God bless You.

J

Note from Cheryl: David, I would love for you to share your photos sometime. Please let me know if you have any interest in doing that. Thanks for writing.

Thanks,
Eric S. Harp

Jim Duncan, a current member of the Ponca Hethuska Society, addresses the possible evolved meaning of Hethuska in his Masters Thesis completed in 1997 titled, “Hethuska Zani: An Ethnohistory of the War Dance Complex,” when he states:

“The best linguistic evidence indicates the word is similar to the Osage term for the War Dance, IN-lon-shka. IN-loN is the archaic term for ‘thunder,’ and shka is the root word for ‘play,’ or shka-the. Therefore being, ‘a place to enjoy oneself.’ One interpretation being, ‘those who revel in thunder.’ (Fletcher & LaFlesche, 1911, p. 459) The term Xthe-xe (pronounced hley-hey), is the word referring to the elite tattooed warriors, who pledged to carry the sacred war hawk in battle. In Omaha, this term also refers to the Mark of Honor or tattoos on these warriors. The Omaha warriors were dedicated to War and Thunder. The reconstruction therefore, of the term Xthe-xe-shka would be ‘for the enjoyment of the tattooed ones,’ or ‘the place the honored ones enjoy themselves.’ (Fletcher & LaFlesche, 1911, pp. 219-220; LaFlesche, 1930, p. 531; LaFlesche, 1931, p. 132)”
(Duncan, 1997, p. 2)

Some scholars such as James Murie (1914), Clark Wissler (1916) and James Howard (1965) have theorized that, “Hethuska dances probably came to the Ponca from the Pawnee.” (Howard, 1965, p. 132)

In his work titled “Pawnee Indian Societies,” James Murie states that the earliest form of Omaha Dance came from the Pawnee around 1820, who called the dance I-ru-ska or “the fire is in me.” (Murie, 1914, p. 608) The Iruska Dance, sometimes referred to as the “Hot Dance”, had as it’s focal point, the act of drawing meat chunks from a boiling kettle. During the 1820s, Murie believes the Pawnee gave or sold the Iruska to the Omaha tribe, which referred to their version of the dance ritual as the Hethuska.

It is further believed by Murie and Wissler that in the early 1840s, the Omaha sold the right to perform the dance and it’s songs to the Yanktonai Dakota, who soon after gave performance rights to the Teton Lakota. Both nations called the ceremony “Omaha Dance” in honor of the people from whom they had bought it.

Through my years of research into many written sources and interviews with quite a number of elders from numerous tribes, the Omaha/Grass Dance “seems” to have been tranferred, given or passed on in the following manner. Keep in mind, that this represents an educated theory at best, and there are still many differing opinions.

First, because a number of Pawnee sources have the Iruska Dance origins prior to the Omaha/Ponca Hethuska origins, I will start with them.

Pawnee = Omaha (cir. 1820) ?
Pawnee = Arikara (cir. 1860)
Arikara = Crow
Crow = Shoshoni
Crow = Blackfoot (cir. 1883)
Blackfoot = Sarsi
Blackfoot = Flathead
Blackfoot = Nez Perce
Blackfoot = Yakima
Blackfoot = Kutenai

Next a number of Omaha/Ponca sources claim to have the Hethuska Dance origins, which were once also Kaw, Quapaw, and Osage traditions, hundreds of years ago, but the Omaha/Ponca maintained the traditions and the other three tribes did not. Later, after the Omaha and the Ponca split, and the Omaha and Ponca passed on the traditions independently.

Omaha = Kiowa (cir. 1840)
Omaha = Yankton (cir. 1840)
Omaha = Yanktonai (cir. 1845)
Yanktonai = Lakota (cir. 1860)
Lakota = Assiniboine
Lakota = Gros Ventre
Lakota = Santee
Santee = White Earth Ojibway (1891)
White Earth Ojibway = Northern Potawatomi
White Earth Ojibway = Menomoni (1911)
White Earth Ojibway = Ho-Chunk
Northern Potawatomi = Kansas Potawatomi
Northern Potawatomi = Sac & Fox
Northern Potawatomi = Kickapoo

Ponca = Kaw (1881)
Ponca = Greyhorse Osage (1883)
Ponca = Skidi Pawnee (1911)
Ponca = Comanche (1916)
Ponca = Apache (1919)
Ponca = Sac & Fox
Ponca = Southern Cheyenne
Kaw = Pawhuska Osage (1884)
Pawhuska Osage = Hominy Creek Osage (1885)

While there are many other Plains and Prairie tribes that have Hethuska Dance, Omaha Dance, Grass Dance traditions, they are not as easy to trace the origins.

In addition, depending on the geographic location of the tribe or nation receiving the dance traditions, the tribe or nation that was passing the traditions on, and the time period they were passed, determined whether the traditions would evolve into a Northern Traditional dance style or a Southern Straight dance style.

Jay

Pepper

Note from Cheryl: If anyone knows how to contact Leonard Anquoe, please contact me and I will pass it on to Pepper! Thanks!

A truly magnificent gent! Very earthy and mischievous. A fireplug that shot fireworks.

Pepper

Note from Cheryl: Please email me with any information that would be helpful to Marty and I will pass it along.

Mike

Amanda

Folks, I thought I’d share Bridgette’s comment about the Code Talkers. I told her, “…had it not been for the Code Talkers, she would be speaking German or Japanese right now.”

Arica

The Quanah Parker Society, P.O. Box 181, Cache, OK 73527 holds an annual family reunion and powwow. Events usually include pilgrimage to sacred site in Quanah, Texas, Tour of his “Star Home” in Cache, OK, Dinner (RSVP), Memorial Service at Fort Sill Post Cemetery, Gourd Dance, Pow-wow (Grand Entry), and Worship Services. This event is open to the public

Hi Jessie: You asked for Quanah’s wives’ names. You might try writing to the Quanah Parker Society. They may have a list. And if you get a list, please email me and I will post them. His first wife’s name was Weakeah and Cynthia was another. He divorced two of the wives and when he died he only two wives with him, Cynthia being one of them. He had as many as seven wives during his lifetime. Cheryl

Guy