GUS
tom for the Indians, when the Medi-
cine Man told them that the spirits of
their ancestors, were clamoring for
the scalps of their enemies, to do the
WAR Dance" On this occasion, the
old chiefs and warriors, dressed in
their full costume and war paint,
would make speeches, telling of the
great deeds they had performed in
the past, of the many scaIps they had
taken, and the wonderful feats per-
formed by them in the camps Of the
enemy.
PantOmime Dance
When the warriors returned from
the war path, if any of them had sue
ceeded in securing the scalp of the
enemy, he gave what was called the
Brave Mans Dance" This was a
pantomime dance il which he showed
how he had discovered the trail OF the
enemy, followed him, fought with him,
and obtained his scalp. This scalp
was always presented to the nearest
female relative who then called the
squaws of the tribe together to give
the "Scalp Dance.
Buffalo Dance
The Indians gather together, with
one having large wooden bowl filled
with maple sugar. In this dance 1t
is always managed that the bowl is
overturned and the sugar spilled on