Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-11-13
The zuni Villages.

Aztec settlements and three villages inhabited
by Indians. They are called the Zuni villages.
Each contains probably 1000 people. An iutelli-
gent officer who has been among them thus de
scribeS them.
They are a race differing essentially from the
Indian tribes around them. The Navaios are
their neighbOrs on the northwest, the Apaches
south, Their phYsiOgroUiy and their STATELY
bearing, as well as their pride OF dress, show
them to belong 10 race far superior to the sur
rounding tribes. The Zuni women are comely.
They are remarkable for tine modest fullness of
their dress. They wear skirts Of black wooden
cloth, and a scarf gracefully folded over theif
breast. These goods are Of their own make.
Their hair, neatly braided form headdress.
Their houses are clean, and their cooking is not
to be despised.
The Zuni Indians are more than half civilized,
They are essentially pastoral people. They
have fields of corn, wheat and vegetables. They
have ttocks oil sheep and goats They raise
horses, horned cattle and asses. They corral
their stock at night in high stone enclosures.
They use all their animals for food but a fatted
ass is their fayorlte dish. They keep fowls.
They spin their own wool and weave it. They
have a grand lrolic at thrcshing time. The
grain in Sheai is taken to 4 broad, fat, rocky
place, and thirty or forty horsemen cantcr and
caper about on this threshing floor till the grain
is well separated 1t is then winnowcd by raking
the straw and tossing the chaff in the wind
After this they close the day with a general
horse race, after the fashion of our agricultural
fairs.
As our diamond hunters are about to people
the neighboring country, it is interesting to
know that these Iuni Indians are friendly to
white men, and that supplies can be had there.
The valley of the Rio Grande is well settled with
Mexican farmers and herdsmen. These and the
Zunis will make common cause, with the miners,
against the plundering Apaches.
The Luni Indians never make ware of agrees
an tha do Htrf
side Indians fear them because Of their superior
organization and means of defence. Therefore,
their quletude is seldom disturbed
The well-watered soil is a dark graYely loan.
They have at all times excellent pasture TO the
use of which travellers entering the diamond re-
gOn by the way Of Santa Fe and Albuquerque
are made welcome, on payment Of a moderate
charge. The houses of these Zuui villages are
well built of stone. They are three stories high;
each ascending story recedes, so as to make
terrace in trout,
These Zun Indians are truly devout. Their
interior temples and affairs, their priesthood and
ceremonials bear relationship not remote from
ours. Traces of missionary influence are evi.
dent but the leading faith of the Aztec religion
has not been changed. 1t is an error to say
they worship the sun.sThey worship the Great
Spirit who resides in that fitting centre of light
life and purity, TO which are invisibly traceable
all earthly blessings and beyond which even
Imagination finds no tracings,
To this earth and its brother worlds, the Gree
Spirit is an Al-Seeing Eye, Omniscient and omni-
PRESENT. anu thOuSh OUT siTht penetrateS the
universe ana scans tens Oh hillons oil star suns,
nor one nor all Oh these suns comDlhed stands to
us in so intimate and so all creative and omnp-
otent relationship rs the sun which is father
to lis al0ue-@and Our system knows no other,
nor needs to look beyond. We have dOgmaS
iGss sehsloie lhah ms revocation OF reason to
these prlmitlVe worshlpperS OF the Most Hugh.
ms visible presence promoted deyotou I'M
Know hnoWa no 10 PRAYER o0ok worship. Nothing IS
more touching than the PROSTATE reverence they
Pay to the Great spirit at rise aud SCI of sun.
lhefe Is llVinS earhesthesS Ill 1t TO us utterly
unNuoWn ana lnconceFaOe.
lucy Sislll aqeSGeht rom tlie SUBJECTS OF Mon
lezuua' III VIII oe remembered mat tic court
aha llle temples OF theclty OF Mexico were found
Dy Coftez flch III Solu ana precious stones. The
sources OIL gold are known, put where they got
lne precious STONES mas oeeh q mystery. 1t seems
PI0DaoIe that Ihe ancestors OIL the present Iunl
lndlahs were employed ny government IN gath
etiu% tHe JeWei5 Whlch we're so pfoiuse IN Next
co, ana on tue DOWNFALL Oh Mohtezuma some
renamed
There IS such tradition among them. In the
history OF Cortez conquest we are told that
mere was q prophecy IN their sacred records that
Bale races would invade ana con1uer them. The
huhs nave uadlllon resembling 1t. They quote
II WIN some variations, VIZ: That pale faced
49, - - 49, "O"i'is DS"lu, nOuINt SOuC
rom me east ana restore them to Kingdom of
refinement ana happiness The tradition init
mates that the pale faces VIII come, not 10 take
their lahdS, out TO gather stones and minerals;
ana that the Great Spirit will lead them by this
attractlonI that they come and learn TO know
inc true Delty, ana Where is the new home in
whose DrghlnesS they are to dwell with him
after theIr pilgrimage on earth They are not
very communicative ABOUT precious stones, but
they ultimate that tne country OF rubles and gar
nets Is not lar on; that OF diamonds is farther.
But the range IS very extensive and runs into
Onlhuahua'
george Catlln, the great indian traveller, Hde-
scrloes some place where he found families of
Alolno INDIANS, whose white hair touched the
ground IN the principal Luni village, that to-
ware, MaIu INC east mere are many such families
lnese Aiollloes i've among the other Indians;
9ut, "hue they are treated ElndlyJ they are not
nela 10 De equals. lhelr Swarthy companions
!ieNel Ilitellarry WIN lhell, nor do they appear
10 associate III outdoor work Their occupation
appfta.s 10 NC IN dooIs, Ihelr PINK eyes are too
weak 10 stand exposure, Their features and the
texture OF their mar Is like the othersi but the
cod0f Oh thelf mar IS milk white,
MS country IS the nome OF the deer and the
auteIope. bears ABOUND ana wild turkeys of
great SIZE ~ the adjacent lands. There are
ground squirrels, but no gophers nor prairie
Jugs are seem Eagles must abound, for as
many as thirty or forty may be seen perched on
tae outer walls, 10 winch they are tied by thongs
Oh rawhlue' Inc purpose OF this is not appar-