OCR Text |
Show AN INDIAN BANQUET A grand peaco council was one of the interesting sights afforded a couple of the visitors at Red Cloud agency the other day. Little Wound, one of tho moat powerful of Sioux chieltains, summoned the other leaders of his nation to his grand , "council tepees" there to talk over a lasting peace and agency reforms. Two immense tepees were placed side by side aDd made to furnish , room (or one hundred men. As the deliberators were gathering in this gorgeously ornamented chamber the master et ceremonies and an assistant were slaughtering dogs for the feast which always followssuch a momeu tons carnival of oratory. A rawhide lariat was wound once round the neck of the animal, when a brawny Sioux took hold at either end of the fatal cord, pulled backward and forward for-ward with a "seesaw" motion and thus Btrangled the victim. Next, poor dog was thrown upon the blazing camp fire, his hair pretty well singed oil', aud then the intestines removbd : and the carcass artistically carved. Thus about a dozen of tho largest of , their pels were slaughtered. A large number of potsjwere on baud, each for its special purpose. All the heads were thrown in one, all the legs in Another, the tails, in another, and so on. These were placed upon tho tiro in tho midst of the circles of I debaters now assembled. As the guests Lieutenant Clark, Second cavalry, and Robt. E. Strahorn stepped into tho circle an attendant flung a bright red blanket upon the eward directly in lront of Little v onnd, Crazy Horse and other prominent chieftains, while these diguitaries motioned the white men to Bit there. Au old man openod the proceedings by an appeal to the Great Spirit, during dur-ing which the worthy cut-throats in the array were impressively detereu-tial. detereu-tial. One aftcy another of the savage orators then arose, stepped to the centre, and uttered a lorcible harangue. har-angue. This continued for two hours, when, "dog being done," the leading chief announced the feast to take place immediately after another prayer. This was pronounced, and all the queor and disgusting features of the Indian dog feast were soon un der way. Dogs feet wore 1 o less greedily demolished than canine tenderloins, ten-derloins, and the warrior who received a tail for his portion seemed equally pleased with his neighbor who picked long ribs. Guests were treated just as royally, but their opinion of dog meat is scarcely such as would justily its wholesale adoption as an article ol diet. Dog soup and cofiee followed, all mixed aud taken from tho Bame dish. At the close of the feast the prayer or benediction was pronounce!, pro-nounce!, and the assembly adjourned iu excellent spirits. Hundreds of quawa and children crowded around during council and least, but were not allowed admittance. A striking evidence of geuerosity was exhibited during the least. An old Indian, ragged, wrinkled and fairly tottering in his weakness, entered en-tered the circle, introduced by a fiery young warrior. The latter said his aged companion should ba fed and otherwise cared for, and that it was a shame that such feasting should be indulged in by the young and strong ' while the old were enrJering. Little Wound pulled off his fine new blanket ! and presented it to the sufferer. Others divested themselves ot thtdr only mantles and did likewise, while the stolid and relendess Crazy Horse gavo the old man a pony, blanket aud oilier garments. Denver News. |