The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-08-10
THE zunr INDIANS.
a Curious People That il Neither Ancient
Nor Ingenious

Nor Ingenious.
Cosmos Mendeleff has returned from
Arizona to Washing on. Mendeieff, as
his name indicates. is Russian. and
he is an intelligent and expert explorer
on the staff of Major John w. Powell.
Chief of the Bureau o: Ethnologr For
six wears he and his older brother,
Victor. have been engaged in the survey
of the antique ruins of Chaco and the
inhabited pueblos of Zuni and the seven
villages of Tusayan. and together they
mapped the queer habitations of those
mysterious people. and have made foI
the National Museum models of tn,
largest and most interesting pueblos.
Mendelaf has made some three hun
cred photographs and large number
of frre-hand sketches of the strange
residences of this remnant of race.
Il don't know that :here is much
that is really new" said Mendeleff
1T was formerly. indeed recently.
thought that the pueblos were very
ancient-the same i'm which this half
civilized race lived at the time of tht
Spanish conquest-but we now know
1iio HifsAl-
exist to-day are all modern 1t waS
formerly supposed that the Tusayan
indians never changed their place o.
abode. but held 10 the same site from
generation to generation. II is now
known that they have been in the habit
If abandoning their old houses and
5uilcing new. In early days the viii
lagos were mostly in the lowlands. and
they were gradually crowded us y
climbed up TO the practically inacce>
sible mesas-sharp cliffs easily de-
fensible- The reasons for an abandon
ment of villages ard the building
others are many. sometimes military
but often rooted in some superstition
The builders of these pueblos ha,
very meager architectural attainmen.s.
Their houses are poor piles of sion,
and mud Their ingenuity was puerile
The element of skill is almost who'll,
lacking. These curious ruins are simply
an evidence of the exis ence OF race
with unlimited time at their disposal
and unlimited material at hand. Every
where is shown laIuentahle lack OF
constructive ability. They did moi
/ know how to make r square room. OF
how to rear one wall at right angles,
/ or how tn make a circle or even :
straight line
Mr.. Mendeleff has comprehensive
| photographs of the seven Tusayan vii.
| lagos. Each village consists of fifteef
or twenty houses and each house d
several residences. The house is
series of terraces. receding as they rise
/ The first story is about seven feet high
aud is approached from without oniy
BY ladder. which leads to a hole il
the roof. In war times the ladder i
alva-s pulled up. From the rear o
this story rises the second story. sever
feet higher. mounted also 5y e ladder
aud other ladders lead to third an,
perhaps fourth story. OF course til
first story under this arrangement is .
much the largest and the upper storl
/ If much the smallest area. and as tn
la ter Is the lightest. the best ventilate.
and the safes. being defensibIe from
all the roofs below. il Is the favorit,
habitation. and usually occupied b
the officers and the aristocracy. 1t i
estimated that in all the seven Tusayal
villages there are 2.0l0 people Tnel
live mainly on Indian corn. sgaashe
and beans They are under NJ Drin IN in
iueuce and will not permit census o
hold much Intercourse with Americans
Colonel and Mrs. Stevenson had trou5l.
with them. and were compelled to de
part Mr. Mendelef ard his part,
were treated remarkably well and ar.
puzzled in trying tn account for it.
Perhaps the oddest thing" ldei
Mr.. Mendelef. after moments pause
lis the status nf woman in these quee
communities She owns all the house
and most of the property. The maj
owns the crop in the field. but as sool
as il is harvested it belongs to his wife
She controls the house and all that ! il
IT, She works steadily and constantl
in the duties Of the household. but sh
does no field work. and. taking it ri
together, her condition compares favor
ably with that of the American farmer
wife. The descent of all property is il
the female line and through the mother
it is she who makes the will and pre-
videS for the offspring"
What does the man own then, ?"
asked.
The donkeys. perhaps" he said
"hut / am not sure about that"
And the land?''
No. the land is not owned individu
ally. Ever since sefnre historic tim
land has bean owned by the whole ns
ton. If an Indian goes out and take
up some land not in use and cultivate
il. nobody can take it from him. Bu
if he stops using it anybody else ca
jump it. 1t belongs to the fellow tina
ran use it
'.Huw does that work?''
There are no miiiiona;res. Their
is about the same degree of cnmfuI
that there is among very poor peopl
anywhere. As to land. the shrewdes
and smartest Indian manages TO get th
best. the same as under any system. ~
Washington Letter.
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