Many Many Moons/The Squaw-Dance

THE SQUAW-DANCE

Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat upon the tom-tom,
Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat upon the drum,
Hóy-eeeeeee-yáh! Hóy-eeeeeee-yáh!
Shuffle to the left, shuffle to the left,
Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle to the left, to the left.
Fat squaws, lean squaws, gliding in a row,
Grunting, wheezing, laughing as they go;
To be read
rapidly with
a vigorous lilt
and syncopated
dance rythm.
Bouncing up with a scuffle and a twirl,
Flouncing petticoat and hair in a whirl.
Rheumatic hags of gristle and brawn,
Rolling in like a ponderous billow;
Fair squaws lithe as the leaping fawn,—
Swaying with the wind and bending with the willow;
Bouncing buttock and shriveled shank,
Scuffling to the drumbeat, rank on rank;
Stolid eye and laughing lip,
Buxom bosom and jiggling hip,
Weaving in and weaving out,
Hí! Hi! Hí! with a laugh and a shout,
To the beat, beat, beat, beat, beat upon the tom-tom,
Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat upon the drum;
And a shuffle to the left, a shuffle to the left,
A shuffle, shuffle, shuffle to the left, to the left,—
Hí! Hi! Hí! Hi! Hóy-eeeeeeeeeeeeee-yáh!
Medicine men on the medicine drum,
Beating out the rhythm with a steady thrum.
Medicine gourd with its rattle, rattle, rattle,
Flinging wild with the call of battle.
Beaded drummers squatting in the ring
Leap to its challenge with a crouch and a spring;
Weathered old bucks that grunt and wheeze
As they jangle bells on their wrists and their knees,—
Shining new and olden bells,
Silver, copper, golden bells,
Cow-bells, toy bells, ringing sleigh-bells,
Beaded dance bells, "give-away " bells,
Jingling, jangling, jingling bells,
Set-the-toes-atingling bells,
To the beat, beat, beat, beat, beat upon the tom-tom,
Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat upon the drum;
And a shuffle to the left, a shuffle to the left,
A shuffle, shuffle, shuffle to the left, to the left—
Hí! Hi! Hí! Hi! Hóv-eeeeeeeeeeeececee-yáh!

Old bucks stamping heel and toe,
Ugh! as they snort and they cackle and they crow,—
Yowling like the lynx that crouches nigh,
Howling like the wolf at the prairie sky:
Growling and grunting as they shift and they tramp,
Stalking, crouching,—with a stamp, stamp, stamp,—
Sleek limbs, lithe limbs, strong and clean limbs,
Withered limbs, bowed limbs, long and lean limbs;
Flat feet, bare feet, dancing feet,
Buckskin-moccasined prancing feet.
Eager child-feet, scuffling feet,
Feet, feet, feet, feet, shuffling feet!
Hi! Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat upon the tom-tom,
Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat upon the drum;
Shuffle to the left, shuffle to the left,
Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle to the left, to the left,—
Hí! Hi! Hí! Hi! Hóy-eeeeeeeeeeeee-yáh!

Kee-Wáy-Din-ó-Kway, the "north-wind woman," sings:

"I have a pretty present for Máh-een-gans,
For 'Little-Wolf' I have a pretty medicine bag.
Broidered upon it are many little beads
In many pretty patterns of wild lilies,—
Yellow beads and beads of the color of the cornflower.
Through the many winter moons
Dance ceases.
To be chanted.
I labored on this token of love;
In this gaily patterned medicine bag
I left my weary eyes and my worn fingers.
Now I wish 'the Wolf' to dance with me in the ring.
Hi! Beat, beat upon the drums, old medicine men!
Dance! Dance in the ring, my people, and sing!"

(Ho! Ho! . . . Hí-yah! Hí-yah!)

With a lilt and
dance rythm.
Hóy-eeeeeeeee-yáh! Hóy-eeeeeeeee-yáh!
Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi! Hóy-eeeeeeeeeee-yáh!
Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat upon the tom-tom,
Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat upon the drum,
As a bouncing breast and a lean long thigh,
Caper to the ring with a whoop and a cry,
And shuffle to the left, shuffle to the left,
Shuffle. shuffle. shuffle to the left, to the left,—
Hí! Hi! Hí! Hi! Hóy-eeeeeeeeeeee-yáh!

Máh-Een-Gans, the "little-wolf," sings:

'I have a present for the 'Wind-Woman,'
A present equal in value to her medicine bag.
Dance ceases—
chant.
Ho! A pretty present, a mi-gis chain
Of many little mi-gis shells,—
As beautiful as the 'North-Wind-Woman.'
My chain of shells will shimmer on her breast
As the little silver brooks that tinkle
Down the moonlit bosom of yonder mountain.
Now I wish the woman to dance with me in the ring.
Hi! Beat, beat upon the drums, old medicine men!
Dance! Dance in the ring, my people, and sing!"

Hóy-eeeeeeeee-yáh! Hóy-eeeeeeeeeee-yáh!
Hí! Hi! Hí! Hi! Hóy-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-yáh!
Beat, beat. beat, beat, beat upon the tom-tom,
Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat upon the drum.
Medicine gourd with its rattle, rattle, rattle,
To be read
with a vigor-
ous, lilting
dance rhythmn,
and with great
spirit.
Ringing wild with the call of battle.
Rheumatic hags of gristle and brawn,
Rolling in like a ponderous billow:
Fair squaws lithe as the leaping fawn,—
Swaying with the wind and bending with the willow.
Bouncing buttock and shriveled shank,
Scuffling to the drumbeat, rank on rank.
Old bucks stamping heel and toe,
Ugh! as they snort and they cackle and they crow,—
Sleek limbs, lithe limbs, strong and clean limbs,
Withered limbs, bowed limbs, long and lean limbs;
Flat feet, bare feet, dancing feet,
Buckskin-moccasined prancing feet;
Shuffle to the left, shuffle to the left,
Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle to the left, to the left;
With a crouch and a spring and a grunt and a wheeze,
And a clanging of bells at the wrists and the knees,—
Shining new and olden bells,
Silver, copper, golden bells—
Feet, feet, feet, feet, scuffling feet!
To the drumbeat, drumbeat, beat, beat, beat—
Hí! Hi! Hí! Hi!
Hóy-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-yáh!