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264 in the Sun Dance and the "PohkHong." The Sun dance is still occasionally practiced a Yankton Dakota who had been educated joined in the dance a few years since and taking up pinches of his flesh cut them off. and he so mutilated his body that he died in ten days afterward. Before entering upon that dance the indian aspirant for the rank of brave. makes a long fast lasting four or five days. He then went to the medecine [sic] chief who had charge of the ceremony. When the circumstances permitted a large structure was set up in which to hold the ceremony. and in this the Medecine chief the candidates and the crowd assembled. The trial of endurance consisted in the following ceremony. The Medecine chief raised upon the arms. back. chest thighs and legs of the candidate portions of flesh and passed a knife through them making a slit in the flesh through which he passed a stick. to strips fastened to the back or chest [?] secured thongs and to the [?] [?] the arms and thighs or legs. were also secured thongs. by the thongs in the chest or back the body of the indian was pulled up till his feet were off the ground. and from the thongs fastened to the sticks in the arms. thighs and legs. was suspended. [?] usually the skull of the buffalo. thus suspended the candidate hung till the sticks pulled themselves through the flesh of his body. when he fell to the ground and danced about dragging the skulls till the had pulled themselves free. If often takes days to accomplish that end. After this the indian was considered a "brave". and admitted to the council of the old men. (Here insert "Gitchi Manito."
The Ojibway had no such ceremony. their mind wasn't an inventive one. and we find that their practices in cruely [sic] did not reach the same degree of refinement It was as it seems their practice to roast their captives with fire and from this circumstance some writers have alleged they denied this name but this we have elsewhere shown is hardly the case. The Ojibway have with all their otherwise savage tendencies. a sense of humor. what the Dakota never did possess. the treaty of peace made by the Ojibway was usually kept. but the Dakota did not intend to keep it when he made it. Often in returning from the council at which the treaty was made the Dakotas would spill blood. by way of ratification. The Ojibway show a very crafty and cunning pirit and manifest great astuteness in dealing with their enemies but withal seem to to [sic] have been less dangerous to the white