The weekly Butte record., 1858-10-09


chosen offerings. GIgled with sticks trimmed
with feathers. they were let down from a
cliff into the deep. The waters rolled back,
leaving the young mai and the maid statues
of stone, which remain to this day. The peo-
pie returned to the valley. deserving the city
upon the hill until the arrival of the Spaniards
then again they climbed the heights, fortifying
at every turn two steep approaches. the only
points at which they were assailable The
town was rebuilt, and, BY hurting stones rpon
their invaders, for a long tine they retained
their freedom. At length the enemy was vic
torioas. The heights were scaled: and the
Zlnians say that in the. solid rock may now be
seen, as if it were in cIsy, the foot print of the
first white an that reached the summit.
These various traditions regarding old Znni
created desire to risA the ruins Therefore,
fore with infinite labor we ascended the
nearly perpendicnlarf walls the mesa mouE-
tain upon which nley are situated. from
ten to fifteen hundred feet above the val
ley. Our Indian guide, with whom we had no
medium of communication. probably intending
to show US the greatest curiosity Of the place.
'ed us across the fiat top Of the mountain, and
pointed to an isolated sandstone pillar. several
hundred feet in height the top OF which had
been curiously worn into shapes resembling
statues OF human beings. This was evidently
the rock which had perpetuated the tradition
OF the pair who had been sacrificed at the
food. There were represented, four distinct
figures an apparent discrepancy. But a
view was taken from the present town of Zuni
and though the artist was ignorant of the e-
gend the sketch shos's bEt tao statues. The
Others were not visible from that poii.t
When we had visited the famous ruins of old
Zuni. our conductor led Us to one of Pedro
Plno's sacred spots. adorned with notched
sticks, feathers, shells, and Melted twiue. 1t
was interesting 10 find that ore of the govern
CTS most improbable tales proved strictly true
When We lett. the guide sprinklei -four over
the place, and muttered prayer. One of the
most remarkable circumstances regarding the
insignia WAS the regularity with which tie
sticks were carved. There were probably,
hundreds. lying in a pile, cut into The same
figures as represented in the SKETCH and differ
ing only in the degree Of decay which time had
produced.
One, who for many years had been prisoner
among the Nayajos, gave the following ac-
count of tbelr customs. The ceremony of mar
rage consists simply of feast upon horse flesh
A plurality of wives is allowed. and a man
may purchase according to his ability, the
price being paid i'll horses. Hence, the veal
Thy often possess from ten to twenty women.
The vie last chosen is always mistress OF her
predecessors. 1bcre are among them medl-
cine-men, who deal in roots, and songs and in
canta:lons, blowing ashes and mutiering spells
upon he invalid to be cured. Navaias believe
in one Great Spirit; to hG, they make, like
the Zinians offerings of flesh and -four, asking
farors and seeking good fortune. They also
make aliars of stones, and sticks trimmed with
feathers. The sun, moon, and stars are sacred
as the authors of seasons Of rain and OF harvest
But here the resemblance TO Pueblo Ind ans
ceases. They do net acknowl dge Noulezr-
ma, nor IS he, m anyway. SeferTpt to IN their
traditions Neither they. nor any other Apa-
paches, consider rattiesHases rs sacred, though
they have some superstition which leads them
to pay particular venerstlon TO hears They
will neither kill nor cat thepa. Pork, also. they
have been known TO refuse, even when suffer-
ing from hunger.
From the Mojave villages ge were accom-
panied. for about a hundred miles. by two In
dian guides. BY signs, and few Spanish
words, which they had gathered they generally
succeeded in making themselves understood.
One evening desiring to learn something of
their ideas regarding the Deity. death and
future existence, we led one of them to speak
upon those subjects. He stopped to the ground
and drew ia the sand circle, which he said
w.s to represent the former casa or dwelling
place of Mat-e-yil, who was the creator of the
earth (which was a woman) and heaven. After
speaking for sometime with impressive and
yet almost upntelligible earncstness, regarding
the traditions Of that bright era of their race.
which all Indians seem to delight in calling to
remembrance, he referred again to the circle,
and suiting his action to the word, added: this
grand habitation was destroyed, the nations
were dispersed and Ma-evl took his depart
ure, going eastward over the great waters lie
promised, however, to return to dwell with
them forever; and the time Of his coming is be-
lieved by them 10 be near at hand. The mar
rator then became enthusiastic in the anticipa-
tion of that event, which is expected to real
ize the Indians hopes of paradise upon earth.
Much that he sail was incomDrehensible. The
principal idea suggested was the identity of
their deliverer, coming iSom the east, with The
Montezuma Of the Pueblo Indians or, perhaps,
the Messiah OF Israel aud yet the name of
Monteznma seemed perfectly unknown to our
Indian guide His ideas of q future existence
appeared 10 US somewhat vague and underlined
The Nohavts. be said, were accustomed to
burn the bodies Of the dead but they believe
that an undying soul rises from the ashes of the
deceased. and takes its fight over the noun
tains and waters eastward to the happy spirit
land.
Leroux says that he has been told by priest
in California, that the Colorado Indians were
Aztecs, driven from Mexico at the time Of the
conquest by Cortez. He thinks the circle rep
resents their ancient city. and the water spoken
of refers to the surrounding lakes. This idea
derives some pIa,lsibility from the fact. men,
toned by Alarcon, that in his memorable ex-
petition up the Colorado river in l540, he met
tribes thai spoke the same language as bis In
dan Interpreters who accompanied him from
the city Of Mexico, or Culiacan.
1t is 10 be regretted that We had not better
medium of communication with this people, as,
upon this subject. much that is interes ing
might b.. learned from them. They have not
vet received from white men any impressions to
conflict with, or to change the traditions hand
down from their ancestors. They seem to
be isolated, even from the Pueblo Indians of
New Mexico. Although q blanket made by
Moqnis, and sash Of Xuni manufacture, were
found among them, they stated that these had
been brought to them by Paiuies and Yampais
Indians.-Report of Lieut.. WhIPple and others
upon the Indian Tribes.
Ng-.-ro,.,-., ~, ,o 0uita nj avo,tox,o,t