DAKOTA DANCES. BOAT 
success of those who have returned from the warpath, and the women, at 
intervals, sing an answering chorus. As with other nations a new song is 
often made for the occasion; but the old ones are not forgotten. This may 
serve as a sample: 
Something I’ve killed, and I lift up my voice; 
Something I’ve killed, and I litt up my voice; 
The northern buffalo Pve killed, and I lift up my voice; 
Something Ive killed, and I lift up my voice. 
The “northern buttalo” means a black bear; and the “black bear” 
means a man. The “lifting up the voice” is in mourning for the slain 
enemy. Night after night is the dance kept up by the young men and 
women, until the leaves fall, if commenced in the summer; or, if the scalp 
was brought home in the winter, until the leaves grow again. On each 
oceasion of painting the scalp a whole day is spent dancing around. it. 
And these days are high days—days of making gifts, feasting, and general 
rejoicing. 
The influence of the scalp dance on the morality of the people is quite 
apparent. In so loose a state of society as that of the Dakotas, such fre- 
quent and long-continued night meetings tend greatly to licentiousness. 
But the great wrong of the scalp dance consists in its being a crime against 
our common humanity. “If thine enemy hunger feed him, and if he 
thirst give him drink.” What a contrast is the spirit of those divine words 
with the spirit of the “Twakiéipi.” The eagle’s feather and the scalp dance 
tended greatly to keep up the intertribal wars among the Indians. 
Since the ‘circle dance” and the “scalp dance” have become things 
of the past among our partly civilized Dakotas, what is called the ‘grass 
dance” has been revived. It is said to have derived its name from the 
custom, in ancient times, of dancing. naked, or with only a wisp of grass 
about the loins. Only the men appeared in this nude state. It is a night 
dance, and regarded as extremely licentious, although now they are repre- 
sented as dancing in their Indian dress or even clothed as white men. 
MYSTERY DANCE.! 
This is a secret organization, which is entered through mysterious 
death and mysterious resurrection. As it appears to have been confined 
mainly to the eastern portion of the Dakota Nation, it is supposed to have 
been derived from some other Indians at no very remote date. The 
‘Waka wacipi. [See Mandan feast, p. 273, and Wacicka dance, pp. 342-6, 3d. Ann. Rept. of the 
Director Bur, Eth—J. 0. b.] 
