1914 - 1917 -- "I would suggest that the pagan dances be discontinued and replaced by concerts gives by the Indian bands of the reservations.."
Great Revival of Indian Dances - 1914
1914 - Indian dance steps, it is predicted, will be the rage next season. Their popularity will be short-lived if they are as dreary as the average popular song writer's conception of Indian music.
1914 - Members of the Improved Order of Red Men in Delaware are doing much work trailing over the reservations. Many pale faces are being scalped. [In the day time they run races and play baseball.] In the evening there will be a sham battle followed by an Indian dance... [then mock initiations.]
For a good many years, the impression has prevailed that the United States government, at the time it finally awoke its national conscience in the matter of the Indians, pushed the noble red men away on a reservation, gave him so many acres of land, so much money every year and then told him, as the saying runs, to "go to it."
As a matter of fact, the Indian Office of the Department of the Interior watches its Indian wards with all the jealous care of a Dominick hen with one chicken, and if there is any one little thing that the red man cannot do it is to indulge in a few of his little unexpurgated performances of native folk-dancing, which were originally designed to arouse the noble red man's fighting blood.
Fear Great White Father,
In denying these aboriginal prerogatives of the Indian to his twentieth century children, the Indian Office ever holds before its wards the picture of a "Great White Father" back in Washington, intensely displeased at the particular thing that the Department of the Indian Office, wished to prohibit.
The Indian always has been very proud of his dancing ability, and in prohibiting some of the dances that are not considered "good medicine," the Indian Office is forced to use the greatest diplomacy, but the same result is accomplished in the end. The Indian, regardless of statements to the contrary, holds the "Great White Father" in fearful esteem even to the point of abandoning many of their tribal dances.
When Custer was chasing Sioux along the Little Big Horn, a good many of the Western tribes were addicted to the delightful occupation of dancing the sun dance at frequent and regular intervals. This dance was largely of a religious nature and was designed to propitiate the sun god in some peculiar, Indian way.
The braves who were chosen for the dance were big, husky fellows, blest with the gift of an Indian's imagination. They began with the beating of tom-toms as they danced in a circle and as the steady boom, boom, boom of the tom-toms beat upon their ears they gradually worked themselves into the wildest frenzy. ....
When the Indian office began to care for the social and moral welfare of the Indian, the sun dance was one of the first tribal customs to come under the ban of the government.
First, the Indian Office tried to show the chiefs of the detrimental moral effects of this brutish and degrading dance, but the old chiefs stood put on the traditions of their fathers and the dance went merrily on. One after another of the argument of the Indian Office were exhausted until finally, in desperation, the officers of the Department of the Interior invoked the picture of the "Great White Father" angry at his Indian children.
Then, and then only, the sun dance passed into oblivion.... Another of the dances of the good old days that have passed into oblivion is the war dance.
Another extremely objectionable dance was the scalp dance. This served much the same purpose of the war dance, only the Indians, with an eye to the theatrical "properties" of the dance, felt that a scalp or two was needed for the proper effect.....
Moving pictures of scenes on Indian reservations can no longer be taken without the permission of the Indian Office, given in writing. This order is comparatively new and was brought about by the practice of moving picture men having the Indians go through an impromptu Wild West performance for a certain sum, and therefore preserve in their minds, the manners and customs from which the Indian Office is earnestly trying to wean them.
So it seems that the police, as the censors of dancing in our cities, have a national counterpart in the Indian Office of the Department of the Interior, which would smile upon an Indian tango, but would frown upon the sun dance.
Christian Indians Object
"The Christian or progressive Indians do not like the way in which he dances are performed by the Indians engaged. The Indians do not paint themselves or don fantastic garb when they give the real dances in the Long House. The rites as given on a recent Sunday are repugnant to the Christian Indians.
"I would suggest that the pagan dances be discontinued and replaced by concerts gives by the Indian bands of the reservations or the Carlisle bands and [quariettes], and that the performances be held on week days instead of Sundays. The nineteen real chiefs might be asked to furnish Indians to give the entertainments in the proper manner, and then they would be representative of the Indians on the reservations." .....
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| 1914, Jan 16 Great Falls Tribune |
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| 1914, June 21 Democrat and Chronicle |
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| 1914, June 13 The Evening Journal |
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INDIAN DANCES PUT UNDER BAN
Uncle Sam Assumed Role of Official Censor for Red Men
WAR STEPS ARE TABOO
1914, May 10 The Washington Herald
Uncle Sam has assumed a good many roles since 1776, but nothing Uncle Sam has ever attempted can over-shadow his official role of dance censor to the American Indians.For a good many years, the impression has prevailed that the United States government, at the time it finally awoke its national conscience in the matter of the Indians, pushed the noble red men away on a reservation, gave him so many acres of land, so much money every year and then told him, as the saying runs, to "go to it."
As a matter of fact, the Indian Office of the Department of the Interior watches its Indian wards with all the jealous care of a Dominick hen with one chicken, and if there is any one little thing that the red man cannot do it is to indulge in a few of his little unexpurgated performances of native folk-dancing, which were originally designed to arouse the noble red man's fighting blood.
Fear Great White Father,
In denying these aboriginal prerogatives of the Indian to his twentieth century children, the Indian Office ever holds before its wards the picture of a "Great White Father" back in Washington, intensely displeased at the particular thing that the Department of the Indian Office, wished to prohibit.
The Indian always has been very proud of his dancing ability, and in prohibiting some of the dances that are not considered "good medicine," the Indian Office is forced to use the greatest diplomacy, but the same result is accomplished in the end. The Indian, regardless of statements to the contrary, holds the "Great White Father" in fearful esteem even to the point of abandoning many of their tribal dances.
When Custer was chasing Sioux along the Little Big Horn, a good many of the Western tribes were addicted to the delightful occupation of dancing the sun dance at frequent and regular intervals. This dance was largely of a religious nature and was designed to propitiate the sun god in some peculiar, Indian way.
The braves who were chosen for the dance were big, husky fellows, blest with the gift of an Indian's imagination. They began with the beating of tom-toms as they danced in a circle and as the steady boom, boom, boom of the tom-toms beat upon their ears they gradually worked themselves into the wildest frenzy. ....
When the Indian office began to care for the social and moral welfare of the Indian, the sun dance was one of the first tribal customs to come under the ban of the government.
First, the Indian Office tried to show the chiefs of the detrimental moral effects of this brutish and degrading dance, but the old chiefs stood put on the traditions of their fathers and the dance went merrily on. One after another of the argument of the Indian Office were exhausted until finally, in desperation, the officers of the Department of the Interior invoked the picture of the "Great White Father" angry at his Indian children.
Then, and then only, the sun dance passed into oblivion.... Another of the dances of the good old days that have passed into oblivion is the war dance.
Some Other Good Reasons
The Indian Office had a number of very good reasons for stopping the war dance. Chief among these reasons was the psychological effect produced on the Indian mind by the winding [masses] of the dance and the steady beat of the war drums. The Indian on the warpath is a bad character to deal with, and the Indian Office was particularly anxious that no smoldering memories in Indian breasts be aroused if the banning of the war dance could prevent it.Another extremely objectionable dance was the scalp dance. This served much the same purpose of the war dance, only the Indians, with an eye to the theatrical "properties" of the dance, felt that a scalp or two was needed for the proper effect.....
Snake Dance of Hopi Indians
Up to the present time the Indian Office has not taken serious steps to abolish the snake dance of the Hopi Indians of the Southwest, but it is believed that this custom is doomed also, for the Indian Office's policy opposes the permission of any of the old tribal customs which have a detrimental moral effect on its wards.Moving pictures of scenes on Indian reservations can no longer be taken without the permission of the Indian Office, given in writing. This order is comparatively new and was brought about by the practice of moving picture men having the Indians go through an impromptu Wild West performance for a certain sum, and therefore preserve in their minds, the manners and customs from which the Indian Office is earnestly trying to wean them.
So it seems that the police, as the censors of dancing in our cities, have a national counterpart in the Indian Office of the Department of the Interior, which would smile upon an Indian tango, but would frown upon the sun dance.
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INDIAN DANCES SAID NOT TO BE REPRESENTATIVE
1915, Oct 14 Democrat and Chronicle
"Those dances are the religious rites of the Pagan section of the Indians, and it is hard to get enough of them to give a respectable performance," said Mr Kellogg [he studied Indian life for 15 years.]......Christian Indians Object
"The Christian or progressive Indians do not like the way in which he dances are performed by the Indians engaged. The Indians do not paint themselves or don fantastic garb when they give the real dances in the Long House. The rites as given on a recent Sunday are repugnant to the Christian Indians.
"I would suggest that the pagan dances be discontinued and replaced by concerts gives by the Indian bands of the reservations or the Carlisle bands and [quariettes], and that the performances be held on week days instead of Sundays. The nineteen real chiefs might be asked to furnish Indians to give the entertainments in the proper manner, and then they would be representative of the Indians on the reservations." .....
The Boy Scouts will give an Indian dance.
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| 1916, Jan 10 The Daily Times |
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| 1916, Sep 10 The Oregon Daily Journal |
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