Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-01-11

AT WORK AmoEB HIS olu Ffiehus, tht
z1ni NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of an Ancient
City in Arizona--secret Societies of the
| Zunis.
| Frank Cushing, who achieved fame "a few
years ago by his notable connection with the
Zuni Indians, has been interviewed by IA re-
porter, Mr.. Gushing is working director
Of the Homenway Southwestern arch@o-
logical expedition, conducted under the aus
pices of the United States bureau of ethnol-
ogy, of the Smithsonian institution, OF which
Sylvester Baxter is the secretary and Pro-
fessor Adolphts r. Baudeler is the Spanish
historian The work now being done by the
expedition is properly continuation of Zuni
chronological researches originally begun by
Mr.. Gushing some six years ago
This Zuni country is in New Mexico, not
far from the Arizona line, in a desolate colln-
try Of volcanic production, where the houses,
mostly three story, are built of stone, ter
race shaped and plastered with mud There
arc no doors or windows in the lower stories,
the ascent being made on the outside by
means of ladders which may be drawn up SO
as TO cut Off all communication This peo-
pie the Zuni Indians of Now Mexico and
Arizona, are now mere handful of not many
more than 600, Mr. Gushing said, but in their
keeping is wonderful history which per-
petuates All ancient cultus related to that of
tho Toltecs, the Aztecs and the Incas.
By living among the tribe Mr.. Cushing has
made a gi eat gain for chronological learning.
The motives that promoted the expedition
were various. On Mr.. Cushings part there
was, first of all, the advancement of his work
by strengthening the ties between the people
and himself, and second the good of the
people, by aroussng them to desire for edu-
cation and advancement through what had
been seen in the east, as the zunis--or a num-
ber Of the chief men of Zuni-had made a
trip, under Mr. Cushing's guidance, to Wash
ington and to the Atlantic, or "the ocean Of
sunrise" which was to them a land of fable.
WATER FROM THE ATLANTIC.
A senior priest advanced what was to Mr..
Cushing an important reason for undertake
ing the trip, namely: To bring back to Zuni
sacred water from ''the ocean of sunrisen or
''the waters of the world of day.
The primary reason for taking the "water
that brings rain and the water of the sacred
medicine altar" as the Zunis term it, from
the Atlantic ocean was the position of the
latter with reference to the sun. Nai-iu-tche,
the senior priest of the Order of the Bow,
promised Mr., Gushing entrance into the
Order of the ka-ka as a reward for the great
service of conducting them to the ocean.
Otherwise entrance could not have been OBJ
tanned without marriage into the tribe The
Zunis say that their gods brought them to a
dry and sterile country for home, but that
their forefathers taught them the prayers
and songs whereby that land might be blessed
with rain, They therefore addressed their
prayers to the spirits dwelling in the ocean,
the home of all water, as the source from
which their blessings came. They believe
their prayers brought the clouds from the
ocean, guided by the spirits of their ances-
tors, and the clouds gave the rain. These
prayers could not be effcaeious, however,
without the help of drop of ocean water to
start them Alright.
A most wonderful and most recent discov-
cry mentioned by Mr.. Cushing was the find
ing of the remains of a large city that be-
Ionged to the Zunis, and which must have
gono down in ruin and burial as much as
eleven centuries ago Mr.. Cushings work
men are still engaged in excavating and
bringing more of this inferred city to light.
The evidences apparent incline the scientist
Mr. Cushing TO the belief that the topog-
raphy of the country round about this newly
discovered city, which is fifteen miles east by
southeast from Phoenix, on Salt river, in |
Arizona, was very materially changed by |
.errible earthquakes at about that period of |
line, and that the destruction of this ancient |
Suni city was one of the results Develop |
nents thus far made indicate that it was a |
,ompactly built city, about two by three |
niles in area; that its streets were macadam- |
zed and that a plentiful number of aque-
iucts extended through the city, affording |
N abundance of irrigation