Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-11-08

night. Everything of nature; the trees,
the wind, the rain, the thunder, the
mountains were a part OF the Blackfeet
worship, and were held in great awe.
Much has been said about them, but
little is known really, of the Blackfeet
Indian dances. Most of these were sacred
rites performed on suspicious occasions
Among the more prominent were: The
Mosquito Dance; The Dog Dance; The
Dance Of the Buffalo, with s%hinbones;
The Dance of the Prairie Dogs; The
Dance of Those Who Garry the Raven;
The Warriors Dance; The Old Bulls
Dance; The Dance Of the Imprudent
(Foolish); The Medicine Dance: The
Scalp Dance. These are described by Max
imilian, Prince of WED, in the following
words:
THE first seven are all danced in the
same manner, the only difference being
in the singing. This is sometimes loud
sometimes soft, sometimes high, some
times low, always consisting of short,
frequently repeated tones. n extremely
monotonous, often interrupted by loud
EXPLANATIONS Of re. RI or Hey, Hey,
Hey repeated three times. nearly the
same among all the Missouri tribes and
interrupted by the warcry.
WOmen's Medicine Dance
The medicine dance by the women does
not occur every year. 1t is q medicine
feast for the latter, at which women and
some men likewise appear. A large lodge
Is erected, the women dress themselves
as handsomely as they can, and all wear
q large feather cap. Some of the women
take no part in the dance and these
with the men are spectators. Men beat
the drum and shake the rattle. The last
day Of the feast when the dance Is fin
ished, the buffalo is initiated. The men,
the children n the remaining women
form two diverging lines, which proceed
from the medicine lodge, out of which
he women creep, crawling on all fours,
and endeavor to initiate the buffalo
lows. Several men represent buffalo
bulls, and are at first driven back by
THE women; but then, as is the practice
Of this ind Of hunting, a fire is kindled
to the windward, and the women as soon
as they smell the smoke, retreat into the
medicine lodge, which concludes the
festival"
The medicine lodge was always erected
medicine lodge, which concludes the
from where Two Medicine Lodge in
Glacier National park now stands.
THE scalp dance" continues Wied,
lis performed when they kill their
enemies. The women hen dress like the
men ana llkeWlSe carry tnelr arms. IL
m have taken part in the warlike
expedition in which enemies have been
slain, they paint their faces black. A
woman sometimes carries the scalp, or
several, according to the number they
may have; sometimes 1t is carried by an
old woman, who then remains outside
and dances alone, and drums n rattles
played by the men accompany the dance.
There is likewise a dance by the braves
or warriors, who form q circle, within
which several dance, initiating all the
movements of a battle, and firing their
guns, on which occasion their faces are
painted 50 as to give them a fierce ex-
preston"
Decimated by Plague
In the terrible year of 1888, when
smallpox nearly destroyed the Assinni-
boines, and left but thirty Mandans
alive, the Blackfeet suffered severely.
They fled in every direction to escape
the scourge; mothers abandoned their
children; the lead were denied funeral
rites, n when, in the autumn of the
year, q band Of travellers visited this
country, they saw everywhere the lodges
of the victims standing in the hills, and
heard the howl of the wolves disturbed
from their prey. In n season 10000
Indians persisted by that frightful dis
ease. Among these were about 10000
Blackfeet, the flower of a once great
nation that was never able to return
to its one-time mighty self.