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An Indian Christmas Celebration

By Herman Ricketts

The Indian Leader, volume XXVI, number 14, December 29, 1922, Haskell Institute, Lawrence, Kansas

It was two years ago this month that I attended an Indian Christmas celebration in Oklahoma. People came from all directions and everybody was welcome. All shook hands and were glad to see one another again. The children played around in groups while the old folks sat around and talked about the past years and spoke of the future of their children.
The dinner was a feast that the people will not forget. Beef, pork and the like, was the menu of that day. After dinner the big program of the day was to begin at 2 o’clock, and at that hour the people gathered together. The dancers were seated in front of the spectators. The drummers and singers were at one side. The chiefs were seated in the reserved space. The dancing was fine. The dancers were dressed in their usual costumes for an Indian war dance.
After the dancing the chiefs gave speeches which I thought were as fine as any I had ever heard. After that the people left the dancing ground with a good-bye.

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