Show PAGAN RITES OF THE ONONDAGAS ONON-DAGAS Syracuse Jan SOThe Onondaga Indians on their reservation near this city have been engaged the I past two weeks in their annual ceremonies cer-emonies to secure the favor of the GoodSpirit and to propitiate theEvil Spirit These weird ceremonies culminated cul-minated yesterday in the burning of a white dog as a sacrifice to the powers of the air and will end tomorrow to-morrow with the witches dances A large number of people from this city witnessed the burning of the dog About noon the members of the tribe gathered in the council house a long room with benches along the walls The ceremonial began by each squaw rising in her place and relating the most remarkable remark-able dreams she had had during the year while the others interpreted interpre-ted them At 12 oclock a big Indian In-dian stalked in with the body of a white dog slung over his shoulder After a few mumbled words of instruction in-struction he strode out followed by several others In a short time they came back one with the dog decked out with paint beads and ribbons I and another with a basket of tobacco The dog was placed on the platform in the centre of the room and the whole tribe marched around it intoning in-toning a chant to the Great Spirit in aboriginal language It was a sup lication that the dog might bear away all their sins to the Spirit of the Air Then the dog was carried to a pyre burning between the council coun-cil houses The chief removed his head dress and made an harangue ending with a mournful chantat the close of which he cast the dog into the flames The basket of tobacco was laid upon the pile A young Indian stepped out from the circle and paced up and down before the fire making a noisy lamentation while the mingled odors of burning flesh and tobacco filled the nostrils of the visitors When the carcass finally sank down among the blazing blaz-ing fagotsthe dusky watchers turned turn-ed and moved solemnly away released re-leased from the sins of the year The witches dancewhich began today and will tomorrowis the noisiest of these superstitious ntes A number of Indians disguised go around to every wigwam waving firebrands and jumping on chairs and tables with execrable howls to drive out the witches The most disgusting rites of the series is that performed to the productive power of nature The tribe including squaws and papooses assemble in the council house almost devoid of clothi gand an indecent orgy takes place to the accompaniment of vigorous vig-orous poundings on a turtle shell and bench by a stick in the hands of a burly Onondaga The tribe numbers about 200 and although for many years a missionary mission-ary has been maintained among them and also a school most of the tribe seem to be no more Christianized Christian-ized than they were two centuries ago The school is attended by about sixty Indians many of whom are full grown In Plymouth Church in tkis city last evening RevD Beard preached a sermon in which he declared that although the Gospel has been preached to them with more or less continuity since they were first visited vis-ited by the Jesuit missionaries and then by the Spaniards who came here i B search of silver for which the salt crystalizations were mistaken mis-taken their moral condition has not been improved The tribe now is numerically as strong as two hun I dred years ago and although they have been under tae influence of civilization and have seen a city of 50000 inhabitants spring up beside them they remain in tau same state To continue the tribal relations is to perpetuate them in savagery The relation should be dissolved and they should gradually be endowed with citizenship and suffrage Dr Beard referred to the white dog ceremony and said it was hardly credible that there should be such a survival of paganism within half a dozen miles of a central point in the Empire State He said their existence exis-tence in that condition is a blemish on the fair valley where they abide and a blot on the common wealth |