The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-05-27
NAVAJO COUNTRY, New MexlcoD

March Ia 1858
NV attention has lately been called TO sundry grave
contained in the second volume OF tansas sou 10
of The American EhRooIical Society" pablshei ~
ls4s relalv the Pueblo and Wild indians no lhhao
this immediate county. Being on Inc spoi, where
have bad ample opportunity TO understand nuan % n5
habits progress in civilization, and general character OF
these Indians, shall venture TO offer lew cfiuesms
for the edihcation OF your readers
The Pueblo Indians OF this Territory are ceialhly
most remarkable race and thus far all The efforts OF
ethnologss have sgnally failed to awe ihelr pooaoe
origin or conjecture TO what great family OF the Amer
lean abo,gines they are Kindred IN haos , ,e rnac
zed, and in language totally diverse from me loee
and Aztec Stocks with trace OF aihny 10 the wiid
tribes that surround Them they appeal 10 be the relics
OF once powerful nation, RAPIDLY progressing down
/, NAV be within the recollection OF of your read
ers that Geo Ruxton, esq, an Englshman and an-
bor of very interesting work. entitled "Mexico and me
Rocky Mountains" stimulated by the accounts he
had received in The valley OF the Rio Grande 10 pToec
about S4S 49 visit 10 the country oil The Moqus anu
Navajos under The impression that the former Ilbe was
the remnant OF lost colony of Welshmen What he
might have gathered relative to these people would un
doubleday have been OF great Advantage 10 the cause OF
chronological science had his career not been eal snort
by fatal disease contracted his way up the Missouri
rivers but he would have been infinitely disappointed IN
the expectation OF finding any relationship among the
tits that up 10 the las, year or Two. lew Amer
cans had visited the country oil the NavaJos and Inc
Pueblo OF Zuni and none had found their way TO The
Pueblo OF Moqu until about this time year ago, and
therefore what was published 10 lSiS must have been
from hearsay and the statements OF lerae and unre-
able persons pledge you that what has thus been pup
lished and seems have been fully credited. BY the
grave and reverend senior OF the chronological Society
contains scarce word OF truth in OF mrspresent-
alton. !.
article on The Progress of Ehnology, by X. Bart
lett, esq, and at pages Is to 10 inclusive OF that article
Quotations are made from WORK entitled " scenes 10
MIR. Farnham's late work on California" from DR.
Lyman's Report of the Navajos," and from statements
made and believed by Baron Humboldt
The amount of the statements made 10 reference 10 the
Moquis extracted from The above work. is that the Nav
keys (Moqus,) or White Indians. live in country well
watefed and fertile, in dwellings eXcavaied in the bill
OF horses and cattle that they have many OF the arts
and comforts of civilized life; spia and weave, make
butter and cheese with many OF the Injuries known TO
civilized nations that their features compare with those
Europeans with fair complexion and graceful forms
lha, they have light axen hair. blue eyes and skins OF
the most delicate Wilderness. Some OF these Mawkeys,
as they are called are described wearing shoes and
stockings and their " stone houses" and edlhces, the
construction OF which is the same as The Casas Grandes
on the banks OF the Ga," alluded to.
In reference the Navaos, il is stalled by the authors
mentioned above That they possess acvzaton OF their
own that they live in houses built Of slone that they
raise cattle well horses and sheep; make butter
and cheese and spin and that their government is
in strict accordance with the welfare OF the whole
muny dishonesty is held in check BY suitable regua.
lions; industry is encouraged by general consent, and
hospitality by common practices that the Navajo coun
Try is shut in by high mountains inaccessible except by
limited passes through narrow defles, &c. MIR. Farm
ham speaks of the Navaos being The most civilized OF
all the wld Indians OF North America. Their extern
sve cultivation of maize and all nds OF vegetables,
their rearing OF large troyes of magnificent, horses. equal
to The first horses OF the United States IN appearance and
value" &C., &c, are also noticed.
Baron Humboldt believed Z" that in the Navajos and
Moqus the descendants of the race of In.
dams which CoeX and the Spanish found in
Mexico IN a semi civilized state
Mr. Bartlett the writer OF this article the Progress
Of Eihnology" remarks tha, these accounts OF the Mo-
and mpb he Iaerad faur ifui
hey corroboTaied by the of appers aud
other PERSONS who have visited them. Now these state
ments in truth, nothing else than OF the taaci
full and Incorrect description
The Moquis, or Moquinos, as they properly
called are IN all respects tribe OF Indians scarcely dis
TING Unstable from the wild indians except in some pecu-
liar habits Of dress, and mder eye Their complexion
dark and swarihy The hair and black and in many
points OF dress they affect the fashions the rudes
tribes OF New Mexico. They do differ, however, from
the NavaIos, Apaches and Utah Indians in living in VII
lases, (uebos and in more careful culture Of The SOIL
No approach to white skin is known among them
This entirely mythical idea aud doubtless proceeded
from the fact that among the Indians OF the Pueblo OF Zan
there are few Albnos, doubtless owing their hiie skin,
not as Mai Emory states, 10 their living in underground
habiations, but TO some cuaneous disease Among the
Moquinos there are so far have been able to learn
tani have seen quite number OF them) no Albinos
The Indians OF Moqn tber pueblo is situated so miles
westward OF Fort Defance) said correctly TO subsst
by agriculture and the raising OF sheep some cae
Their government. probably is after the paarchal
der, and may be purely republicans in character In
They have lost all knowledge tradition OF Their
origin: but ia certain that their manners and customs
arts and government do not al all "savor OF modern Eu.
rope" Officers OF the army who have visited them say
they raise cotton IN small quantities. OF which they
uacure cotton suis; bat The culture OF cotton has evi-
IDENTIFY been introduced from the New Mexican settle.
hents Their dress also IS pretty correctly described by
the writers from whom | have quoted above Their
county, instead of being well waiered and fertile is of
the same character OF all this great range OF country OF
limited fertility and scanty supplied with water either
tor domestic Tor irrigation They do not live in
dwelling excavaed IN The solid Tocs but live in a village
eompacty built the houses besg like those OF all the pue
bios IN New Mexico, OF one TO two stories, and entered
from the fat-opped roof the being by ladders
laid against the wall These houses are Constructed of
stone and mud They have none OF the arts and COM
forts OF civilized HE, except by most approxima.
lion TO such and comforts they SPIN and weave very
rudey and no better than the Navaos and certainly DO
not make either butter cheese, aud have none of The
Injuries of civilized life. They do not wear shoes
though the knitting and OF stockings is in vogue
among them as with the Indians OF the pueblo of Zoni
Lastly their houses are OF very rude construction and
bear but slight esembiance the Casas Granfes tbe
ruins OF which found all this ana noon The
banks Of the ella That they are however. The descend
ants OF the people who built the "Casas Grantees" en-
terrain doubt
In regard 10 the Nawos, | have this 10 say from nv
own observation and special InquiIy-that they are
branch unqoestionably OF the great Apache tribe which
foams, the most enierirsng and formidable OF all the
Indians IN or near 10 New Mexico Their language i
nearly The same as that of the Jcarlla ache who live
IN lhe mountain ridges OF The Rio del Nore il ia
tue they cultivate the ground, but to limited extent
not enough 80 as TO restrain from occasional depre
cations ~ winter upon the Puebos and New Mexcan
settlements. They false corn pumpkins and melons
cnthy, ana bui little OF wheat. They, in truth raise