The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-06-14

| A most interesting tribe of Indians are
the Zunis, who occupy country south Of
the Navajoes, both in Arizona and New
Mexico. They live during the winter
season in one town, which is we'll built,
and which will compare favorably with
any Mexican town on the continent of
like size. This town is ten miles east of
the Arizona line, in great plain or val
ley, called the Zuni Arroy. In the sum-
mer portion of the Zunis go out from
the town from five to thirty miles to raise
their summer crops of wheat, barley and
corn, returning in the fall to pass the win
ter in the town. Their government is
patriarchaI in firm, their laws being
made by thirteen wise men called Ca
ciques, who are sele cted from among
their wis3st and best people. Their re-
| ligion is nominallv Catholic, though. in
reality, they are -worshipers. They
were first discovered by the Spanfards
soon after the conquest of Mexico, and
priests have lived among them for nearly
800 years until some time during the
present century. The Zunis are we'll
behaved people, keen in trade, but hos
pitable and generous to whites who are led
by fortune for time among them. They
are self-supporting, in many respects far
more cleanly in their habits than other
tribes, and are proud to say that they
have never killed white man. Their
town is queerly built, with one house on
the top of another to the height of seven
stories. Their houses are of adobe and
well built, and many of the best of them
have stone tagging floors, well laid, and
the walls we'll p1astered and white washed.
They have many interesting traditions,
and many curious feasts and dances, the
study of which occupied the time of the
writer for many long day, and full de-
scription of which would fill vol
ume. They are opposed to polygamy,
being in this respect, as in many
others, quite different from the common
North American Indians. From their
form, build and personal characters
tics, they have, no doubt, an origin
quite different from most other Indians on
the continent. They have large flocks of
sheep and goats, many horses and mules,
some cattle, raise considerable corn and
wheat, pumpkins, etc.. have large peach
orchards, which were, no doubt, started
by the old Jesuit priests from pits brought
from Europe during the latter part Of the
sixteenth century. A full history of this
interesting people, of their manners and
customs, of their long and interesting ira
ditions, of their mode Of life, etc., would
be full of interest, and might give to the
world some better knowledge than we now
have of the early history of this continent.
But to do justice to the subject, one must
devote long months of time and close study
of them at their town, and by constant and
continued intercourse with them.
Among the Zunis there have ever been
white Indians, and brief description of
them has been given by Las Cases, Coro-
nado and others. There are now nine,
which the writer saw and examined thor
oughly. They are perfectly white, having
blue eyes and light hair, and are not con-
fined to any one family, though the pa
rents, brothers and sisters of the white In
.dians are of the dark color similar to the
most of the tribe. The white ones inter
marry with the dark, and there seems to
be no difference in their social status or
condition. The Zunis are rather short
but well-formed race, t;le men averaging
about five feet four inches, and the women
about five feet. They are very temperate
in their habits, do not gamble, and in
many other respects present strong con-
trast to most Indian tribes.-N. z. Sun.