The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-06-17
The Zuni Pueblo.

High up on the western slope OF the
Sierra Madre, in Kew Mexico, nearly q =
mile and half above the sea level anu
but few miles beyond the divide, wnere
scanty waters begin their tlmid ana IN
certain way down toward the Paclhc'
stands ancient Zuni, the father OF me
pueblos. When Coronado made his
famous march into the unknown nortn,,
the Zunis, or Shi-wi-nas, as they can
themselves, were the first, and also tne
most numerous and powerful, OF the
pueblo people encountered by MN.
Their towns covered great territory;
almost deserving the name OF "kingdom
TERN so lavishly and loosely used by
Coronado and his contemporary explor-
ers. Oppression and pestilence have SO
diminished their numbers, and their
strict exclusiveness has SO impoverished
their physical condition, that the once
mighty nation has now been reduced TO
a handful of people. These inhabit a
single pueblo. But the country around
is dotted with ruined towns upon whose
walls is craven the symbol of the sli-
wilma, the sacred waterspider, whose
figure forms the Zuni coat of arms,
Here, surrounded by the forsaken homes
of their kindred and ancestry-cruDb-
ling heaps which in antiquity rival he
storied stones of the Old World-he
Zunis live as their fathers lived, md
jealousy treasure their proud history
Zuni is still the largest of the puebos
of New Mexico and Arizona, anl is, is:
looked up to by the others, which S v
entirely in language, with the venefa-
ton and homage belonging to the elder
member of their family, the source
whence come their religion and institu,
tons. By the census of 1880, under an
accurate count, the population of Zuni
numbered 1902, nearly 500 more than
that of Isleta, the next pueblo in size
Therefore it is still considerable town.
1t is only few years since the Zunis
numbered several thousand, but an
epidemic of the smallpox decimated
them terribly.
With the exception of the Moquis and
the Java Supais, or XII h-nis, in Arizona
the latter an almost unknown pueblo
in Cataract Creek Canon, one of the
g box canons'' of the Colorado-the
Zunis are the most isolated of all the
pueblo tribes. They have therefore beer
little influenced by contact either witt
Spanish or Anglo-American civilization
and to-day live substantially the life
they led when Coronado first started on
in search of the seven cities of Cibola
The river pueblos, as they are called
those ranging along the Rio Grande from
Taos to Isleta-have monopolized the
attention of travellers and writer's, being
the most convenient of access. But these
surrounded by the towns of the MeXi
cans on every hand, and latterly having
come in contact with the more pushing
American, who leaves his own indeliblf
impress upon all whom he meets, they
have naturally been materially influenced
by the alien life around them, and theil
manners have been considerably changed
thereby.
However good copy may be, how
ever faithful as a reproduction, the mos
of us have strong preference for orig
inals. So Zuni, rs the Oldest of the pu
eblo families, as the father of their Kultur
as the Germans would say, and possess
ing the most distinctive characteristics
is decidedly the representative pueblo o
New Mexico.-SylUeSter Batter, in Har
per's sftyuStVe. --- ,-------