File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18133713226).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo15amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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The American Museum Journal Volume XV MARCH, 1915 Number 3
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AMERICAN INDIAN DANCES THE INDIAN DANCE OFTEN A PRAYER BY THE TRIBE TO THE GODS OF THE HARVEST, OF WAR OR THE CHASE — USUALLY IN CONTRAST WITH PLEASURE- SEEKING, SENSUAL DANCING AS KNOWN AMONG CIVILIZED RACES By Robert H. Lowie THE word "dance," as applied l)y the Indians has a meaning very different from that which it car- ries in our own language. When we hear of dancing, we think, first of all, of music and steps. These features are of course not lacking in aboriginal dancing, but they are completely overshadowed by other aspects of culture with which they are associated. To put it briefly, our dancing appears in the same context with restaurants, hotels, debutantes, attempts at a social rapprochement of the sexes. In Indian society, dancing is largely con- nected with war and agriculture and the chase, with processions, magical per- formances and religious observances, in short, with the serious affairs of life. Indian dances as far as the steps are concerned are often of remarkable sim- plicity. A widespread "squaw dance" found among the Shoshone, Crow and other northwestern tribes, consists sim- ply in the circle of dancers shuffling the feet alternately to the left, each man in the circle standing between two women, with his right arm around his partner's shoidder or waist, or in some cases with arms encircling a partner on each side. With short intermissions and an occasional introduction of the war dance for variety's sake, a squaw dance of this type is sometimes kept up all night, to the supreme gratification of the performers. The Tobacco Dance of the Crow In- dians, is, if possible, of even simpler character. The participants stand up several in a row, holding sacred objects in their hands, and alternately bend each knee and raise or lower each hand with- out at all moving from their position. The highly popular Grass Dance of the Plains Indians is of" a more strenuous character. Only men take part, and they move about briskly, sometimes in 95

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