Show bear dance at ouray to commence tuesday and continue til sunday OURAY r ions for the annual ekar bear dance are now noa cn jak natio of willow creek has bag beet appointed floor nama gerl for tho the ceremonies and tie he is now drawing an elabu elaborate rate bear dance hag flag HIP alie indians will con commence making the coiral co iral march 8 and expect to begin tho dance march 20 according to reports on sunday march 25 will vill be tho the big day mr eloctio and the other ind ars ans especially inviting g choir 1 white hite to attend and participate in the ceremonies on that aay before the advent of tile white man the dance WAS ft a signal to break up the winter canies in the foi foisted eted areas ol of the foothills chuis and move about in plussit of game gaine it also has ha a supernatural reference to the bear including other manor religious elements it might be added that in the old tim times es it was a matins ceremony and more or less still Is courting seems s to center about the dance corral how however evor ever at tre tie present time it is on the v bole viole mostly a social affair in which both indians and the whites of tile vicinity take part dance is a cnance ance to the boar bear the men and women arranged in a ant dance facing each other like the man and the bear which are dancing on the flag the onataer of with a long willow illow A in his haril hadj keeps the lines sti flight A lagging dancer gets a cut with the MAP the music in a rhythm seemingly almost impossible to maintain Is made by rubbing a over a notched bone or harl hards wood stick held against an improvised c aluin or and has tho the of the growl of D a bear the players sing a high pitched d chant while they play the old men talk to the bear in prayer they also talk to wolf god to the san Mata wats the moon the and to to the sky the talkers ask these beings to give good health to all lots of cattle cattie horses and sheep and lots of good things to eat the talker also tells the people to be good not to steal quarrel or fight and ana to be good to one another it if they do these things all will be good to them and they will always hae haae lots to eat and will mill continue to have hane good health |