Show Indians Hold Sun Dance o. o 0 0 Bucks BucIs civilized Re After Fest Pest Festy y O Primitive Spirit Aw Awakened By Frank A. A Hunt For four days the tile river Ute and nd Uncompahgre Indians of the Ouray Uinta reservation have been going through the ecstasies of the mysterious annual ceremony of the Sun dance The scene of the tile weird rites is a mile and nd a half south of Whiterocks Utah Saturday when t the e last measure I Is concluded the concluded the solemn salute to the Uie sun the sun the strange sight will be seen of young bucks washing off the red and and yellow paint from their bodies donning donning- the latest cut clothes and stepping back Into civilization and high h powered tourIng touring tour tour- ing cars The strangest cst thing of ot it all to toan toan toan an observer Is the way the dance seems to take the tribesmen back into their primitive past awaken old memories and stir I them tl em to heights helg-h ts of emotion Pioneers have recalled how In bY the the past the dancers continued their ther gyrations until they saw wild visions and at length th fell into a state of exhaustion exhaustion exhaustion tion and coma from which some of them never awakened WILL END SATURDAY Today roday Cuch chief medicine med med- man of the Whiteriver tribe Is supervising supervIsing- the dancing and I when he notes some of 01 the participants I pants pants are becoming exhausted ted he lie orders them to rest for under the I regulations reg of this reservation it is i not nut permissible for or the dancers to overdo themselves to a point which may entail serious consequences The rhe ceremony is held In an Inclosure inclosure inclosure in- in I closure surrounded by willow brush A A. totem pole is erected in the cen en- en ter tel The seven musicians beating the and the squaws chantIng chant- chant chantIng chanting Ing ing- the ritual of the ceremony are partly protected from flom the heat by bythe bythe bythe the shade of brush covered saplings s. s but the dancers do their stuff Inthe in inthe inthe the hot sun un They take talce little or 01 no nourishment U Unlike the perlor performances 1 r es s ori oO other reservations the thirty dancers are performing in two alternate groups When weary they rest in the shade for from flom three to seven minutes while the other group roup take up the dancing dancing- The dancers each carry willow whistles which they sound continuously as they shuffle in mincing mincIng- steps toward the totem pole and back bael away from it again their eyes e es at all time raised toward the t top p. p Their bodies are painted in vivid red and yellow One of the dancers at the opening opening- sta stage e had his entire body Lody thickly covered with talcum powder Their apparel consists in the main of a breech clout and small apron but buta ut a a. few wear a a. colored silk shawl wrapped around them in the form of a short skirt All are nude from the hips up The squaws qu take little part in the ceremony mo mot moct t of them be being In only spectators There is something hypnotic to toa a a. spectator in it all and watching watching- closely white bystanders will be seen seen to sway unc unconsciously with the sounding sounding- of the whistles and anti the solemn chant of the fourteen fourteen four four- teen Indian men and squaws al- al cl that part of th th ceremony NO PICTURES TAKEN Many rany whites have come from long distances to attend the dance Thou Though h the Indians have char charged ed 50 51 cents admission they consider the ceremony reverently and allow no one to take tale pictures picture The visitor visitors visitors visit visit- or ors are told to sit on the ground Within a few hours after the dance Had be begun un the shuffling shuffling- feet of the braves had worn ever deepening deepening deep deep- ening ruts Into the path they fol- fol owed oved and a as the circle led them through h salt grass rass they put in most of the periods period of rest fanning Canning their feet with turkey wings s. In lieu of the buffalo head usually surmounting surmount surmount- In lag ing the totem pole the skull of a steer is heln being used After ACtEr the dance has terminated two rIa days s 's of C feasting will he hel held Thin Tho Indians believe that blessings s of health and prosperity follow the ceremony |