Wichita eagle., 1888-08-22
A PUEBLO Sun DANCE.
CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF A
SAINT IN NEW MEXICO.

rious Dance of Mystic Meanins-Th.
Movements.
Two hundred mounted Pueblos, aligned al
perfectly es a crack cavalry regiment OF
parade, formed three sides Of hollow
square. The fourth side was the high wal
Oh the Old church yard, now buried under 6
drift Of e1rectant humanity. Pueblos from
Santo Domingo, San Felipe, Isieta, Sar
Juan, Mamie, Tesuque, Pojoaque, and ever
distant Aco.ua; Navajoes from the western
end OF the territory, four Americans and
forty or fifty neighboring Me1icans were
among tia crowd Close by the cross over
the gate was the long, faded robe and the
beautiful, classic face of the priest from
Perla Blanca, whose delicately chiseled
Gallo features looked anachronistic enough
among those swarthy proselytes He had
held mass in the old church that morning,
and now the first dance of the day was to be
el faile Gel padre, in his honor.
We had not long to wait Directly the
pun! pun1l pun. of huge yellow tomtom,
big as mature beer barrel, came around the
corner OF the church. presently followed by
tho tonaton itself and its athletic prosecutor.
Around the drummer clustered the chorus
dozen men in snowy shirts and with snowy
drawers descending into the embrace Of
beautiful brown buckskin calzones, which
also covered the tops Of their moccasins.
! They were chanting loudly a weird refrain
! in the Juerez tongue, keeping perfect time
| with feet end arms They We're closely
| followed by the dancers-a strange and
| grotesque half hundred, truly. AT their
head marched the bearer Of the holy Flag Of
the Sun. He was stalI7art aboriginal gen.
tlenan, clothed upon with all the pomp and
circumstance of st. Louis drum major, but
without the ranlrod which is popularity sup
posed TO stilfen the spine Of that awful dig
nitary. Tho banner WIS a priceless bit of
work in beaded buckshiu; bearing, with its
pole, the general shape of gigantic feather,
and fringod and tufted at sides and top with
eagle feathers. The dancers We're equally
divided as to sex, and an attractive set in
face and form. The women wore their usual
modest dress to the knees, but had omitted
their everyday buckskin boots and mecca
sins, and their shapely shins and arms were
bare. Their beautiful black hair, carefully
combcd, hung down their backs, unrestrained
by ribbon or ornament. Around their nechs
they wore a dazzling profusion Of necklaces,
costly corals silver beads alternating with
turquois-their proximity to the only tur-
quois mine in the Western hemisphere stands
them in good stead-were a dozen strands
deep On those pretty brown necks Their
heavy jet bangs-the Aztecs were banging
their hair before Cortez sailed from Spain
waved as they came hopping along on alter
nate feet. Each had bright vermilion
patch on either cheek bone, and each held in
cir nd 6 PVT
the most remarkable feature Of the female
half of the ballet was the headdress. Over
the middle of her crown each woman wore
board, fitted to her head and rising eigh-
teen inches above it, The board wos bright
with an ornamental top and a capital T sawed
out of the middle The projections at the
top of the board were prettily tufted.
The mon were more picturesquely arrayed
Each was naked to the waist, and painted
over the trunk and arms with dull blue
Around the waist and falling nearly to the
knees was an elaborate dancing skirt woven
of mouse colored stuff handsomely decked
with bead work, and with fine macreme
sash pendent on the right side. To this skirt,
behind, was attached q beautiful fox Skin.
with its long brush dangling nearly to tho
ground The moccasins and leggins COM
cessories. Each man had fastened to the top
of his head a little bunch of feathers or q
sprig of cedar; each had around his biceps q
four-inch armlet of buckskin painted green
and white, and several skeins Of bright yarn
and strings of sleigh bells were tied around
the calzones just below the knee. None of
them were facially painted, none had the
customary handkerchief or queue, nor the
every day white cotton drawers. Each held
in his left hand branch of evergreen, and
in his right rattle, made of dry gourd,
with wooden handle. Over their bare
chests ratified beads only less prodigal than
those worn by the women. The men wero
all young or youngish and, as rule, very
good looking fellows. At the rear the pro- |
cession tapered down to half dozen boys
and girls the smallest net over 4 years old, |
but dressed just like their elders, and equally |
expert in the intrlcac;es of the curious
dance.
Whom the fifty dancers were all inside the |
square, in long row by pairs-tirst two /
women and then two rnen-they ceased their
advance, which had been made at madding /
pace of half mile per hour but continued .
70 mark time" as an army man would say,
10 tho unfaltering bump of the yellow drum
and the long winded sing song CT the chorus.
The STEP whether advancing, retreating or
standing still, is the saEle-a simple variation
Of the universal hop jump remembered by
every one who has ever seen an aboriginal
dance anywhere Starting On tiptoe, the
dancer raised bis right foot quickly to q
height Of from three to six inches above the
ground, Of the same tiIne-or perhaps an
instant later-giving tiny hop, which lifted
the left foot high enough TO put 4 toothpici,
between it and the ground This hitch is
almost inlperceptible in itself. but it is never
omitted, and makes notable impression
upon the character OF the step as q whole.
Then the right foot went down In similar
faehion, and the left foot wcntup,
and so on The soft pat OF the noccasined
feet OF the men and the bare soles Of tho
women was audible only in tho aggregate.
After little marching and counter1uarch-
Ing around the space reserved for them, the
dancers again came down to tho footliGhts-
So to speak-and, By quick turn, formed in
four parallel rows, facing outward. In the
center were the two rows OF women. and on
each side row Of men. In this position they
danced in mark time fashion, moving their
arms alternately up and down With their
legs The rrsen used their rattles meantime,
each a. stated intervals Shrusting his right
arm out in shoulder striker style, and giving
at the same time a loud "AyI ayr All
swayed their bodies from side to side, also. in
graceful wise The time kept by all vas
perfect, and the figures reminded
me OF q Virginia reel 20 the rune the cid COW
died Of UD and down between tie open
lines Of tho dancers ganboled three tai,
erect fellows, who were among Tee Most ir1-