Sioux Ghost Dance

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Sioux Ghost Dance

(A very interesting subject, full of action and true to life.)

EDI 1894-10


Sioux Ghost Dance

By genuine Sioux Indians, in full costume and paint. A weird and interesting scene.

EDI 1895-08


Ghost Dance

Maguire & Baucus 01/1897


Ghost Dance

A dance by genuine Sioux Indians in war paint and costume.

Maguire & Baucus 04/1897

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1 Edison 14 (MU 62) Maguire & Baucus 14
2 W. K. L. Dickson.William Heise. Last Horse. Parts-His-Hair. Black Cat. Hair Coat. Charging Crow. Dull Knife. Holy Bear. Crazy Bear. Strong Talker. Pine. Little Eagle. Young Bear. Runs Above. Johnny No Neck Burke. Seven Up.
3 24/09/1894 50 ft
 

INDIANS KINETOSCOPED.
WILD WEST BRAVES DANCED FOR "WIZARD" EDlSON.
Kinetoscopic views of the Wild West, as reproduced in the East by the only Buffalo Bill, will soon be on the market, for the wizard of Menlo Park had a visit yesterday from a party of Indians from the Wild West Show, in charge of Col. Cody. Major John M. 
Burke and Judge Jacques Stillwell. The braves were showed all over the mystic workshop of Mr. Edison. They were highly amused with the Kinetoscope's reproduction of the Corbett-Courtney fight. The Indians danced for the instrument, and then an Indian war-council, in which Col. Cody and Chief Last Horse delivered addresses, in the Liju language, was held.


The Standard Union, Brooklyn, mardi 25 septembre 1894, p. 2.

NOW A WAR DANCE.
Buffalo Bill's Crowd Perform for the Kinetoscope
HOW THE ACT WAS DONE
Chief War-Horse Johnny-No-Neck Et Al. Whoop it Up in Realistic Style for Future Generations to Behold.
From the New York Press
Fifteen howling, painted savages, feathered and beaded, gyrating and contorting before the camera: a dozen civilized white men and three white women looking on, wondering as much as the savages at the marvelous work that was being produced, presented a novel scene yesterday. The Indians were dressed in their most outre gorgeousness, so far as they were bedecked at all, for, besides the headdress of feathers and blotches of paint, only breechclouts covered their natural nakedness.
It was in Edison’s laboratory in Orange, N. J., yesterday morning. Mr. Edison had invited Buffalo Bill’s Indians to dance their war dances before the kinetoscope, or, more properly, the photo-kinetoscope, for the instrument or camera which takes impressions as they are seen in perfection. Never before did Indians appear in such a scene. They had stood before a camera before-often, but never in front of such a camera. The Omaha war dance and the buffalo dance are now fairly pictured to life, and long after the red man has left his last trace, perhaps, a perfect representation of his dances will be before the coming generations, perpetuated by Wizard Edison’s unique and wonderful invention.
There were old Chief Last Horse, Parts-His-Hair, Black Cat, Hair Coat, Charging Crow, Dull Knife, Holy Bear, Crazy Bear, Strong Talker, Pine, Little Eagle, Young Bear, Runs Above, Johnny No Neck Burke and Seven Up. The last two named are boys, but hey howled as loud and cavorted before the silent mystery of the camera with as much vim as their elders.
The Indians appeared on the same spot where Corbett and Courtney had their pugilistic encounter a few weeks ago. The sun streamed through the open glass roof, and the Indians, with old Last Horse at their head, posed before the wonderful agency that was to portray their every movement and expression. Last Horse was the only one who carried a tomahawk, and this he brandished as if intent upon having the ancient weapon of his dwindling race go down to perpetuity with his form and features.
“All ready!” called out Mr. Dickson, the superintendent.
“Kai-ya!” shouted Interpreter Changrau, and they went at it.
Round and round, squirming, leaping, twisting and stamping went 13 of the braves. Strong Talker and Pine were squatted on the floor beating the drums. How they howled! A pack of coyotes in full chase never barked and yelped with more ambition than did those Indians. They didn’t understand it, but that was of no consequence. They had been told that the strange thing pointed at them there would show them to the world until after the sun had slept his last sleep.
Vain? Old Last Horse had to be shoved by the younger braves from the foreground. Hair Coat, the young dude, almost fought for the center of the stage, as it were. In and out in a space about 12 feet square the naked savages whirled and hopped for over two minutes, and when it was over they seemed as proud as boys with their first pockets.
After the main dance, which was said to be the Omaha war dance, Strong Talker and Pine beat their tom-toms again as Last Horse, Parts-His-Hair and Hair Coat went through the buffalo dance. In this the men had more space, and, if anything, the antics were more furious and wild. Pity the camera could not produce those yelps! The dancers barked with such rapidity that the sounds were blended at times into a long-drawn howl like that of wolves calling to their mates to haste to some promised feat.
Mrs Edison, the handsome wife of Thomas A. Edison, with another lady, looked on at the mimic savagery and seemed to enjoy it all. Besides these, there was one other lady present, Col W. F. Cody, Judge Stillwell of El Reno, Oklahoma, and two or three others.
On the train returning to New York Last Horse, the oldest Indian present, with his face smeared with yellow paint, sat in his blanket and tried to flirt with a buxom woman who sat opposite to him. The old reprobate glanced meaningly out of the corner of his eyes, opened his mouth, breathed hard, or rather sighed. That was all but it was enough. The woman fidgeted awhile and then jumped up, exclaiming. “The dreadful beast!” and went into another car.
Las Horse curled his legs up on the car seat and looked out of the window.

Star-Gazette, Elmira, 27 septembre 1894, p. 4.

4 États-Unis. West Orange. Black Maria.
 

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20/01/1895 MexiqueMéxico. John R. Roslyn  Danza de los indios sioux 
16/09/1896 États-Unis. Indianapolis. English's. phantoscope Sioux Ghost Dance 

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