The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-05-27
The zuni Language and Folklore.

TOUR OF uS--lnT OuSH1lS, lOuHS ASutSA-
ant. the artist and the writer We were
soon high up on the wooded uplands of the
Zuni range, enjoying on the ascent back
ward views over great plains expanding
away to the blue distance Of .Arizona
mountains. The forest scenery of the
mountain heights was in delightful con
trast to the dusty plains dry waste The
road wound through shady groves of tall
and sturdy pines, their trunks marked with
clean red bark also cedars with bark in
queer gray scales, ike the bark Of an ALI
gator. The woods stood, not with closed
ranks like an Eastern forest, but open and
park-likc, interpreted with beautiful grassy
glades just the places for grazing deer,
Time sped quickly in listening to Mr..
Cushing's willing replies to our multitude
nous inquiries. 'If you are told that any
primitive people is ignorant of its history,
don't you believe it, y said he. "They know
all about it and he told with what won
derful accuracy traditions are handed down
among the Zunis, the tales, repeated thous-
ands of times being transmitted from father
to son without the change of single word,
for generation after generation. Reliance
on written words seem to impair the reten-
tive power of the memory of lettered races,
and the marvellous memorizing capacity Of
illiterate people is illustrated in the handing
down of the grand old Northern sagas by
the Icelanders, 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 intricate of gene
illogical details. involving the history of
widely branehed families for centuries. and
covering all the lands of Scandinavia.
In the same way the Zunis have an ex-
tensive unwritten literature, if the expires
sion may be permitted They have a vast
accumulation of fables and folklore, 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 regular
intervals. 1t is in four divisions, cores
ponding to four books, and each of these is
divided into four chapters. Its recitation
occupies two long evenings 1t is in per
feet rhyme and rhythm, and is highly
poetic. When Mr.. Gushing first came to
Zuni the charge of the Bible was officially
intrusted to an aged, white-haired and blind
old man. veritable native Homer. This
was the sole duty of the bard, and he was
supported by the public. He died, and the
succession came to one of four whom he had
trained up. These four are in turn con-
tinuaIly instructing youth qualified for the
high trust by birth and lineage.
To acquire and record this wonderful
work, the Zuni Bible, would be Homeric
task. Mr.. Gushing has several times had
the privilege of listening to its recital-it
is very often recited informally but to
memorize it and write it down would de
mand the closest application To get it
repeated often enough for such purpose
would need the use of the incest diplomacy.
The Bible begins with the mythical origin
of the people. and then enters upon what
is evidently genuine history This i
brought down to comparatively recent times,
but the work ends before the era of the
Spanish conquest is reached. The story
of the Znnis Is told from the time when
their home was on the shore of the great
ocean to the westward, probably in South
ern California, and the various changes Of
abode are given during their migration 10
their present seat In the land of Cibola, as
the country Of the Zunis, after much his
torieal controversy is now fully proven to
be by Mr.. Gushing. The sites Of the seven
cities of Cibola, described by Coronado aad
Friar Mia, have been accurately fixed by
Mr.. Gushing. They are in the immediate
neighborhood Of the present pueblo Of Zuni,
which was established upon Its present site
not long after the Spanish conquest, having
been removed from its location near by.
The accuracy of the information possess
ed BY the Zunis concerning the ruined
towns where their ancestry lived is marvel
lous These towns were successfully set
tied and abandoned for various causes, chief
among which were the pressure Of hostile
people and the choking with sand of the
springs upon which they depended The
history Of these places, which are almost
innumerable, is mostly back in obscure an
tiquity, a. is certified BY times imprint
upon the ruins. The region in which these
ruins are found covers large part of Mex
leo and Arizona Every investigation Of
ruins claimed by the Zunis as theirs-their
locations often having been unknown until
Mr.. Gushing was told that the Zunis once
lived in certain places, to be distinguished
by certain marks and featuTes-has verified
their statements, their accuracy always
.,,-ax-,Der ,,,,a.ripsv
The language Of the Zunis is the reverse
Of barbarieaily crude, as might perhaps be
expected of an aboriginal tongue 1t has
finely ordered structure and is very ex-
pressive, Astounding in delicate shadings and
allowing fine distinctions of meaning. The
order Of sentences resembles that of Latin
and German rather than English. The
Zunis are fastidious in their requirements
for the correct use Of the language, and are
intolerant Of ungrammatical speech; and,
strange to say, they have an ancient or clas-
sicallanguage, spoken centuries ago, handed
down in the many sacred songs, and used
to-day as Anglo-Saxon to English. 1t is
not understood by the common people, but is
familiar only to the priests and leading men.
So here, too. is the Church the conservator
of ancient erudition.
On every hand are met startling resem-
blances to the familiar civilizations of the
East. The folklore, the recital of whose
tales and fables begins after the frost comes,
and fills the long winter evenings at the
family fireside. offers many Of these paral-
lels. Some of their fables are, in.substance.
almost exactly identical withfablesof Esop.
For spells and incantations the Zunis use
short rhymed couplets, just as did our
Saxon ancestors. Their religious ceremo-
mails are strangely like those Of the ancient
Egyptians and Greeks, A striking analo-
gy between the Zuni and the Northern
mythology is found in the characterization
of the spirit of evil The Zunis have two
names for the Evil One, meaning respee-
lively THE maliciOusly bad and stupidity
bad In the same way the Northern my
theology has two evil spirits-Loki, the
cunning demon, the spirit of intelligent
wickedness. who often dresses evil in an
alluring guise, and the strong but blind
Hudor. in whom the evil coming from the
possession of power by ignorance is typifed,
Hudor killing unwittingly his beautiful
brother Baldur with the lance of mistletoe
placed in his hand by the sly Loki In