808 THE GHOST-DANCE RELIGION [eth.axn. u 



dance moves the dead." One of the Shoshoni delegates understood 

 the Bannock and Paiute language and interpreted for the rest. The 

 information was probably conveyed by the Shoshoni to the Arapaho 

 through the medium of the sign language. 



In accord with the report of the delegates, on their return home the 

 Shoshoni and Arapaho at once began to dance. A year later, in the 

 fall of 1890, a dense smoke from forest fires in the mountains drifted 

 down and obscured the air in the lower country to such an extent that 

 horses were lost in the haze. This was regarded by the Indians as an 

 indication of the approach of the great change, and the dance was 

 continued with increased fervor, but at last the atmosphere began to 

 clear and the phenomenon ended as it had begun — in smoke. The 

 dance was kept up, however, without abatement for another year, until 

 the predicted time had come and gone, when the Shoshoni — who seem 

 to share the skeptical nature of their southern kinsmen, the Comanche — 

 concluded that they had been deceived, and abandoned the dance. 

 The Arapaho, who have greater faith in the unseen things of the spirit 

 world, kept it up. and were still dancing when I visited them in the 

 summer of 1892. A part of the Arapaho, headed by their chief, Black 

 Coal, and encouraged by the Catholic missionaries, had steadily opposed 

 I he dance from the first. Alter considerable discussion of the matter it 

 was decided, on Black Coal's proposition, to send auother delegation 

 to the messiah, under the guidance of Yellow Eagle, a graduate of a 

 government Indian school, to learn as to the truth or falsity of the 

 new doctrine. They returned early in 1891 and reported against the 

 movement. Their report confirmed the doubters in their skepticism, 

 but produced little effect on the rest of the tribe. 



When I visited Wind River reservation in Wyoming in .Tune, 1892, 

 the agent in charge informed me that there was no Ghost dancing on 

 his reservation; that he had explained how foolish it was and had 

 strictly forbidden it. and that in consequence the Indians had aban- 

 doned it. However, lie expressed interest in my investigation, and as 

 the Arapaho, with whom I had most to do, were then camped in a body a 

 few miles up in the mountains cutting wood, he very kindly furnished 

 a conveyance and camping outfit, with two of the agency employees — 

 a clerk and an interpreter — to take me out. It appeared afterward 

 that the escort had received instructions of their own before starting. 

 Having reached the camp and set up our tent, the Arapaho soon 

 came around to get acquainted, over a pipe and a cup of coffee; but, in 

 answer to questions put by one of my companions, a white man. who 

 assumed the burden of the conversation, it seemed that the Indians 

 had lost all interest in the dance. In fact, some of them were so 

 ignorant on the subject that they wanted to know what it meant. 



Alter trying in vain to convince me that it was useless to waste time 

 further with the Indians, the clerk started back again alter supper, 

 satisfied that that part of the country was sale so tar as tin' Ghost 



