Part 11

After the pipe has thus gone round the circle, it is laid beside the fire, and all the Scouts chant, or recite in unison, the Strong Heart Song:

"We are the Scouts of ---- (name of band or brigade); We are the strong-hearted; We go forward, fearing nothing, to fulfill our vow!"

All now dance around the fire, going through the actions of a Scout on the enemy's trail. A drum beaten in quick time is the proper accompaniment to this dance, or it may be performed to the chant and hand-clapping of the Leader. (For other songs and musical airs, see Alice Fletcher's "Indian Story and Song.") Finally the Scouts leave the ring one by one, each, as he disappears in the shadows, giving the yelp of the wolf--the Indian Scout's call.

When a Scout returns to camp with news, he is met by the councilors seated in a circle about the fire, and before giving his report, takes the oath of the pipe in the past tense, thus:

"I have obeyed my Leader, have sought honor above all things, and neither pain nor danger has kept me from doing my duty!"

If, however, the matter is urgent, and there is little time for ceremony, he may, on entering the circle, kick down and scatter a small pile of wood which has been placed in readiness, this act constituting his oath that he has faithfully performed his task.

THE BEAR DANCE

This is one of a class of ceremonies common among Indians, in which the actors masquerade as animals. Bears, wolves, buffalo, elk, and others are represented with elaborate costuming and imagery. The Bear is the emblem of courage.

In this dance one of the players is chosen to represent the Bear, and should be made up if possible with the skin and head of that animal as a disguise, otherwise with a painted mask. A small arbor of green boughs forms the den, from which he issues from time to time in short rushes, growling as savagely as possible, and is teased with switches in the hands of the other players. If any one can touch the Bear without being himself touched, he scores one point, but if touched, he loses five points. If he trips and falls while running, he is out of the game. Whenever the pace becomes too swift for him, the Bear may retreat to his den, where he is safe. This game should last a given number of minutes, say twenty, at the end of which the scores are reckoned by two tellers previously detailed, and the winner announced. The drum and Indian songs may accompany this entertainment, which should be followed by a feast of Indian dishes, such as corn, venison, maple sugar, etc., served in Indian style, all the guests being seated cross-legged in a circle.

THE PEACE CEREMONY

This is a very old rite of the Sioux, intended to typify the conquest of the Thunder-Bird, which is supposed to bring the lightning, and is the emblem of destruction.

It is appropriately given in early summer, the period of frequent thunderstorms.

Cut the figure of the Thunder-Bird from a piece of birch-bark or thin wood, and suspend from the top of a pole fifteen feet high, which is raised in the center of a ring sixty feet in diameter, formed of small bent saplings or willow wands. The ring must have two entrances. At the foot of the pole, place a bowl of clear water to represent the rain which accompanies the lightning. On either side stand two small boys, dressed in red or wearing red about their clothing, and carrying war-clubs in their hands. These boys represent War.

Now all the Scouts enter the ring in single file, dressed in Scouts' uniform or Indian costume and armed with bow and arrows. The drum beats a slow tattoo as they march about the pole, looking upward toward the figure of the Thunder-Bird and chanting these lines:

"Hear us, O Thunder! Hear us, and tremble! We are the soldiers, Soldiers of peace!"

At the close of the song, each in turn shoots an arrow at the image, and when it falls, the Scout who brought it down must drink all the water in the bowl. The war-clubs are then taken away from the two little boys representing War, who go out by the western entrance to the ring. At the same time there enter by the eastern entrance two more boys (or preferably girls, if it is a mixed assemblage), clad in blue and carrying calumets, to typify Peace. These lead the second march around the pole, while all chant the second stanza of the song:

"The Thunder is fallen; Lost are his arrows; Peace is the victor-- Our mother is Peace!"

A heavy stick with a large knot or knob on the end will do for a war-club, and if no genuine peace-pipe is obtainable, one may be improvised from a piece of wood.

To any or all of these ceremonies spectators may be invited (and among the Indians the whole village is generally present), but it is essential that they maintain perfect order and absolute silence during the solemnities.

XX--THE MAIDENS' FEAST: A CEREMONY FOR GIRLS

A beautiful festival, celebrated yearly in the olden time among the Sioux and other Plains Indians, was called the "Maidens' Feast," and was designed to stimulate a proper pride and dedication to duty among the young girls of the tribe. I shall describe for you an adaptation of this ancient ceremony, that may be appropriately used by Camp Fire Girls and others on their summer outings.

This feast is always given at midsummer, in the fullness of bloom and splendor, as befits a gathering of the flower of the village or community. Invitations may be issued by the Guardian of the Camp Fire, or Leader of the band of girls, in the form of thin leaves of birch-bark or small bunches of sweet-grass. Another way of giving the invitation, if all the girls are in camp, is to engage the services of some man with a bugle or camp-horn to act as herald. He should dress in Indian costume and make the rounds early in the morning, blowing the horn and declaiming in a loud voice somewhat as follows:

"Hear ye, hear ye, all the people! The maidens of the ... Camp Fire are summoned to repair at noon to-day to the Sacred Stone in the middle of the encampment, there to hold the annual feast! Hear ye, hear ye!"

The maidens all come in ceremonial attire, and full Indian costume is indispensable to the proper effect. The hair is arranged in forward-turning plaits, and surmounted by a modest wreath or fillet of wild flowers. They advance silently, in single file, and form a ring about the "Sacred Stone," a rudely heart-shaped or pyramidal boulder, which has been touched lightly with red paint. Beside the Stone, two new arrows are thrust into the earth. The rock symbolizes permanence, or the unchangeable forces of nature; the arrows, nature's punishment for disobedience.

Now the leader of the maidens steps out of the ring, and laying her right hand upon the summit of the Stone, pronounces in clear tones the "Maidens' Vow:"

"Upon this Stone I take the maiden's twofold vow; the vow of purity--my duty to myself; the pledge of service--my duty to others!"

She then steps back and seats herself sidewise on the ground in the ring. Each in turn takes the vow in the same manner until the "maidens' circle" is complete. Then all rise and chant, or recite in unison, the "Maidens' Song:"

"We are the maidens of ---- (name of band); Our faces are turned toward the morning; In our hearts is the summer of promise; In our hands" (make cup of both hands) "we hold the new generation! United we go to meet the future, Armed with truth to ourselves, and with love for all!"