The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-06-04
THE ZUNI LANGUAGE AND
FOLKLORE.

air, when We started in q four mule
ambulance on our trip of thirty mile,
to Znli. There were four of us-Mr,
Cushing, a young lieutenant, the art.
ist, and the writer. We we're soon
high up on the wooded upIands o.
the Zuni range, enjoying on the
ascent backward views over grea,
plains expanding away to the blue
distance of Arizona mountains. The
forest scenery Of the mountain heights
was IL delightful contrast to the dusty
plains dry waste. The road wound
through shady groves OF tall sturdy
pines, their trunks marked with clean
red bark; also cedars with bark in
queer gray scales, like the back OF
an alligator. The woods stood, not
with closed ranks like an Eastern
forest, bat open and park-like, inter
spersed with beautiful grassy slades;
just the places for grazing deer.
Time sped quickly in listening to
Mr.. Cushing s willing replies to our
muItItndinous Inquiries If you
are told that any primitive people is
ignorant OF Its history don't you be
lievs it," said be. They know all
about it." And the old with wonder
fol accuracy traditions are handed
down among the Zunis, tne tales. re-
peated thousands of times, being
transmitted tom father to son without
the cospge of a single word, tor gen
GRAFTON after generation. Reliance
on written words seems to impair the
retentive power of the memory of
lettered races, and the marvellous
memorizing capacity OF iIliterate peo
pies is illustrated in the handing
down of the grand old Northern
ssgas by the Icelsnders, until the
acquisition of the alphabet enabled
them to be recorded by that great
author Snorri Sturluson, also the
transmission for generations, among
the same people, of the most iEtri-
cate OF genealogical details, involy
ing the history OF widely brarohed
families TOR centuries, and covering
all the lands in Soandinavia.
In the same Wsy the Zunis have an
extensive unWritten literature, il the
may be permitted. They
have a vast accumulation of fables
AID folk lore, and the past of the
nation is given in what may be
termed the Zuni Bible. This sacred
work is publicly recited at rare but
recurring intervals. It is
in four divisions, oorrespon ling to
four books. and each of these is
divided into four chapters. Its reci-
tation occupies two long evenings.
It is in perfect rhyme and rhythm,
and is highly poetic. When Mr..
first came to Zuni the charge
Of the Bible was officially entrusted
to an aged, white-haired, and blind
Did man, a veritable native Homer.
This was the sole duty of the bard,
and ne was supported by the public.
He died, and the succession came to
one of tour whom he had trained I'D,
These four are in turn continually
youth qualified for the
nigh trust by birth and lineage.
10 acquire and record this wonder
ful work, the Zunj Bible, would be a
Homeric task. Mr.. Cushing has sew
eral times had the privilege of listen
ng to its recitsl-it is very often
recited informally; but to memorize
it and write it down would demand
he closest application. To get it
repeated often enough for such a
purpose would need the use OF the
incest diplomacy. The Bible begins
with the mythical origin of the PEG.
pie, and then enters upon what ia
evidently genuine history. This is
brought down to comparatively recent
times, but the work ends before the
era OF the Spanish CONQUEST ia
reached. The story of the ZufIis ia
told from the time when thsir home
was on the shore Of the great ocean
to the westward, probably In Southern
California, and the various changes
of abode are given during their
to their present seat in the
land of Cibola, as the country OF the
Zunis, after much historical contro-
versy, is now fully proven to be by
Mr.. Cushing. The sites of the seven
cities OF Cibola, described by Coro.
nado and Friar Mia, have been ac-
curately fixed by Mr.. Cushing: thew
are in the immediate neighborhood
of the present pueblo CT Z1fli, which
was established upon its present site
not long after the Spanish conouest.
having been removed from its loca-
ton near by.
The accuracy Of the inform alton
possessed by. the Zunis concerning the
rGined towns where their ancestry
lived is marvellous. These towns we're
successfully settled and abandoned for
various causes, chiefsmong which we're
the pressure OF hostile people. and
the choking with sand of the springs
upon which they depended. The
history OF these places, which are
innumerable, is mostly back in OBJ
scure antiquity, as is certified by
times imprint upon the ruins. The
region IN which these ruins
are found covers large part of New
Mexico and Arizona. Every investi-
CATION of ruins claimed by The Ennis
as theira-their locations often having
been unknown until Mr.. Cushing
was told that the Zuhis once lived in
certain PLACES, To be di.t;Ho,,;sbod ~
certain marks and featules-has YER
lied their statements, their accuracy
always proving uuerrino