314 THE GEORGE CATLIN INDIAN GALLERY. 



ecalps they have taken, and at the same time recount the deeds of bravery of their 

 deceased comrade in arms, whilst they are throwing presents to the widow to heal 

 her grief and afford her the means of a living.— G. C. 



445. Brave's Dance, Boasting, &c, Sioux. Painted in 1835, at Fort Snelling. 



(No plate. Pages 135, 136, vol. 2, Catlin's Eight Years. 



The last dance is peculiarly beautiful, and exciting to the feelings in the highest 

 degree. 



At intervals they stop, and one of them 6teps into the ring and vociferates as loud 

 as possible, with the most significant gesticulations, the feats of bravery which he has 

 performed during his life. He boasts of the scalps he has taken, of the enemies he has 

 vanquished, and at the same time carries his body through all the motions and gest- 

 ures which have been used during these scenes when they were transacted. At the 

 end of his boasting all assent to the truth of his story, and give in their approbation 

 by the guttural "waugh!" and the dance again commences. At the next interval, 

 another makes his boasts, and another, and another, and so on. 



During this scene a little trick was played off in the following manner, which pro- 

 duced much amusement and laughter. A woman of goodly size, and in woman's at- 

 tire, danced into the ring # (which seemed to excite some surprise, as women are never 

 allowed to join in the dance), and commenced u sawing the air," and boasting of the 

 astonishing feats of bravery she had performed — of the incredible number of horses 

 she had stolen, of the scalps she had taken, &c. — until her feats surpassed all that 

 had ever been heard of— sufficient to put all the warriors who had boasted to the 

 blush. They all gave assent, however, to what she had said, and apparently credence 

 too ; and to reward so extraordinary a feat of female prowess they presented to her a 

 kettle, a cradle, beads, ribbons, &c. After getting her presents, and placing them 

 safely in the hands of another matron for safe keeping, she commenced disrobing her- 

 self; and, almost instantly divesting herself of a loose dress, in the presence of the 

 whole company, came out iu a soldier's coat and pantaloons, and laughed at them ex- 

 cessively for their mistake. She then commenced dancing and making her boasts of 

 her exploits, assuring them that she was a man, and a great brave. They all gave 

 unqualified assent to this, acknowledged their error, and made her other presents of a 

 gun, a horse, of tobacco, and a war-club. After her boasts were done, and the pres- 

 ents secured as before, she deliberately threw off the pantaloons and coat, and pre- 

 sented herself at once, and to their great astonishment and confusion, in a beautiful 

 woman's dress. The tact with which she performed these parts, so uniformly pleased 

 that it drew forth thundering applause from the Indians, as well as from the spectators ; 

 and the chief stepped up and crowned her head with a beautiful plume of the eagle's 

 quill, rising from a crest of the swan's down. My wife, who was traveling in this part 

 of the country with me, was a spectator of these scenes, as well as the ladies and offi- 

 cers of the garrison, whose polite hospitality we are at this time enjoying. — G. C. 



446. Green Corn Dance, Minnatarree— Sacrificing the first kettle to the Great Spirit, 



Painted in 1832 at Minatarree Village, Dak., eight miles from the Mandan 

 Village, on the Missouri River. 



(Plate No. 75, page 189, vol. 1, Catlin's Eight Years.) 

 Four medicine-men, whose bodies are painted with white clay, dance around the 

 kettle until the corn is well boiled; and they then burn it to cinders, as amolferingto 

 the Great Spirit. The fire is then destroyed, and new fire created by rubbing two 

 sticks together, with which the corn for their own feast is cooked. 



I mentioned that I found these people raising abundance of corn or maize ; and I 

 have happened to visit them in the season of their festivities, which annually take 

 place when the ears of corn are of the proper size for eating. The green corn is con- 

 sidered a great luxury by all those tribes who cultivate it ; and is ready for eating 

 as soon as the ear is of full size, and the kernels are expanded to their full growth, 



