July 26, 2025 • 11 mins
Get enthralled by the vivid and engaging account of a Sioux childs life during the last era of the tribes untamed existence in the 19th century, before the encroachment of civilization. Charles Eastman, born in 1858 in Minnesota, takes you through his exhilarating journey from the lush forests of the land of lakes to the boundless prairies of the Dakota territory. Experience his extensive training in woodcraft, horsemanship, and hunting, and delve into the captivating stories passed down from his elders that formed the core of his tribes oral traditions. Eastman paints an honest picture of the dangers that were part and parcel of such a lifestyle, but also conveys the sheer joy and thrill of the adventures. As you listen, you may find yourself yearning for the freedom to ride across the wild prairie just like young Ohiyesa.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Part seven of Indian Boyhood by Charles Eastman. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain. The end of the
Bear Dance. It was one of the superstitions of the
Sant Sioux to treat disease from the standpoint of some
animal or inanimate thing. That person, who, according to their belief,
(00:22):
had been commissioned to become a medicine man or a
war chief, must not disobey the bear or other creature
or thing which gave him his commission. If he ever
ventured to do so, the offender must pay for his
insubordination with his life or that of his own child
(00:43):
or dearest friend. It was supposed to be necessary that
the supernatural orders be carried into effect at a particular
age and a certain season of the year. Occasionally, a
very young man who excused himself on the ground of
youth and modesty, might be forgiven. One of my intimate
friends had been a sufferer from what I suppose must
(01:06):
have been consumption. He, like myself, had a grandmother in
whom he had unlimited faith. But she was a very
ambitious and pretentious woman. Among her many claims was that
of being a great medicine woman. And many were deceived
by it. But really she was a fraud, for she
(01:27):
did not give any medicine, but conjured the sick exclusively.
At this time, my little friend was fast losing ground
in spite of his grandmother's great pretensions. At last, I
hinted to him that my grandmother was an herbalist, and
a skillful one. But he hinted back to me that
(01:49):
most any old woman who could dig roots could be
an herbalist, and that without a supernatural commission, there was
no power that could cope with disease. If my ideal
on the ground that there are supernatural powers in the
herbs themselves, hence those who understand them have these powers
(02:09):
at their command, but insisted my friend one must get
his knowledge from the great mystery. This completely silenced my argument,
but did not shake my faith in my grandmother's ability.
Red Horn was a good boy, and I loved him.
I visited him often and found him growing weaker day
by day. Oza, he said to me, one day, my
(02:34):
grandmother has discovered the cause of my sickness. I eagerly
interrupted him by shouting, and can't she cure you now?
Red Horn? Of course, he replied, she cannot until I
have fulfilled the commandment. I have confessed to her that
two years ago I received my commission, and I should
(02:56):
have made a bear dance and proclaimed myself a medicine
man last spring, when I had seen thirteen winters. You see,
I was ashamed to proclaim myself a medicine man, being
so young, and for this I am punished. However, my
grandmother says it is not yet too late. But Ohesa,
(03:17):
I am as weak now as a rheumatical man. I
can scarcely stand up. They say that I can appoint
some one else to act for me. He will be
the active bear. I shall have to remain in the hole.
Would you, Oaza, be willing to act the bear for me?
(03:39):
You know he has to chase the dancers away from
his den. Redhorn I replied, with much embarrassment. I should
be happy to do anything that I could for you,
but I cannot be a bear. I feel that I
am not fit. I am not large enough, I am
not strong enough, and I don't understand the habits of
(04:01):
the animal well enough. I do not think you would
be pleased with me as your substitute. Redhorn finally decided
that he would engage a larger boy to perform for him.
A few days later it was announced by the herald
that my friend would give a bear dance, at which
he was to be publicly proclaimed a medicine man. It
(04:21):
would be the great event of his short existence, for
the disease had already exhausted his strength and vitality. Of course,
we all understood that there would be an active youth
to exhibit the ferocious nature of the beast after which
the dance is named. The bear dance was an entertainment,
a religious rite, a method of treating disease all in one.
(04:45):
A strange thing about it was that no woman was
allowed to participate in the orgies unless she was herself
the bear. The den was usually dug about two hundred
yards from the camp on some conspicuous plain. It was
about two feet deep and six feet square and over.
It was constructed an arbor of boughs with four openings.
(05:05):
When the bear man sang, all the men and boys
would gather and dance about the den, and when he
came out and pursued them, there was a hasty retreat.
It was supposed that whoever touched the bear without being
touched by him would overcome a foe in the field.
If one was touched, the reverse was to be expected.
(05:26):
The thing which caused most anxiety among the dancers was
the superstition that if one of them should accidentally trip
and fall while pursued by the bear, a sudden death
would visit him or his nearest relative. Boys of my
age were disposed to run some risk in this dance.
They would take every opportunity to strike at the bear
(05:46):
man with a short switch, while the older man shot
him with powder. It may as well be admitted that
one reason for my declining the honor offered me by
my friend Redhorn was that I was afraid of powder,
and I much preferred to be one of the dancers
and take my chances of touching the bear man without
being touched. It was a beautiful summer's day. The forest
(06:09):
behind our camp was sweet with the breath of blossoming flowers.
The teepees faced a large lake, which we called be
Da Tanka. Its gentle waves cooled the atmosphere. The water
fowl disported themselves over its surface, and the birds of
passage overhead noisily expressed their surprise at the excitement and
confusion in our midst The herald, with his brassy voice,
(06:32):
again went the rounds, announcing the day's event and the
tardy fulfillment of the boy's commission. Then came the bustle
of preparation. The outdoor toilet of the people was performed
with care. I cannot describe just how I was attired
or painted, but I am under the impression that there
was but little of my brown skin that was not uncovered.
(06:52):
The others were similarly dressed in feathers, paint, and tinkling ornaments.
I soon heard the tom tom's doleful sound from the
direction of the bear's den, and a few wore whoops
from the throats of the youthful warriors. As I joined
the motley assembly, I noticed that the bear man's drum
was going in earnest, and soon after he began to sing.
(07:13):
This was the invitation to the dance. An old warrior
gave a signal, and we all started for the den,
very much like a group of dogs attacking a stranger. Frantically,
we yelled and whooped, running around the sheltering arbor in
a hop, skip and jump fashion. In spite of the
apparent confusion, However, every participant was on the alert for
(07:33):
the slightest movement of the bear man. All of a sudden,
a brave gave the warning, and we scattered in an
instant over the little plain between the den and our village.
Everybody seemed to be running for dear life, and I
soon found myself some yards behind the rest. I had
gone in boldly, partly because of conversations with certain boys
who proposed to participate and whom I usually out distanced
(07:56):
in foot races. But it seemed that they had not
carried out their intent, and I was left alone. I
looked back once or twice, although I was pretty busy
with my legs, and I imagined that my pursuer, the
bear man, looked twice as fearful as a real bear.
He was dressed and painted up with a view to
terrify the crowd. I did not want the others to
(08:18):
guess that I was at all dismayed, so I tried
to give the war whoop, but my throat was so
dry at the moment that I am sure I must
have given him very poorly. Just as it seemed that
I was about to be overtaken the dancers who had
deserted me suddenly slackened their speed and entered upon the
amusement of tormenting the bear man with gunpowder and switches,
(08:41):
with which they touched him far from gently upon his
naked body. They now chased him in turn, and he
again retreated to his den. We rested until we heard
the tom tom and the song once more, and then
we rushed forth with fresh eagerness to the mimic attack.
This time I observed all the necessary precautions for my
own safety. I started in my flight even before the
(09:04):
warning was given, for I saw the bear man gathering
himself up to spring upon the dancers. Thus I had
plenty of leeway to observe what occurred. The bear man
again pursued the yelling and retreating mob, and was dealt
with unmercifully by the swift footed. He became much excited
as he desperately chased a middle aged man who occasionally
(09:25):
turned and fired off his gun, but was suddenly tripped
by an ant hill and fell to the ground with
the other on top of him. The excitement was intense.
The bear man returned to his companion, and the dancers
gathered in little knots to exchange whispers. Is it not
a misfortune? The most surefooted of us all, will he die?
(09:49):
Must his beautiful daughter be sacrificed? The man who was
the subject of all this comment did not speak a word.
His head hung down. Finally he raised it and said,
in a resolute voice, we all have our time to go,
and when the great mystery calls us, we must answer
as cheerfully as at the call of one of our
(10:10):
own board chiefs here on earth. I'm not sad for myself,
but my heart is not willing that my Winona, firstborn daughter,
should be called. No one replied. Presently, the last tom
tom was heard, and the dancers rallied once more. The
man who had fallen did not join them, but turned
to the council lodge, where the wise old men were
(10:30):
leisurely enjoying the calumet. They beheld him enter with some surprise,
But he threw himself upon a buffalo robe, and, resting
his head upon his right hand, related what had happened
to him. Thereupon, the aged men exclaimed, as with one voice,
it never fails. After this he spoke no more. Meanwhile,
(10:51):
we were hilariously engaged in our last dance, and when
the bear man finally retired, we gathered about the arbor
to congratulate the sick bear man, But to our surprise,
his companion did not re enter the den. He is dead, Redhorn,
the bear man is dead. We all rushed to the spot.
My poor friend Redhorn lay dead in the den. At
(11:15):
this instant, there was another commotion in the camp. Everybody
was running toward the council lodge. A well known medicine
man was loudly summoned thither. But alas the man who
fell in the dance had suddenly dropped dead. To the people,
another Indian superstition had been verified and of Part seven,
Part seven of Indian Boyhood by Charles Eastman. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain. The end of the
Bear Dance. It was one of the superstitions of the
Sant Sioux to treat disease from the standpoint of some
animal or inanimate thing. That person, who, according to their belief,
(00:22):
had been commissioned to become a medicine man or a
war chief, must not disobey the bear or other creature
or thing which gave him his commission. If he ever
ventured to do so, the offender must pay for his
insubordination with his life or that of his own child
(00:43):
or dearest friend. It was supposed to be necessary that
the supernatural orders be carried into effect at a particular
age and a certain season of the year. Occasionally, a
very young man who excused himself on the ground of
youth and modesty, might be forgiven. One of my intimate
friends had been a sufferer from what I suppose must
(01:06):
have been consumption. He, like myself, had a grandmother in
whom he had unlimited faith. But she was a very
ambitious and pretentious woman. Among her many claims was that
of being a great medicine woman. And many were deceived
by it. But really she was a fraud, for she
(01:27):
did not give any medicine, but conjured the sick exclusively.
At this time, my little friend was fast losing ground
in spite of his grandmother's great pretensions. At last, I
hinted to him that my grandmother was an herbalist, and
a skillful one. But he hinted back to me that
(01:49):
most any old woman who could dig roots could be
an herbalist, and that without a supernatural commission, there was
no power that could cope with disease. If my ideal
on the ground that there are supernatural powers in the
herbs themselves, hence those who understand them have these powers
(02:09):
at their command, but insisted my friend one must get
his knowledge from the great mystery. This completely silenced my argument,
but did not shake my faith in my grandmother's ability.
Red Horn was a good boy, and I loved him.
I visited him often and found him growing weaker day
by day. Oza, he said to me, one day, my
(02:34):
grandmother has discovered the cause of my sickness. I eagerly
interrupted him by shouting, and can't she cure you now?
Red Horn? Of course, he replied, she cannot until I
have fulfilled the commandment. I have confessed to her that
two years ago I received my commission, and I should
(02:56):
have made a bear dance and proclaimed myself a medicine
man last spring, when I had seen thirteen winters. You see,
I was ashamed to proclaim myself a medicine man, being
so young, and for this I am punished. However, my
grandmother says it is not yet too late. But Ohesa,
(03:17):
I am as weak now as a rheumatical man. I
can scarcely stand up. They say that I can appoint
some one else to act for me. He will be
the active bear. I shall have to remain in the hole.
Would you, Oaza, be willing to act the bear for me?
(03:39):
You know he has to chase the dancers away from
his den. Redhorn I replied, with much embarrassment. I should
be happy to do anything that I could for you,
but I cannot be a bear. I feel that I
am not fit. I am not large enough, I am
not strong enough, and I don't understand the habits of
(04:01):
the animal well enough. I do not think you would
be pleased with me as your substitute. Redhorn finally decided
that he would engage a larger boy to perform for him.
A few days later it was announced by the herald
that my friend would give a bear dance, at which
he was to be publicly proclaimed a medicine man. It
(04:21):
would be the great event of his short existence, for
the disease had already exhausted his strength and vitality. Of course,
we all understood that there would be an active youth
to exhibit the ferocious nature of the beast after which
the dance is named. The bear dance was an entertainment,
a religious rite, a method of treating disease all in one.
(04:45):
A strange thing about it was that no woman was
allowed to participate in the orgies unless she was herself
the bear. The den was usually dug about two hundred
yards from the camp on some conspicuous plain. It was
about two feet deep and six feet square and over.
It was constructed an arbor of boughs with four openings.
(05:05):
When the bear man sang, all the men and boys
would gather and dance about the den, and when he
came out and pursued them, there was a hasty retreat.
It was supposed that whoever touched the bear without being
touched by him would overcome a foe in the field.
If one was touched, the reverse was to be expected.
(05:26):
The thing which caused most anxiety among the dancers was
the superstition that if one of them should accidentally trip
and fall while pursued by the bear, a sudden death
would visit him or his nearest relative. Boys of my
age were disposed to run some risk in this dance.
They would take every opportunity to strike at the bear
(05:46):
man with a short switch, while the older man shot
him with powder. It may as well be admitted that
one reason for my declining the honor offered me by
my friend Redhorn was that I was afraid of powder,
and I much preferred to be one of the dancers
and take my chances of touching the bear man without
being touched. It was a beautiful summer's day. The forest
(06:09):
behind our camp was sweet with the breath of blossoming flowers.
The teepees faced a large lake, which we called be
Da Tanka. Its gentle waves cooled the atmosphere. The water
fowl disported themselves over its surface, and the birds of
passage overhead noisily expressed their surprise at the excitement and
confusion in our midst The herald, with his brassy voice,
(06:32):
again went the rounds, announcing the day's event and the
tardy fulfillment of the boy's commission. Then came the bustle
of preparation. The outdoor toilet of the people was performed
with care. I cannot describe just how I was attired
or painted, but I am under the impression that there
was but little of my brown skin that was not uncovered.
(06:52):
The others were similarly dressed in feathers, paint, and tinkling ornaments.
I soon heard the tom tom's doleful sound from the
direction of the bear's den, and a few wore whoops
from the throats of the youthful warriors. As I joined
the motley assembly, I noticed that the bear man's drum
was going in earnest, and soon after he began to sing.
(07:13):
This was the invitation to the dance. An old warrior
gave a signal, and we all started for the den,
very much like a group of dogs attacking a stranger. Frantically,
we yelled and whooped, running around the sheltering arbor in
a hop, skip and jump fashion. In spite of the
apparent confusion, However, every participant was on the alert for
(07:33):
the slightest movement of the bear man. All of a sudden,
a brave gave the warning, and we scattered in an
instant over the little plain between the den and our village.
Everybody seemed to be running for dear life, and I
soon found myself some yards behind the rest. I had
gone in boldly, partly because of conversations with certain boys
who proposed to participate and whom I usually out distanced
(07:56):
in foot races. But it seemed that they had not
carried out their intent, and I was left alone. I
looked back once or twice, although I was pretty busy
with my legs, and I imagined that my pursuer, the
bear man, looked twice as fearful as a real bear.
He was dressed and painted up with a view to
terrify the crowd. I did not want the others to
(08:18):
guess that I was at all dismayed, so I tried
to give the war whoop, but my throat was so
dry at the moment that I am sure I must
have given him very poorly. Just as it seemed that
I was about to be overtaken the dancers who had
deserted me suddenly slackened their speed and entered upon the
amusement of tormenting the bear man with gunpowder and switches,
(08:41):
with which they touched him far from gently upon his
naked body. They now chased him in turn, and he
again retreated to his den. We rested until we heard
the tom tom and the song once more, and then
we rushed forth with fresh eagerness to the mimic attack.
This time I observed all the necessary precautions for my
own safety. I started in my flight even before the
(09:04):
warning was given, for I saw the bear man gathering
himself up to spring upon the dancers. Thus I had
plenty of leeway to observe what occurred. The bear man
again pursued the yelling and retreating mob, and was dealt
with unmercifully by the swift footed. He became much excited
as he desperately chased a middle aged man who occasionally
(09:25):
turned and fired off his gun, but was suddenly tripped
by an ant hill and fell to the ground with
the other on top of him. The excitement was intense.
The bear man returned to his companion, and the dancers
gathered in little knots to exchange whispers. Is it not
a misfortune? The most surefooted of us all, will he die?
(09:49):
Must his beautiful daughter be sacrificed? The man who was
the subject of all this comment did not speak a word.
His head hung down. Finally he raised it and said,
in a resolute voice, we all have our time to go,
and when the great mystery calls us, we must answer
as cheerfully as at the call of one of our
(10:10):
own board chiefs here on earth. I'm not sad for myself,
but my heart is not willing that my Winona, firstborn daughter,
should be called. No one replied. Presently, the last tom
tom was heard, and the dancers rallied once more. The
man who had fallen did not join them, but turned
to the council lodge, where the wise old men were
(10:30):
leisurely enjoying the calumet. They beheld him enter with some surprise,
But he threw himself upon a buffalo robe, and, resting
his head upon his right hand, related what had happened
to him. Thereupon, the aged men exclaimed, as with one voice,
it never fails. After this he spoke no more. Meanwhile,
(10:51):
we were hilariously engaged in our last dance, and when
the bear man finally retired, we gathered about the arbor
to congratulate the sick bear man, But to our surprise,
his companion did not re enter the den. He is dead, Redhorn,
the bear man is dead. We all rushed to the spot.
My poor friend Redhorn lay dead in the den. At
(11:15):
this instant, there was another commotion in the camp. Everybody
was running toward the council lodge. A well known medicine
man was loudly summoned thither. But alas the man who
fell in the dance had suddenly dropped dead. To the people,
another Indian superstition had been verified and of Part seven,
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