From Hell to Breakfast Page: 82
viii, 214 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
DANCING MAKES FUN
By ALICE L. MARRIOTT
THERE ARE MANY REASONS for Indian dances.
Some are given for purely religious reasons, others
for purely secular ones. The Great Snake Dance of
the Hopi--everybody who ever heard of any Indian dance
knows that the Hopi carry live snakes in their mouths on
that occasion-brings rain, not only to the Hopi country,
but to all North America. The annual War Dances of the
Osage, on the contrary, serve to bring together the people
of Oklahoma who are Indian-conscious, and to remind them
of the grandeur of the great Osage. There is no other
reason for the War Dances at all.
These are the dances that are open to the public; where
the presence of spectators is required to make the whole
thing go. But there are other dances, dances held for the
fun of dancing, dances to which only the immediate family
is or ever would be invited.
Three come to mind. They were all different, but they
had elements in common. They were held in honor of the
Fourth of July, Mother's Day, and my own birthday.
It is a mistaken idea that Indian women are oppressed
and downtrodden slaves. "The squaws do all the work and
the braves lay around all day," is the usual unfortunate
phrasing of the thought. You saw the women working
because they stayed around home to do it, while the men
had to go out to find game or fish or enemies to plunder.
Indian women are decidedly not downtrodden or op-
pressed, nor were they ever without voice and honor. On
the contrary, consider the case of Emily Roubidoux, who
belongs to the Iowa tribe.
Emily is nearly seventy, if not more. She is round and
plump; she must have been a pretty young woman, and
she still looks like a grandmother drawn by Rose O'Neill
in a mellower moment. Her skin is a nice soft brown, and82
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Related Items
Other items on this site that are directly related to the current book.
From Hell to Breakfast (Book)
Volume of popular folklore of Texas and Mexico, including religious anecdotes, stories about Native American dances, stories about petroleum and oil fields, folk songs, legends, customs and other miscellaneous folklore. The index begins on page 205.
Relationship to this item: (Has Format)
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Dobie, J. Frank (James Frank), 1888-1964. From Hell to Breakfast, book, 1944; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc67649/m1/90/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Press.