Chico High School - Caduceus Yearbook (Chico, CA)

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THE LAST WAR DANCE HAT has been com- . r monly term.ed a war f dance by th.e white :cgi people . and younger ,mr pf - generation of the In- Q dian race in Butte County is called the Aki Dancef' or cere- monial dance of elec- tion by the older members of the tribe. 'I , None of the aforemen- tioned generation and white race have ever had the pleasure of witnessing a real war dance. The last dance of this sort was held in the village of the Concows, in the eastern part of thgis county, where dwelt the remains of a powerful tribe, the biggest part of which had been moved to a reservation by the Federal Government. There had always been a dispute between the Con- cows, so the relator' says, and the Mechoopdas, that began years before th.e time of this last dance, over hunting rights of the two tribes. The trouble was never satisfactorily settled. ' One day Hoolika, head chief of the Concows, while on his way to the fishing grounds of his tribe to make offerings to the Great Spirit for a bountiful season, fell into the hands of a party of Mechoopdas of wh.ich Cetok, son of Ceto, the head chief of the Mechoopdas, was leader. The two recognized each other from their dress. Ah! said Cetok with a sneer, VVhat would the Concows say or do if they knew their chief was at the mercy of a Me-choopda? Old as he was, Hoolika drew himself erect before this young man and proudly said, Never would Hoolika crave mercy from a Mechoopda, for the Concows, when they know that their chief is dead, will answer with warg and never will they cease until the blood of Getok shall pay for the blood of their chief. Then, Hoolika, I shall send you to the Great Spirit and we shall see what the Concows can do. So saving. Cetok raised his spear and drove it through the heart of the aged chief. Taking the body with them. the Mechoopdas went back to their home, where a war dance was held. All the warriors went through the ceremony of gratifying revenge by driving their arrows into the body of the chief, while Cetok's mother stood before it and tauntingly cried, Hear me. G Hoolika! You were on your way to your fishing . -2 4--

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grounds when Cetok killed you. May the Great Spirit supply you and your tribe with a bountiful season of such fish as this. Wfith that she forced a half decayed fish into the dead man's mouth. The cere- mony being over, they carried the remains, just as they were, to a hill a little distance from the camp. where they left it facing the land of the Concows. VVhen Hoolika did not return, Hoolipa, his son, rose early and went in search of him. When he came to th,e spot where his father had met the Mechoopdas he found a number of tracks and blood stains on the ground. He immediately came to the conclusion that his father had been killed, and quickly returned to the village. There he reported to the councilmen what he had seen and what he feared. They, too, believed Hoolika dead, and hastily elected Hoolipa temporary chief. Calling out every man, they left in has-te for the home of the Mechoopdas, where they arrived in time to witness the last of the war' ceremony. V At night they tenderly carried the mutilated body of their chief to his home and gave him a fitting burial. Qver the grave of his father, Hfoolipa vowed he would kill Ceto on that grave. Calling his men, he again set out for the home of the Mechoopdas. For several days they fought, but the Mechoopdas, being gre'ater in numbers, drove the Concows back to their mountain home. Here the Concows held council. The head councilman and the medicine men advised watching the Mechoopda village, for, said they, What care we for the blood of thegMechoopdas? It is their chief we wish., and we will have him. They all agreed and sent scouts out to watch the village. The Concows had not shown themselves for months. Ceto believed that their trouble with the Concows was at an end. One day he announced that he was going to the forest to pray in solitude to the Great Spirit for a successful harvest cropf Little did he think that several pairs of eyes werewatching his every move. He had hardly entered the forest when the Concow scouts, headed by Hoolipa, surrounded him. Ceto, said Hoolipa, I have waited all this time to get a glimpse of you, but the Great Spirit has favored me with better fortune, you are in my hands. I have vowed that your blood shall bathe the grave of my father. Hoolipa, replied Ceto, It is the will of the dead. Your father did say to Cetok that it would be thus. A murder for a murder, Hoolipa, and a chief for a chief. Take me to your father's grave. At the grave Hoolika again spoke. Hoolipa, with my death I feel there is the end of the enmity between the Concows and the Mechoopdas. They must unite, for with each new year more and more fair-skinned strangers come to this land. In,time the very land that you stand upon will no-t ' -25-