Year: 1866


We have been favored. says the Mt.
Vernon Republican, with the perusal OF
a highly interesting letter from Gen. S.
r. Curtis, to his brother Henry B. Curtis
ESQ, of this city, dated at Fort Sully,
Dakota Territory, June 9Th, 1866. Gen.
Curtis is one Of the Commissioners to
treat with the Sioux, aud other wander
ing Indian tribes Of the Plains. He ar
rived at Fort Sully IN advance of his
colleagues, who passed up on the Govern
ment steamer. While waiting for them
and the supplies, large number of the
Indians had gathered. His descriptions
Of them are quite graphic. But the most
interesting aud novel incident was the
great Sun Dance" of the Sioux. We
copy portion of the letter which cannot
fail to secure attention


But they are terrible savages. They
have avoided the whites and followed the
buffalo through the Black Hills and
across the broad plains skirting the Rocky
Mountains. as far as possible from the
settlements Of white men. They have
performed several dances since 1 came,
some for amusement, some TO induce me
to give them feast; and one, their an
nual religious festival, denominated their
Sun Dance. They all speak very de-
vOutly of the Great Spirit, but like the
ancient Peruvians, they seem to reverence
the great head of our solar system, the
sun, and present their offerings in the
presence of this great light of our world.


The Sun Dance is a hOrrid exhibition
of heathenish devotion and terrible saw
age penance. [ never wish to see again
such long continued self-inhictiOn. A
great tent is erected and the scene is In
augUrated with shouts, yells, running and
riding, such as Indians only can perform.
Then at high twelve some twenty-five
naked, painted, decorated savages, with
eyes facing the burning sun, with little
squeaking trumpets made of turkey or
eagle bones in their mouths, with OTTER
ings in their hands to be presented to their
Deity, set up a forty-eight hour dance to
be carried on without a morsel Of food or
water, keeping time to the mOnotonOus
tum, tum, of the usual doleful note of
twenty drummers and singers the little
trumpet giving out a squeak, squeak, at
each tap of the drum.


'The second day of this scene was oc-
cupied in cutting, slashIng and tOrturlng
such as saVages in ancient times could
never have excelled. Arms we're cut in
slow, cautious manipulations. One tax
ing an awl and lifting up the skin and
then another with a bloody butcher knife
cuts below the awl taking out about an
inch of raw flesh, and holding it up to
the sun. Setons of string and wood are
put through the flesh of the breast and
back, and ropes are tied to these setons,
and attached to weights which the devo-
tee bears by the ropes till the flesh and
skin tear out by the Jerking process Of
dancing One fellow had four such at
tachments to ropes which he pulled out
aud danced on One had to pull at two
with all his might before he could tear
out the flesh and skin of his breast. One
had four old dry buffalo heads hanging at
his waist by four setons attached to his
back and breast, and not being able to
dance them off finally gave a friend
horse to take hold of the horns and tear
them out. These are some of the hOr-
rOrs of the Sun Dance which defies all
pen or pencil sketches and deserves
more elaborate effort Of mine which l
have not time now to give you