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3. CHAPTER III.

However absurd may be the religion of the Dahcotahs,
they are zealous in their devotion to it. Nothing is allowed
to interfere with it. Are their women planting corn, which
is to be in a great measure depended upon for food during

the next winter? whatever be the consequences, they
stop to celebrate a dance or a feast, either of which is a
part of their religion. How many Christians satisfy their
consciences by devoting one day of the week to God, feeling
themselves thus justified in devoting the other six entirely
to the world! But it is altogether different with the
Dahcotahs, every act of their life is influenced by their religion,
such as it is.

They believe they are a great people, that their country
is unrivalled in beauty, their religion without fault. Many
of the Dahcotahs, now living near Fort Snelling, say
that they have lived on the earth before in some region far
distant, that they died, and for a time their spirits wandered
through the world seeking the most beautiful and
delightful country to live in, and that after examining all
parts of the earth they fixed upon the country of the Dahcotahs.

In fact, dreams, spells and superstitious fears, constitute
a large part of the belief of the Dahcotahs. But of all their
superstitious notions the most curious is the one which occasions
the dance called Ho-saw-kah-u-tap-pe, or Fish
dance, where the fish is eaten raw.

Some days since, an Indian who lives at Shah-co-pee's
village dreamed of seeing a cormorant, a bird which feeds
on fish. He was very much alarmed, and directed his friend
to go out and catch a fish, and to bring the first one he
caught to him.

The Indian did so, and the fish, which was a large pike,
was painted with blue clay. Preparations were immediately
made to celebrate the Fish dance, in order to ward off
any danger of which the dream might have been the omen.

A circle was formed of brush, on one side of which the
Indians pitched a wigwam. The war implements were
then brought inside the ring, and a pole stuck up in the
centre, with the raw fish, painted blue, hung upon it.

The men then enter the ring, almost naked; their bodies
painted black, excepting the breast and arms, which are
varied in color according to the fancy of each individual.

Inside the ring is a bush for each dancer; in each bush a
nest, made to resemble a cormorant's nest; and outside the
ring is an Indian metamorphosed for the occasion into a
wolf—that is, he has the skin of a wolf drawn over him,
and hoops fixed to his hands to enable him to run easier
on all fours; and in order to sustain the character which he
has assumed, he remains outside, lurking about for food.

All being ready, the medicine men inside the wigwam
commence beating a drum and singing. This is the signal
for all the cormorants (Indians), inside the ring, to commence
quacking and dancing and using their arms in imitation
of wings, keeping up a continual flapping. Thus
for some time they dance up to and around the fish—when
the bravest among them will snap at the fish, and if he have
good teeth will probably bite off a piece, if not, he will slip
his hold and flap off again.

Another will try his luck at this delicious food, and so
they continue, until they have made a beginning in the
way of eating the fish. Then each cormorant flaps up
and takes a bite, and then flaps off to his nest, in which
the piece of fish is concealed, for fear the wolves may
get it.

After a while, the wolf is seen emerging from his retreat,
painted so hideously as to frighten away the Indian children.

The cormorants perceive the approach of the wolf, and a
general quacking and flapping takes place, each one rushing
to his nest to secure his food.

This food each cormorant seizes and tries to swallow,
flapping his wings and stretching out his neck as a young
bird will when fed by its mother.

After the most strenuous exertions they succeed in swallowing
the raw fish. While this is going on, the wolf
seizes the opportunity to make a snap at the remainder of
the fish, seizes it with his teeth, and makes his way out of the
ring, as fast as he can, on all fours. The whole of the fish,
bones and all, must be swallowed; not the smallest portion
of it can be left, and the fish must only be touched by the
mouth—never with the hands. This dance is performed by
the men alone—their war implements must be sacred from
the touch of women.

Such scenes are witnessed every day at the Dahcotah
villages. The missionary sighs as he sees how determined is
their belief in such a religion. Is it not a source of rejoicing
to be the means of turning one fellow-creature from a faith
like this?

A few years ago and every Dahcotah woman reverenced
the fish-dance as holy and sacred—even too sacred for her
to take a part in it. She believed the medicine women
could foretell future events; and, with an injustice hardly to
be accounted for, she would tell you it was lawful to beat
a girl as much as you chose, but a sin to strike a boy!

She gloried in dancing the scalp dance—aye, even exulted
at the idea of taking the life of an enemy herself.

But there are instances in which these things are all laid
aside beneath the light of Christianity; instances in which

the poor Dahcotah woman sees the folly, the wickedness of
her former faith; blesses God who inclined the missionary
to leave his home and take up his abode in the country of
the savage; and sings to the praise of God in her own
tongue as she sits by the door of her wigwam. She smiles
as she tells you that her “face is dark, but that she hopes
her heart has been changed; and that she will one day sing
in heaven, where the voices of the white people and of the
converted Dahcotahs, will mingle in a song of love to Him
`who died for the whole world.”'