The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-08-24
Pueblo Indians Frightened by the So
lar Eclipse.
THE CALAMITY OF TOTAL DARKNESS ATERTED
BY THE WOMEN.

BY THE WOMEN.
TFrom the Denver tCol.) Tribunc.1
A gentleman who has recently arrived
from New Mexico brings with him an IN
teresting account OF the manner IN "nlcn
the Pueblo Indians deported themselves
during the eclipse. These peculiar and in
tcresting people are said. by those who
know them best and understand how to
interpret them, to be un-worshippers, as
| were their ancestors, the old Aztecs, and
the report which this gentleman brings
would seem to go to show that they look
upon The great luninary OF the day with
peculiar awe. The Iribune'S informant
chanced to be at Taos, where is located the
most complete Pueblo village now eXtant,
on the 29th, and determined to see for him
| self how the most advanced OF the noble
red men would regard the event. lie there
| fore went to the village in the afternoon,
short while before the eclipse began. lie
found the people engaged in their usual
avocations, and concerned about nothing
| so much as getting into the shade, where
| they might be protected from the SUMS
ravs, which, in that country, come straight
down. They were evidently expecting no.
thing to happen. Their science had not
told then that the sun was TO be hidden,
| neither had they been informed by any OF
their more intelligent neighbors. They
| were not, therefore, looking for the
first contact with smoked glass or
through lensed instruments, and did
not observa it in the least. For hall
an hour they took no heed. Then, as the
light began to grow DINNER and DINNER,
thew became confused and frightened, and
began to run hither and thither, and to
Gather in eroups, speaking 10 each other en-
tirely in their own language. The darker
it grew the more excited they became.
Dozens ran to tell the Governor OF the vii
iacc what was occurring, and soon he was
seen to emerge from hole in the top OF the
roof-their place. Of entrance and egress
from their buildings-andt to look anXiously
toward the sun, and then to observe the
light it cast on objects around him. What
had evidently been doubtful to him
before was now certainty, and his face
became proportionateiy as dark as the
half-hidden sun. He advanced to the
edge of the roof. his somewhat venerable
and slightly dirty face showing the most
evident signs of deep anxiety, and called
out with strong voice, commanding the
attention of all his subjects. Chaos was
reduced to order, and silence, except on his
own part, reigned over the village. Not
common Indian uttered whisper. None
OF them seemed to feel at liberty to breathe.
He spoke with tremulous voice, telling his
people that the dread hour had come upon
them. They had great cause, he said,
for apprehending the worst, and the
chances were that the village would
soon be annihlated, and the "people of
the sun" destroyed, "teeth and toe
nails" Some one had committed griev-
Gus sin. Who that person was could
not be known and not even inquired at that
time; but their great god had been Oh
Tended. and was so ashamed that he was
hiding his face from them. Their conduct
had been such that he had refused TO show
bis face until the crime had been at0ned
for, whatever it might be. Extraordinary
steps were necessary. By acting as they
should they might avert calamity. Other
wise it was more than likely that they would
never again bask in the sunshine OF the af-
Yections of their god and preServer. Then
their crops would wlther, their stock would
not survive. the earth would be covered
with eternal frosts, and slow but certain
death would be the result-a terrible fate
awaited the people of the descendants OF the
canoniZed Montezuma.
After this brief harangue he selected three
Of his most trusted men and told them to
proceed at once to the estufa and tell The
monkeys in charge OF the eternal flame,
kept burning in honor Of Montezuma, to
see to it that the fire was at its best. They
started of, and then. in voice more pow
erful than ever, told the women of the viii
lage, old and young, TO proceed to the track
used for the foot-races on fete days, and
strip themselves and run in pairs until they
fell or the darkness was discontinued.
The women started almost instantly to
obey the order. The old man descended
from the housetop, and he with others pro-
ceeded to the grounds to see that the order
was obeyed. The women stripped them
selves until not a shred OF clothing was left
upon them. Both they and the men were
as solemn as the grave, and seemed to re-
gard the proceeding as one upon which their
lives depended. There were about two
hundred of the women, and they soon began
to do the penance OF the tribe for the crime
which it was supposed they were being
punished. They ran in pairs and with con-
siderable lack of order, but continued to
90, with few exceptions, for half an hour.
BY this time the light had begun to grow
stronger, and it was evident to the Indian
mind that all danger was past. The an
nouncement to this effect by the Governor
of the village was received with loud
cheers that resounded throughout the
neiehborhood, and which were full OF
thanks to the king OF kings for delivery
from his wrath. The women were again
dressed, and were eacn ana every one tue
heroine OF the hour. Taos was not in the
belt OF totality, and the darkness was never
so great there as it was i'll places more ia
yored, and the Indians were sincere In the
belief that they had averted the calamity OF
total and eternal darkness by causing Mon
tezuma to desist in his punishment by
means OF their penance and peculiar sacri-
| fee.
The Tribune informant aiterward learned
! that this custom Of having the women
make these races in nude state was uni
yersal with the Pueblos on occasions OF
this kind. Why the women and not the
men are required to do so he could not
ascertain. They merely said, in reply to
questions, that Montezuma, whom they
honored and feared, required it, and that
was sufficient for them. They have tradi-
tion that their great King was betrayed into
the hands Of the Spaniards by his daughter,
and it is probable that the requiring OF the
females to humiiiate themselves as penance
for the great and original crime committed
bs one OF their sex against this dignitary
grows out of the tradition. At any rate, 1t
is a curious custom, and the observance OF
it deserves to be noted in the records OF the
eclipse OF 1878.
3uoxy Ia II Miss yn,I rave YOur age to the