BOURKE.] THE GHOST DANCE HEADDRESS. 585 



buttons. These three dancers were naked to the waist, and wore beau 

 tiful kilts of fringed buckskin bound on with sashes, and moccasins 

 reaching to the knees. In this guise they jumped into the center of the 

 great circle of spectators and singers and began running about the fire 

 shrieking and muttering, encouraged by the shouts and the singing, and 

 by the drumming and incantation of the chorus which now swelled forth 

 at full lung power. 



THE SPIRIT OR GHOST DANCE HEADDRESS. 



As the volume, of music swelled and the cries of the on-lookers became 

 fiercer, the dancers were encouraged to the enthusiasm of frenzy. They 

 darted about the circle, going through the motions of looking for an 

 enemy, all the while muttering, mumbling, and singing, jumping, sway 

 ing, and whirling like the dancing Dervishes of Arabia. 



Their actions, at times, bore a very considerable resemblance to the 

 movements of the Zuiii Shalako at the Feast of Fire. Klashidn told 

 me that the orchestra was singing to the four willow branches planted 

 near them. This would indicate a Vestige of tree worship, such as is to 

 be noticed also at the sun dance of the Sioux. 



At intervals, the three dancers would dart out of the ring and disap 

 pear in the darkness, to consult with the spirits or with other medicine 

 men seated a considerable distance from the throng. Three several times 

 they appeared and disappeared, always dancing, running, and whirling 

 about with increased energy. Having attained the degree of mental or 

 spiritual exaltation necessary for communion with the spirits, they took 

 their departure and kept away for at least half an hour, the orchestra 

 during their absence rendering a mournful refrain, monotonous as afuneral 

 dirge. My patience became exhausted and I turned to go to my quar 

 ters. A thrill of excited expectancy ran through the throng of Indians, 

 and I saw that they were looking anxiously at the returning medicine 

 men. All the orchestra now stood up, their leader (the principal medi 

 cine-man) slightly in advance, holding a branch of cedar in his left 

 hand. The first advanced and bending low his head murmured some 

 words of unknown import with which the chief seemed to be greatly 

 pleased. Then the chief, taking his stand in front of the orchestra on 

 the east side of the grove or cluster of trees, awaited the final cere 

 mony, which was as follows: The three dancers in file and in proper 

 order advanced and receded three times; then they embraced the chief 

 in such a manner that the sticks or wands held in their hands came 

 behind his neck, after which they mumbled and muttered a. jumble of 

 sounds which I can not reproduce, but which sounded for all the world 

 like the chant of the &quot;hooter&quot; at the Zufii Feast of Fire. They then 

 pranced or danced through the grove three times. This was repeated 

 for each point of the compass, the chief medicine-man, with the orches 

 tra, taking a position successively on the east, south, west, and north 

 and the three dancers advancing, receding, and embracing as at first. 



