June 17th

This morning was excessively sultry & warm. About two o’clock we i.e. Capt. Winder and I went down to Conrad’s to get him to go with us to this Peagan camp. We wanted to see the Big Medicine Pipe Dance so we went over provided with some flour and coffee & sugar, crossed the river in the boat & then walked along thro’ the bush towards the camp – but we had to cross a big slue or coulee with a swift deep current. A party of Indians came riding along on their little ponies – and we jumped up behind them & were ferried over. You would have been amazed to see us: all of us pretty long-legged fellows behind a painted savage & astride a diminutive little pony – under whose belly we could almost lock our feet - & gallantly they bore us thro’ the rushing flood. I had brought my colours with me and while Capt. Winder & Conrad went to pay their respects to the old chief I started off to take a sketch of the camp.

I sat myself down on a hill side looking West – and began to sketch – first one child came near me & then called another & another & then older men came & women until I had around me nearly the entire available strength of the camp. A stark naked little Indian boy was not two feet in front of me dancing with all his might & making medicine at me – set on by the older people around. It was most amusing to hear their exclamations and to see them recognizing the various points as they appeared on the paper. I finally had to come down in order to let the old chief get up his dance – no one would come to it while I was sketching.

Well the dance began – a big roll of skins tied up in a peculiar bundle was set in the middle of the wigwam & the old men & women sat around the wigwam - & the orchestra consisting of 9 drums. The old chief took a piece of lighted punk and put some aromatic substance afore it & set it down in front of this bundle – then in the most solemn manner and amidst a deep & impressive silence proceeded to divest himself of his shirt & to put on a new one. Then undoing the roll of skins- he after untying innumerable strings came upon 3 or 4 bundles made of red flannel – these he held over the smoke of the aromatic herb, then proceeded to untie them & after a long series of wrappings at last came to the stem of the Medicine Pipe. This is a long wooden stem polished & ornamented with a profusion of ermine skins being terminated by a tassel of brilliant red & yellow wool or dyed hair towards the lower end are suspended about a dozen eagle’s feathers dyed vermilion and blue – with a couple of small bells on each feather – there are also other feathers of bright colours in various parts of the stem. This was taken out to slow music by the band and the old chief danced around the lodge and then went outside and held it up towards the sun – then came back and a young man took it and did the same, then an old squaw, then a boy & finally a little child hardly able to walk danced with it. Then they took from the same receptacle another red bundle which proved to contain a whistle. This was danced around with & blown always upwards towards the sun – a huge rattle like a dried gourd was now produced and it was danced with. The drums all the while keeping up an incessant clatter & the shrill voices of the women now and again breaking in with their wild wailing chant. As a heavy storm was coming up we bade a hasty adieu and borrowed some horses to cross the coulee and went home – not without getting a thorough soaking however.