HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1879-8-21, Page 6Tilt SUN DANCE (lir' Tills; SIOUX
A letter received at. the Interior Xies
lsart•rii. tit• freer Dr. T. 'Woodbridge,
agelley physician for the Feet Peels
Agency, gives the fellow ing graphic
tie(,erit'tiou of the 8uiiu tt uu dative"
of the Stevie.Nation, wide!: Wel; l Itt.
au,tr.l'.•plar liivcr, in 7lontena `lctli-
tsry, in the latter part of May
I have lees slut(+t;tit'd tits great •Int11-
an festival of the "talo' datiUe," of wor-
ship of t1.41 :sun. Great ptepee:leiuue
llatl testi made for it, and evtrytItiug
sine en the grandest Kale The tlty of
lesiges was moved, and the Indienb en- •
c::il el en n beautiful phlid et:dosing;
u. bellow square large enough for the
meveinttitts of a tttoesttud lesree'tnens
lel the (NDtr.3 the great l'•ts11ion or
aui'ltitino lodge was greeted, 3:10 feet in
(iiatneter, the lntstela formed of mall
Poste of green breuelies, • 1lestiug ori
this au(i on a rude fratee'work ssit1t
in, t11 around for about twenty feet In
tinaeta was coated with buffalo shpts:
fornlipg the "dress circle," with place
assigned t The Ilr:1Nicittes and actor
to astuterc. 1n the cent a was the greet
:medicine pule, fifty fret high. '1'11e
ttltttlltetef of the crntr'tl spate, about
100 f"tt, Was (.lieu to brutii tntlight.
only the men cccnpitd the sleep
circle. v:htre i11Fy were feasted antis
the per/el.:ntulce of twenty-eight tru-
tiutteus hourta, duriug which tape about
forty doge were immolated awl eaten,
I eseltas large gnathtiti(:e of buffalo meat,
LLilc1•tureip Old e, aid hot caldrenb
of ether e<ttilles that are tameless.
The audience svitti composed of about
O,OI.(1 loata;is, but as oely the (filen ce•
eupnea the circle within, the colniuon
People, women, and buys, lied to be
i;ati_'fl lty viewnlg the performances
through the wide entrat.ce or ihruugh
the ititerl.t