Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 54

Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 54

No speeches are made by the Bulls during the dance, but they seek the

occasion of other dances, such as the Braves or Soldiers to which most

of them belong, to perpetuate the remembrance of their chivalrous

deeds. This kin give a good many feasts to each other and are said to

be remarkably faithful in the observance of their promises of mutual

aid and protection.

 

SOLDIERS’ DANCE (AHKITCHETAH WAH-CHE).—This body of men having already

been fully described in these pages it will, of course, be understood

that their dance must include the most important personages in camp.

They seldom perform, and only with a view of exhibiting their force

as a body; and in the presence of strangers or visitors to count their

coups or when a war party is in contemplation, with the intent of

stimulating the ardor of the young to follow them to battle. They must

have some object to dance for, as they are not men to expend much time

merely for the sake of amusement and display; besides their characters

and acts are so well known as to need no repetition.

 

Their costume is as nearly as possible that of warriors equipped for

battle. From the nose up their faces are painted a bright red, and from

thence down to the neck a jet black. The dancers form the ring on foot

but are attended by a guard of mounted soldiers, dressed in very gay

battle array, who ride round outside the ring all the time, striking,

and keeping at a respectful distance either man or beast that is found

in the way. A select band of drummers and female singers is chosen and

placed apart, who having struck up the song, the dance is led off by a

soldier alone, who moves out by short steps toward the center of the

circle, is soon joined by all the rest, jumping and keeping the time,

which round concludes with a loud yell and discharge of firearms, and

the one who led off the dance counts his coups on his enemies in the

manner before related. This is also accompanied by taps on the drum

denoting the number and value of the coups and the speech, honored with

a general shout of approbation.

 

The warrior resumes his place, another leads off, and the same behavior

is repeated until all get through, the whole ending with a feast of

dog meat given by the chief of the soldiers in the Soldiers’ Lodge, to

which the strangers, if any in the camp, are invited. This is the most

imposing and warlike dance they have, and is well calculated to inspire

the young with a desire for glory. Their dresses and appointments are

very gay and complete according to their rank, their gesticulation and

oratory fierce and bold.

 

WHITE CRANE DANCE (PAI-HUN-GHE-NAH WAH-CHE).—There is no band of this

name, but the dance is got up by some divining man, most probably for

some begging purposes. He is the principal figure, being painted yellow

and wearing a dressed elk-skin robe on which a large two-headed crane

is painted. The costume of the others is whatever their fancy dictates,

and, of course, they put on the gayest attire they can afford. The

dancers are young men of any and all kins who choose to take part,

except women, who join the chorus. The evolutions are different from

any of the rest, as also the song, but can not be described so as to

be understood. The only one who speaks during the performance is the

divining man, and the tenor of his speeches differs according to his

object in introducing the dance.

 

CROW DANCE (CONG-GHAI WAH-CHE).—This dance is performed by the kin

called Crows. Neck and head dresses of crow skins taken off the bird

entire with wings and head on are worn by all, and crow feathers adorn

their lances, shields, and other war implements. For the rest, it

proceeds much in the same way as the others. These are mostly young

warriors.

 

DANCE OF THE MICE COMRADES OR PROVISION STEALERS (WOK-E-PO MAUN

NOOMP-PE).—This is done by a band of young men bearing the above name.

The dance is kept up all night and during it some of them take by

stealth the provision bales from the rest of the camp who are asleep,

on which they feast all night.

 

The dance is performed in a large lodge, or rather several lodges

thrown into one for the purpose. The bales or other property thus

obtained are kept until daylight, when the haranguer of the camp

publishes that those who have lost anything will go and redeem it, and

the several owners of the provision sacks present a piece of tobacco to

the dancers, who deliver them their property. By visiting many lodges

in the night a good deal of provisions, robes, etc., are secured, which

often take the best part of the next day to distribute. The dress of

this club, though gay, is not remarkable in any way except they hold

in their hands the skins of stuffed mice or have the same attached to

different parts of their attire. To describe the whole of their dances

in detail with the different costumes would occupy too much space and

perhaps not be required. We think enough has been written to present a

general idea of these performances and their use with the Indians.

 

WHIP DANCE (ETCHAP-SIN-TAI WAH-CHE).—This dance is performed by as

many warriors as choose to assemble with whips ornamented with eagle

feathers and horse-skin wristbands tied to the whips. In this the

number of horses they have stolen from their enemies at various times

is boasted of.

 

DIVINING DANCE (TEE-CHAGH-HAH).—The divining dance is a complicated

religious ceremony occupying a whole day and that part of it

appropriated to dancing is done by men and women promiscuously, headed

by some of the divining men without any distinction of kin or speeches

regarding their coups. Their bodies are also scarified and pieces cut

out of their shoulders.

 

WOMEN’S DANCE (ISH-KUN WAH-CHE).—This is a dance in which women alone

perform. They are painted in many ways and very gaily dressed. The

men drum and sing for them and the dancers are ranged in two parallel

lines opposite, dancing forward until they meet, and then resuming

their places. Besides the foregoing, there are several other dances,

all of which have for their object swaying popular feeling in some way.

Very little is done by Indians in any form merely for amusement, and

their dances in this respect partake of the nature of the rest of their

employments.

 

 

GAMES

 

Most of these tribes, particularly the Sioux, are fond of ball playing

in parties. The principal game at ball is called _Tah-cap-see-chah_,

being the same denominated shinny or bandy by the whites. It is

generally got up when two different bands are camped together and a

principal person in each having made a bet of a blanket or gun, they

choose from their bands an equal number of young men, who are always

the most active they can select, the number varying from 15 to 40 on

each side. Sometimes the play is headed by the chief of each band

betting, though they take no part in the game, which is usually played

by men 20 to 30 years of age. Each of the players stakes something

against an equivalent on the part of one on the opposite side and every

bet is tied together separately, which consists of shirts, arrows,

shells, feathers, blankets and almost every article of trade or their

own manufacture, and as fast as the bets are taken and tied together

they are laid on a pile about the center of the playground, being given

in charge of three or four elderly men who are chosen as judges of

the sport. After this has been concluded two posts are set up about

three-quarters of a mile apart and the game consists in knocking the

ball with sticks toward these posts, they being the limit for either

party in different directions.

 

They strip naked except the breechcloth and moccasins and paint their

bodies in every possible variety of manner. Each is furnished with a

stick about 3½ feet long, turned up at the lower end, and they range

themselves in two lines, commencing at the middle of the ground and

extending some distance on either side. The ball is cast in the air in

the center of the course, struck by some one as soon as it falls, and

the game begins, each party endeavoring to knock the ball to the post

designated as their limit. The game is played three times and whichever

party succeeds in winning two courses out of the three is judged

conqueror. When the players are well chosen it is often an interesting

game, and some splendid specimens of foot racing can be seen, but when

one of them either intentionally or by accident hurts another by a

stroke with the play stick a general shindy takes place, and the sticks

are employed over each other’s heads, which is followed by a rush for

the stakes, and a scramble. We have seen them when this was the case

arm themselves and exchange some shots, when, a few being wounded, the

camps would separate and move away in different directions. Supposing,

however, the game proceeds in its proper spirit and humor, each bet

being tied separately, the parcels are handed out to the successful

party by the judges. This game is not often played by large parties of

men, or if so it is very warmly contested and very apt to break up in a

disturbance.

 

We have seen it also played by both men and women joined, a few men

aiding two parties of women. This was among the Sioux, but with the

other tribes it is generally played by men only.

 

Another mode of playing the game is by catching the ball in a network

over a small hoop a little larger than the ball attached to the end of

a stick. They catch it in this net as it flies through the air, and

throw it from one to the other toward either goal. The man who catches

can run with the ball toward the limit until he is overtaken by one on

the other side, when he throws it as far as he can on its way, which is

continued by the others. The women play hand and foot ball, also slide

long sticks on the snow, or billiards with flat stones on the ice. We

know of no other game at ball worth mentioning being played among them.

 

Foot racing is often practiced by the Mandan and Crows. The former

nation before they were so much reduced by smallpox had a regular race

course 3 miles in length, in which any and all, who chose, could try

their speed, which they did by running three times around this space,

betting very high on either side.

 

They still practice the amusement, but not so much as formerly.

 

 

RACING

 

Foot races among the Crow Indians are usually contested by two persons

at a time, a bet being taken by those concerned, and many more by the

friends and spectators on either side, consisting of blankets, buffalo

robes, or some other article of clothing. They mostly run about 300

yards and in starting endeavor to take every advantage of each other,

a dozen starts being often made before the race begins. These Indians

also run horse races, betting one horse against the other. The same

trickery and worse is displayed in their horse races as in their foot

races, and often the loser will not pay. The Sioux also have foot

races in which any one may join, provided he bets, which, if they have

anything to stake, they are sure to do. The name of being a fast and

long runner is highly prized among them all; indeed, after being a

warrior and hunter that of being a good runner is next to be desired,

but the principal aim in all these amusements appears to be the winning

of each other’s property. They, of course, occupy and enable them to

pass agreeably some of the long summer days, but we never see these

things introduced without the bets or prospects of gain, and from this

fact, together with the earnestness exhibited in betting, and in the

contest, we conclude it to be no more than another mode of gambling, to

which they are all so much addicted.

 

 

GAMBLING

 

Most of their leisure time either by night or by day among all these

nations is devoted to gambling in various ways, and such is their

infatuation that it is the cause of much distress and poverty in

families. For this reason the name of being a desperate gambler forms a

great obstacle in the way of a young man getting a wife. Many quarrels

arise among them from this source, and we are well acquainted with an

Indian who a few years since killed another, because after winning all

he had he refused to put up his wife to be played for. Every day and

night in the Soldiers’ Lodge not occupied by business matters presents

gambling in various ways all the time; also in many private lodges the

song of hand gambling and the rattle of the bowl dice can be heard.

Women are as much addicted to the practice as men, though their games

are different, and, not being in possession of much property, their

losses, although considerable to them, are not so distressing. The

principal game played by men is that of the Bowl or Cos-soo´, which is

a bowl made of wood with a flat bottom, a foot or less in diameter,

the rim turned up about 2 inches, and highly polished inside and out.

A drawing and description of the arithmetical principles of this game

is now attached in this place. (Pl. 72.) The manner of counting therein

mentioned is the manner in which we learned it from the Indians, but

the value of each of the articles composing the dice can be and is

changed sometimes in default of some of them being lost and again by

agreement among the players in order to lengthen or shorten the game or

facilitate the counting. However, the best and most experienced hands

play it as it is represented. It can be played between two or four,

that is, either one on each side or two against two. The game has no

limit, unless it is so agreed in the commencement, but this is seldom

done, it being usually understood that the players continue until one party is completely ruined.