until well along in the transition period, when whiskey and trade
had already debauched their native ideals.

During the era of reconstruction they modified their customs
and beliefs continually, creating a singular admixture of Christian
with pagan superstitions, and an addition to the old
folk-lore of disguised Bible stories under an Indian aspect. Even
their music shows the influence of the Catholic chants. Most of
the material collected by modern observers is necessarily of this
promiscuous character.

It is noteworthy that the first effect of contact with the
whites was an increase of cruelty and barbarity, an intensifying of
the dark shadows in the picture! In this manner the "Sun Dance" of
the Plains Indians, the most important of their public ceremonials,
was abused and perverted until it became a horrible exhibition of
barbarism, and was eventually prohibited by the Government.

In the old days, when a Sioux warrior found himself in the
very jaws of destruction, he might offer a prayer to his father,
the Sun, to prolong his life. If rescued from imminent danger, he
must acknowledge the divine favor by making a Sun Dance, according
to the vow embraced in his prayer, in which he declared that he did
not fear torture or death, but asked life only for the sake of
those who loved him. Thus the physical ordeal was the fulfillment
of a vow, and a sort of atonement for what might otherwise appear
to be reprehensible weakness in the face of death. It was
in the nature of confession and thank-offering to the "Great
Mystery," through the physical parent, the Sun, and did not embrace
a prayer for future favors.