Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-30
PUEBLOS AT PLAY.
An Indian Fete Day at the Village
of Taos.
Eager Auditors of the Fu;l--- Customs
OF an Exchanging Pe0ple---A
Picturesque Country
and Race.

INDIANS, N1eXlcanS, halE-breedS, women and
children Were on the march Bright colors
abounded. Women wore their best and the
Indians were Respondent with painted faces
and shawls Of varied hues. Clouds of dust
rose from the road; the mountains showed
patches of ash trees now turned brilliant
yellow, and above the novel troop stretched
the deep blue sky. Arriving at the
pueblo, [ entered a little church which
stands near the plaza. Service had begun
and mass was being said by a priest from
Taos. at the left of the doorway stood
half-naked and hideously painted Indian
holding drum and at his left stood three
others armed with guns and looking very
solemn in their vermillion decorations. In
side the church kneeling throng covered the
dusty floors and few candles threw an I'M
certain light Lpua the oddly dressed wor-
shipers. Here Q mother, with her babe
strapped at hx: back, itsped her prayevs;
there an old, aray-hea;:ed man, blear eyed
and dirty, kneelsd besida his battered Lot,
and near by st5,,d an hdian, erect and dig
iified, while blanket with the suggestive
letters ~. S. l. d., 'prirJed on it, fell grace
gully from pAir of naked shoulders At
the ringing of a bell the Indians at the door
way beat their drums ana fired their guns
while incense wAs burned and loudly whls-
l,ered prayers fiilsd the room
DAZZLING SCENE.
At the end Of service, tile priest and a few
cignitaries walked to their seats in the leafy
bower at the ra,e course and the house-toys
Legan to be covered with people. In the CEN
tie plaza tall pole had been erected. At It's
top were two croas bars, on one of which hung
bag of fruit, while from the other, head
GOWN, live shaep was suspended, sdoomed
TO suffer there all day until death by suffoca-
ton, or knife at sunss5, ended his life I
climbed with the other visitors to one of the
kouse-tops, and seated IN the blazing sun,
watched the strange sights. The scene was
one Of old world splendof. Life and move
n,ent was everywhere. 4 thousand people had
gathered together. In the square below
were men selling fruit; others rode wildly
hlther and tbithsr, and painted Indians, half
clad and wearing their brightest-colored
blankets, nlovec excitedly about. Sud-
denly noiss like dogs barking was
heard and a band of Indians sprang
out of g deep cave near the pueblo,
where the councils of the tribe were
held, and began frisking about All were
naked, except for a covering to the loins.
and were Enthusiastically painted in every
known color from head to foot Each man
wore eagle feathers in his hair and carried a
branch of colored leaves Many had their
legs and bodies stuck over with feathers and
others had painted boots to yellow or green
legs, or else were dyed deep red, or yellow,
OF blue, all over. A few looked like devils
ard all were hideous IN their makeup.
PICTURESQUE SPORT.
Ranging themselves in two parallel lines,
they began to dance and to sing weird
sTt of chant, waving their branches all
the while and keeping a sort of time
to the song with their feet and
bodies After few minutes of this singu-
lar sport, positions We're taken for the races
and for nearly two hours braces of naked
sweating Indians flew over the quarter-rniIe
track between long rows of eager specta-
tors. l think nobody knew which did win
and am sure nobody seemed to care There
was plenty Off fun. an abundance of good
humor, and as for picturesqueness, that was
everywhere At the end of the races the con-
tending parties met and formed another long
line. Singing their chant as before and with
one man beating a big drum, they moved
slowly down the course in front Of the pueblo,
swaying their bodies and wildly waving their
colored leaves, and as they passed, those who
were on the house, tops pelted them with bits
of bread and cake and called them their
Spanish braves, while the people in the plaza
fairly screamed with excitement and filled
the air with their cries.
INDIAN FUN.
The afternoon sports began about o'clock
At that hour some half-dozen Indians came
rushing into the square They were naked,
hideously painted, and had long corn husks
stuck in their hair. These were the clowns
of the day, privileged to worry, brighten, and
create fun. A crow followed them in their
stealthy movements, and for two hours the
childish, yet amusing, fun went on. Now
fruit seller was robbed; now a child was
scared until it screamed, and again, there
were human cock fights and grotesque
dances. As the sun began to sink behind the
hills the clowns ran into house, and directly
reappeared armed with bows and arrows.
Now came the closing event, and grand
hunting scene was presented. One Indian
ran away little distance and made a noise
like some wild animal, causing the others, the
hunters, to stop and listen, and then to creep
and crawl as though in forest and near the
game.
THE WIND-UP.
At last, after many delays from loss of the
scent, the men formed circle around the
kOlc OH WHICH htAIls5 Glo CluCluc1 sheep.
Looking up, after having war dance, they
spied the same and began to shoot their
arrows at it. Not getting it in this way,
they made believe to cut the pole down, and
then to push it over, and at last one fellow,
fine formed, naked and devil-like, began
climbing slowly toward the now dead
sheep. In few moments he had reached
it and had clutched the bag of fruit A
shout greeting his success, and the climber
mounted the crossbars and loudly sang of
bis great deed. After saluting the people
below for a time, he cut down the sheep,
which fell with heavy thud; lowered the
fruit with rope, and then came down him
self. Gathering up the sheep and the apples,
the merry hunters formed procession and
went singing and dancing out of sight, bring
ing to close the strange festivities of the
strange people.
Now began wild stampede for Taos. The
old highway again grew thick with people
As rode away the fading daylight was only
sufficient to see the outlines of the pueblo
houses, while the distant mountains became
nearly lost to view. For another year Taos
will resume its usual quiet. The fete is the