Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-05-13
PASTIMES OF THE PUEBL0S.
Il STRANGE PEOPLE AND THEIR CURIOUS
CUSTOMS

II
CUSTOMS.
Judge l.. Bradford Prince, who is an en-
thusiast in Pueblo archaeology, has returned
| to his New Mexico home from visit to the
Tunkue Pueblo, forty-five miles south of
Sante Fe, about which interesting rumors
have been afoat, but little has been known
until now. 1t proves to be one Of the Pue-
bios that went down in the revolution in
1850, and was destroyed by fire. 1t was
very large. The walls are yet distinctly
traceable and the lines of the houses we'll
marked. The square of houses surrounding
the Estufa, or underground council cham
ber, is about 1000 feet on each side. The
Estufa itself is about fifty feet in diameter.
Judge Prince found many pieces of pottery
of unusual brilliancy of colors, and also stone
axes and hammers. Scorched corn in pots
was found, which went through the confla-
grafton over 200 years ago and is in re-
markable state of preservation.
Judge Prince has been several years en-
gagged in unearthing the mysteries of the
ancient Pueblos, and his home abounds in
rare relics. Among the latter is the only set
of Pueblo idols known. 1t is composed OF
strange figures and curiously- marked stones,
eighteen pieces in all. Though the Pue-
bios claim to have embraced the Catholic
faith, it is known that they still reverence
idols-the sun, moon and morning stars
Although they present their children to the
priest for baptism on the eighth day after
birth, they 60 through an ancient SURVIVOR
shipping ceremony with them four or five
days before that. They are very secre-
tive people, and it is impossible to discover
the nature of this ceremony. The $4,000
members, and they are known to have re-
NAMED at about that number since loOO,
carefully guard this ceremonial secret.
There are now nineteen towns left, only one
having been abandoned within the last
eighty-five years, and that the Pecos Pue-
bio, the extensive ruins of which are still
visible on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
road near Gloretta. This once populous
city was reduced to eleven inhabitants in
1910, and, taking with them the sacred fire.
which had been kept burning for untold
ages, they journeyed to Jemez, where one
of them was chosen governor last year. In
the year 1540 Corondo found the PecOs Pue-
bio populous and flourishing, but its inhab-
itants have wasted away by war and disease
in 300 years until only eleven remained.
The Pueblo government is a pure de-
mocracy. On each New Year eve they
select officers in. every town, the principal
officers being the governor, the war cap
tain and the eiscut, or treasurer. The latter
also has charge of the celebrations, ana
heralds proclamations and the news-a
walking bulletin board by virtue of his
lungs. Every town has patron saint, and
that saints day is the great event Of the
year. They rival each other in the extent
and loveliness af the demonstrations, and
in hospitality, for every house is open, and
the stranger is welcome to the best it af
fords.
The ceremonial dances at these celebra-
tions partake Of the nature Of the drama.
1t is the tribal mythology preserved in song
and dance. The matachinos is danced by
twelve men and one woman, the belle Of the
Pueblo. 1t represents the trials of Monte
yuma in reaching perfection and the pos
session of ideal female lOvelinesss. The
woman they call Malnche. Montezuma
is represented by some active and ambi-
tiOus young man, who in the course of the
dance, meets with all the annoyances and
difficulties that can be heaped upon him
by his tormentOrs. He is attacked first by
one and then another, and overcomes them
in turn, winding up with terrific COM
bat with an Indian decked out in imitation
of a bull. Then he claims the maiden and
is happy, even his late combatants joining
in the praise of the victor.
Mrs. Prince saw the Zariche, dramatic
dance, typical of the suffering and final vic
tory of Hoop-pah-wah, the Aztec Achilles.
She describe it as follows:
"Two Indians are chosen and dressed
just alike-or, more correctly speaking, are
painted just alike, as that is their adorn-
ment for the ceremony. You can only get
faint understanding of the effect by a
description of the painting. Fine white
lines radiate from the mouth and eyes.
One half of the body from the crown of the
head to the soles of the feet is painted
bright yellow and the other halfgreen. A
buckskin pad onthe end Of a stick is dipped
in white paint and the figure patted with it,
making what looks like little snowballs,
eight or ten inches apart, all over the body.
The effect is very odd and striking. A Gu
rious necklace, of what are said to be bones
of extinct animals, is worn about the necks
and the finishing adornments are feathers
and bows and arrows. There are two dress
ed in this way and exactly alike. TO each
is fastened rope made of strands of hides
painted green and yellow, and the opposite
ends of the ropes are fastened to posts.
When all is ready, weird Indian music
strikes up, and the dance begins in mourn
full measure, increasing in fervor as it goes
on. The contortions become alarming, but
are as nearly alike as the movements OF
double clog dancers on the minstrel stage.
The ropes are finally broken, and when
that happens there is great rejoicing. The
assembled people shout and laugh and sing
as though all worldly ills were banished
and paradise at hand"
The dual representation in this dance is
mystery which the Pueblos refuse to re-
veal. The festivals generally occur during
the winter months, the summer being given
to agriculture by the men, while the women
make pottery of odd design and pretty
color.-Br0oklyn Union.
| INTEREsT-HOW IT EATS.-"One Of the
causes of bankruptcy is that so few persons
properly estimate the difference between
often borrow money at ruinous rate, that
no legitimate business can stand. Very
few have figured on the difference between