Yellow Bead

Eight wagons had fallen several miles behind a large emigrant wagon train heading to Oregon. The eight wagons known as the Quinn party pushed rapidly on towards their destination. The days stretched out, and the weeks trailed away and still the plains rolled before them.

Unknown to the Quinn party a large band of mounted Indians had galloped to the top of a hill. They stood gazing upon the wagons crossing their hunting grounds. They saw the invaders stop by a stream, and then end to end they started circling the wagons.

Circling the wagons served both as a corral for the animals, and protection from the Indians.

The invaders built a dozen fires within the circle. This burned rapidly sending up tongues of red or yellow flames, which shed a flickering light over wagons, animals, and immigrants. Women were cooking supper and Children were playing.

After supper, the whole camp was alive with the fiddlers, singing songs, and dancing far into the night.
While the fiddlers played and the men, women, and children danced in the circle of the wagons. The Indians were doing a ceremonial dance of their own, a few miles away.

Yellow-bead-the Indian chief was naked from the waist up and wearing his war-bonnet of white and black eagle feathers, with a tail extension. In his left hand he held a drum decorated with scalps and eagle feathers. Raising his hand he signalled for them to start the war-dance. Each dancer has his own unique style. High steps are a part of the motion of the dancer as he twirls and bounces freely. He keeps his footwork in harmony with the fast paced drum rhythm of Yellow-bead. Around the fire they danced and chanted Tomahawking and scalping an imaginary enemy.