Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1888-08-23
The Zuni Indians.
A CnriONS People That is
Neither Ancient Nor
Ingenious.

Arizona to Washington. MendelcIl, us
his name indicates, is a Russian, and he
is an intelligent and expert explorer on
the staff of Major John W. Powell,
Chief Of the Bureau Of Ethnology. For
six years he and his Older brother, We
tor, have been engaged in the survey of
the antique RUNS OF Chaco and the III
habitcd pucblos of Zuni and the seven
villages Of Tusayan, and together they
mapped the queer habitations of those
mysterious people, and have made for
the National Museum models Of the lar
gcst and most interesting pucblos.
MendeleT has made some three hun
dred photographs and Il large number
Of free. hand sketches of the strange reg
idcnces Of this remnant OF a race.
81 don't know that there is much
that Is really ncw," said Mendeleh. at
was formerly, indeed recently, thonght
thai the pueh!os were very ancient
the same in which this half civilized
race lived at the time Of the Spanish
conQucst-but We now know better.
The inhabited villages which exist to-
day are all modern. 1t was formerly
supposed that the Tusayan Indians rev
cr changed their place of abode, but
held to the same sit" from generation to
generation. 1t is not known that th3y
have been in the habit OF abandoning
their old houses and and building new
In early days the Villages were mostly
in lowIanas, and they were gradually
crowded up or climbed upto the prlct-
icaly inaccessible lncsas-sharp cliffs,
easily derensible. The reason Cor an
abandonment OF villages and the build
ing of others are many, sometimes mil
i,ary, but often rooted in some supcrstl-
ton.
"The builders Of the puebIos had very
meager architectural "ttainments,-
Their houses are poor piles of stone and
mud Their ingenuity was puerlle The
element Of skill is almost wholly lack
ing The curious ruins are simply an
evidence OF he existence Of race with
unlimited material at hand. Every
where Is shown iamentable lack Of con-
structivc ability. They did not know
how to make square 70 pn, or how to
rear one wall at right angles, or bow to
make a circle or even a straight lines. y
Mr.. MenleleT has comprehensive
photographs Of the seven Tusayan vii
liges. E,ch village consists Of fifteen
or twenty houses and each house ossev-
eral residences. The house is a series
Of terraces, receding as they risc. The
first story Is about seven feet high, and
is approached from without only by a
ladder, wMch leads to ~ hole IN the roof
In war times the ladder is always pull
ed up From the rear of this story,
seven feet higher, mounted also by a
ladder, and other ladders lead to- thirl
and perhaps fourth story. OF course
the first story under this arrangement
is Of much the largest and the upper
story of much the smallest area,
as the latter is the ligLtest, the
best ventilated and the safest, being
delensible from all the roots below, it is
the favorite habitation, and usually oc-
cupled by the officers aud the arlstocrA-
cY. 1t is estimated that in all the sew
ep Tusayan villages there are 2,
O0C people. They mainly live on In
dian corn, squashes and beans. They
are under Mormon inf .mnce and will
not permit a census or hoI,t Duch inter.
course with Americans. Go1oncl ard
Mrs. Stevenson had trouble with them.
and were compelled to depart. Men
delelI and his party were treated re-
markabIy well and are puzzled i'll try
ing to account for 1t.