Wisconsin Historical Collections, Volume IX (1882)

              indian customs and early recollections 311 and finally seem to become perfectly mad giving out the most discordant and deafening sounds the writer on one occasion as will be found related hereafter saw them carry on poles human hands and feet and in their hair was strung strips of flesh from which blood dripped down on the face for each dance different painting is required for the fancy or social dance the body is left nearly bare and the face and arms are painted over in as elegant a manner as possible one who can boast of many scalps wears an equal number of eagle feathers others must content themselves with the feathers of the wild turkey when all are ready for the dance the men begin by a short kind of step to move toward the place of per formance to the sound of a shee-shee-gwun or rattle there they form a circle and begin to dance in a most furious manner the squaws stand around seldom joining in except with their shrill notes yet sometimes as the dance grows wilder they will catch the excitement and forming a circle outside the braves will dance with demoniac fury the dance never stops until the dancers are compelled to cease from sheer exhaustion the indians always keep remarkably good time courtship when a youth falls in love with some dusky maiden the sole way he has of making it known is by placing himself a little ways from the wigwam where the maiden — " thinking of a hunter young and tall and very handsome " — has her home the lover wears one blue leggin and one red one if it is possi ble he seats himself on a hill side overlooking the habitation of his lady-love ; when this is impossible he will choose a place near by from whence he can see and be seen and there plays on the flute pib-pigwan the air he plays is in a minor strain never lively if he is permitted to play undisturbed he knows he is understood and that no objections are made to his addressing the loved one if the parents have any objections to him he is soon made to know it a message is sent him that he is too noisy etc if he receives such a message he never returns if he does not receive such reproof in a short time the flute-playing gives place to visits