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taDlA* DANCES. A ConV^ptuAlft «f the New-OrWn* B*. •***'• ‘ *•* dances among the Indians arc of different kinds, som*i*ie religions orrrwrow. others nre preparatory to war, otlrn for victory, or the return of the warriors, other* are foramusement, or recreation. * jThcv are performed at night in tl»e open air, round* large fire. The stars are their lumps, and the heavens theircaimnjr.Somo limes the women only dance. The movement i* in a circle round tlic fire in Indian file. They are dressed in their full toilet, with ribbons streaming from th^bacK ot the head to the ground—« few of the women leader* of the dance wear fastened al»out the knee the shell of the tent*in, filled with shells or pebbles, which make a raltWwg sound—the music is a Cocoa nut shell filled with papules, and a skin over a gourd beat«ith one stick, and the voice. The motion of the women is usually a scarcely vaned short step, different however from a walk—the women sing at intervals, and their voices are very sweet. When the men dance with the women, there is always-a leader of the dance who sings, and all the men jmn in a chorus. The leader makes various gestures with his hand and arms, and occasionally made, what appeared to me, *oie an act of worship «o the fire, by turning his face towards it nftd bo win t, when the others did the same thing. The tune was cimngoH as frequently as in our colillion.^-aiKf the leader gave an intimation of the teiurination of the all*, and also of each cotillion, by a peculiar sound of his voice, when all the men and boys joined in a whoop. There was a dance upon the return of the warriors, when the scalps they had taken were exhibited. I was not present ot it—I was present at what nny be called a dance of nmnscroent, when they dance tlienligator dance, the buffalo dance, the eagle dance, the game cock dance, c.The buffalo danrc was very animated, and resembled the cliacc of a herd of buffaloes—in the course of it the wnltr. was executed as completely as I ever witnessed in the Orleans hall room. The men placed their hands on the shoulders of the women, sometimes behind, sometimes before, sometimes by joining hands, and went round and round with a swinging motion.In the course of this dunce, the men mid boys ut intervals whooped and holloed.The women do not join in tlie singing when the mensing.The men arid boys jumped and flew about, but the women confined themselves to their unvaried short stepIn the polecat dance, some of the young women dance in male attire. But wbat most surprised im» was to witness among them a regular masquerade. In this ikuicc then* were about twenty boys, and the same nunilier of men.The masks of the boys were made of the bark of the sapling, or young pine tree, turned inside out, and marked i with charcoal and red ochre, with hole* cut for the eyes, nose and mouth—the lioys had also branches of pine, or flags, suspended rour.d their waists.The masks of the men were made of hides of animals, or of vine branches covered with elolli, with eyes, nose, mouth and cars, and the tails of cuttle fixed for w igs.Two of the men played drunk, inviting each other to drink from a bottle, ridiculing our manner by ridiculous scrapes of the foot in place of bows, and using in 'English all the absurd and profane oaths they have learned from us—others broke their jests on each other, to the great gratification, amusement and laughter of the Indians.In the course of the dance, the most indecent gestures, attitudes and actions were performed, m d combined with the character of their masks, made it represent as nearly as we ran conceive, the dance of satires nmonc the ancients.
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Milledgeville Southern Recorder
Milledgeville, Georgia, US
Tue, Nov 14, 1837
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California S.
CA, DZ 01 Oct 2018
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