LITMIR.BIZ

      A Modern Camp of the Sioux

      skins well dressed and sewed together. Under this shelter sat about seventy men, forming a circle about the chiefs, before whom were placed a Spanish and a United States flag. There was left a vacant circle about six feet in diameter in which the pipe of peace was raised on two forked sticks about six or eight inches from the ground and under it the down of the swan was scattered. Near by was a large fire on which provisions were cooking.

      ​There was now a long council of talk, and then a great feast was served; it consisted largely of dog meat, this being a favorite dish among the Sioux and used in all festivals. There was also a preparation of buffalo meat and potatoes of which the captains partook, but they say that as yet they could eat only sparingly of the dog.

      Thus the day was passed until twilight, when everything was cleared away for the dance. A large fire had been made in the center of the house, giving at once light and warmth to the ballroom. The orchestra was composed chiefly of ten men who played on a sort of drum or tambourine formed of skin stretched across a hoop, and made a jingling noise with a stick to which the hoofs of deer and goats were hung. A third musical instrument was a small skin bag with pebbles in it. Five or six young men also sang.

      The women came forward highly decorated, some with poles in their hands on which were hung the scalps of their enemies, others with guns, spears, or other trophies taken in war by their husbands, brothers, or other relations. Having arranged themselves in two columns, one on each side of the fire, as soon as the music began they danced toward each other till they met in the center, when the rattles were shaken, they all shouted, and then returned to their places. In the pauses of the dance some man would come forward and recite in a low guttural tone a little story or incident, either martial or ludicrous. This was taken up by the orchestra, who repeated it in a higher strain, while the women danced to it. The dances of the men were always separate from those of ​the women; they were conducted in very nearly the same way, except that the men jumped up and down instead of shuffling as did the women.

      The harmony of the entertainment was disturbed by one of the musicians, who, thinking he had not received his due share of the tobacco presented by the captains,

       Sioux Squaw in Native Dress (Modern)

      put himself into a passion, broke one of the drums, threw two of them into the fire, and then left the band. But no notice was taken of the man's conduct, and the dance was kept up till midnight; then four chiefs escorted the captains to their boats and remained over night with them on board.

      The captains took close notice of many of the habits, customs, laws, and fashions of the Sioux, which they set down in their journal. The following quoted at large from their journal is of great interest as indicating one of the police customs of the Sioux in their primitive life:—

      ​"While on shore to-day we witnessed a quarrel between two squaws, which appeared to be growing every moment more boisterous, when a man came forward, at whose approach every one seemed terrified and ran. He took the squaws and without any ceremony whipped them severely. On inquiring into the nature of such summary justice we learned that this man was an officer well known to this and many other tribes. His duty is to keep the peace, and the whole interior police of the village is confided to two or three of these officers, who are named by the chief and remain in power some days, at least till the chief appoints a successor. They seem to be a sort of constable or sentinel, since they are always on the watch to keep tranquillity during the day and guard the camp in the night. The short duration of the office is compensated by its authority. His power is supreme, and in the suppression of any riot or disturbance no resistance to him is suffered; his person is sacred, and if in the execution of his duty he strikes even a chief of the second class, he cannot be punished for this salutary insolence. In general he accompanies the person of the chief, and when ordered to any duty, however dangerous, it is a point of honor rather to die than to refuse obedience. Thus, when they attempted to stop us yesterday, the chief ordered one of these men to take possession of the boat; he immediately put his arms around the mast, and, as we understood, no force except the command of the chief would have induced him to release his hold. Like the other men his body is blackened, but his distinguishing mark is a collection of two or three raven skins ​fixed to the girdle behind the back in such a way that the tails stick out horizontally from the body. On his head, too, is a raven skin split into two parts and tied so as to let the beak project from the forehead."

      The next morning when the captains' royal guests arose, they carefully wrapped up the blanket upon which they had slept and carried it away with them. There was nothing irregular about this, and it is the custom of the Teton Sioux to this day. When an Indian is invited to a feast, it is his privilege to carry away all the remnants left upon the table, and if he remains over night, he takes with him, as a matter of course, the blankets upon which he has slept.

      So pleased were the captains with the entertainment they had received, that they decided to remain for another day of it, and traditions of that day of dance and feast and carousal are still handed down among the descendants of the Tetons who took part in it. Captain Clark was accompanied by his personal servant, a colored man named York, who was a great curiosity to the Indians. York was intensely black and the Indians were very greatly astonished when they discovered that they could not wash the color off. He was a man of wonderful strength and in this day's entertainment he won the unbounded admiration of the Indians by his exhibitions of prowess.

      However, it was necessary to bring the fête to a close, and on Friday, the 28th of September, the captains determined to proceed on their journey. But when the time for starting came, the Indians were as unwilling to have ​them go as they had been in the first place. A long line of the warriors sat down upon the cable which held the boats to the shore, and it was only with threats and coaxing and bribery that they were finally induced to let the party proceed. Black Buffalo accompanied them, intending to go to the Rees with them, but when up in the neighborhood of the Cheyenne River, the boat in which he was riding struck a log and came very near overturning. This mishap greatly alarmed the old chief, who demanded that he be placed upon the shore. His demand was granted and he returned to his people.

      At the mouth

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