The Opelousas courier., 1886-04-24
AMONG THE MOQUIS.
Pueblo Indians Resenting the
Presence Of Whites.
A Curiosity Collectors Exciting Adven-
tnre with His Wife in Arizona.

ture with bis wife IN Arizona.
Colonel James Stevenson, of the Blu
reau of Ethnology, has returned to
Washington after a ~sojourn of about six
months among the Indians of Arizona,
bringing a carload of rare and valuable
curios, illustrative of the social habits,
worship, and industries of various tribes,
of which little is known. He was ac-
companied in his travels by Mrs. Steven
son, and the pair had an adventure
among the Pueblo Indians quite unusual
in its character. Having explored some
newly discovered cave villages in the vi
cinity of Flagstaff, Arizona, they gather
ed a small party and struck across the
desert to the northeast for the Moqui
towns, several days journey distant.
They arrived safely, and encamped at
the foot of a high mesa, upon the top of
which stands Oreibe, the largest, west
ernmost, and least known of all the
"Pueblo" towns. Its population is about
$50 souls, and the village is compact
mass of rubble structures, standing one
upon another, like a pile of empty boxes,
and with as little regard to any general
plan of architecture. The people, like
all village Indians, are comparatively
harmless, but, unlike the majority, have
a strong aversion to contact with the
whites.
Some of the leading men of the town
anne down to the camp, and, after con-
siderable palaver, gave consent that
their village might be visited, but stipu-
lated that no effort should be made to
convert the people to Christianity. The
next day Mr.. and Mrs. Stevenson, accom-
panied by their four friendly Moquis
from other villages and as many Nava-
ioes, rode to the top of the mesa, dis
mounted, walked into the village plaza,
and thence climbed a ladder to the top of
the cocsque's, or high priests house.
When the presence of the strangers be-
came known there were signs of excite
ment throughout the village. The neigh
boring housetops and the plaza were
thronged with excited barbarians, who
chatted in loud voices and made threat
ening gestures. One burly savage upon
a roof just above the cocique's dangled a
lariat suggestively noosed at the end, and
loudly demanded that the whites be
taken to the estufa, or underground
chapel Of the village, and there summari-
ly dealt with. One or two demonstra-
tive individuals volunteered to be the
first to apply the knife. The friendly
Moquis stood their ground only a few
minutes, and then disappeared, but the
Navaioes, who are made of frmer mate
rial, remained.
Col. Stevenson say that while the sit
uation was highly interesting it was
probably less alarming than it would
have been to people unacquainted with
the natural timidity of the Pueblos.
Mrs. Stevenson, who has sojourned with
her husband through many wild tribes
and knows the Indian character well,
created an opportune diversion by shak-
ing her fist in the face of a hunch-backed
savage, whose vindictive eloquence SEEM
ed to exert d most mischlevous influence
over his fellows, addressing to him at the
same time several brief but vigorous re-
marks in English and Spanish which he
was, of course, quite unable to under
stand. Before the man had recovered
his self-possession the strangers had
backed down the ladder and then slowly
made their way, with the bowling pack,
men, women, children and dogs, at their
heels, to their ponies, mounted, and rode
down to camp. They found the cook,
who was the only other white person in
the party, considerably alarmed. He
said the camp was surrounded Q after
their departure bymany friendly Indians,
but when the Moqui deserters reached
them and told the story of the proceed
ings on the mesa all mounted their po-
mics and made haste to get away. The
cook feared his companions had been
made prisoners-perhaps murdered.
The party remained in the neighbor-
hood several days visiting the other
Moqui villages, to all of which they
were welcomed, and many times they
were visited surreptitiously at night by
people from Oreibe, who brought curios
for sale, which theydared not offer open
". In this way a fair collection was
made. Meanwhile the story o the epi-
sode in Oreibe was carried to Keam's
canon, % miles distant, the proprietor of
which, an English ranchman, has lived
in the vicinity many years, and by fair
dealing, pluck, and frmness has gained
an extraordinary influence with Navajoes
and Moquis. Mr.. Keam at once organ
lied d party Of three D four white men,
the only ones living within so miles, and
a dozen o. twenty Navajoes for a rescue.
The Oreibes received information of
his approach, and the head men of their
tribe incontinently fed. Keam sent his
Navajoes after them, and the two, includ-