Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-09-27

voice is to be heard in the depths of this boiling water.
 In the days of the old, young maiden, strolling along, saw beautiful little baby boy bathing in the waters of this spring; she was so pleased with his beauty that she took him home and told her mother that she had found lovely little boy. The mothers heart told her 1t was not a child really, and so she said to the daugh ter; but the daughter insisted that she would keep the baby for her own. She wrapped 1t carefully in cotton cloth and went to sleep with 1t in her arms. In the morning, the mother wondering at her daughters absence, sent a second daugh ter to call her. Upon entering the room where the girl had gone to sleep she was found with great serpent coiled round and round her body The parents were summoned, inl they said, This IS some god, my daughter; you must take him back to his waters" and the maiden fol- lowed the serpent to the hot spring, sprinkling him all the while with sacred meal. Upon reaching the spring the ser pent entered 1t, the maiden following, aud she became the wife of the Ko-lo -oo-wit si.
 The ko-lo oo-wit-si soon apperaed with the two Soot-i ike who had been dispatch ed for him. They did not travel upon the earth, but by the underground waters that pass from the spring to the spirit lake. Upon the arrival of the Ko-lo -oo-wit- si. the Kak-lo issued to this assemblage his commands, for he is the great father of the KOk-ko. Those who were to go to the North, West, South, East, to the Heavens, and to the Earth to procure 1-- r,r AlO A ,-l,s I, +11 as the Sa-la-mo- bi-ya. Previous to this time the Ah-shi-wi had subsisted on seeds of grass. When the seeds are gather ed" he said, addressing the serpent, you will carry them with water to tife Ah-shi- wi and tell them what to do with the seeds. 1 will go in advance and prepare them for your coming" But" said his people, you are our father; you must not walk" and the ten Ko-ye-me-shi ac- companied him, carrying him on their backs, relieving each other when fatigu- ed. The Kak-lo visited the Ah-shi-wi nine days in advance of the Sa-la-mo-bi va and Ko-lo-oo-wit-si. instructing the people regarding the Kok-ko. how they must represent them in the future and hold their ceremonials, and telling them that the boys must be made members of the Kolz-ko. and that this particular cere- mony must occur but once in four years. He also gave to the people the history of himself, how the duck had befriended him and led him to the home of his peo- pie.
 BIRTH CUSTOMS.
 Having now briefly sketched the myth ology relating to the ceremonials to be described. invite your attention to the main subject of the present paper; the Religious Life of the Zufi Child.
 First we will notice the birth customs
 Zufi child life may be divided into two parts. One l will call the practical or domestic; the other, the mythologic or religious. The former is fairly exempl- fed ip the habits, customs, games, and ex- periences of our own domestic child life. The other is essentially different; in 1t are involved the ceremonials, legends, and myths which surround the Zufli child from its birth.
 Previous to the birth of child, if a daughter be desired, the husband and wife proceed together to the mother" rock, and at her feet make offerings and prayers, imploripg her to intercede with the great father, the Sun, to give to them a daughter, and that this daughter may grow to be all that is good in woman; that she may be endowed with the power of weaving beautifully and may be skill ed in the potteT's art. Should a son be desired, the couple repair to the shrine above, and here, at the breast and heart of the father" rock, prayers and plume sticks are offered that son may be given them, and that he may have power to conquer his enemies, and that he may become distinguished in the Kok-ko and | and other orders, and have power over | the field to produce abundant crops, In | both cases the sacred meal is sprinkled, and, should the prayer not be answered | there Is not doubt that the heart of one or the other was net earnest when the
 prayer was offered.
 The Zunui child is born amid cere
 mony At its birth only the maternal
 grandmother and two female doctors are
 present After the birth of the child
 the patecnal grandmother enters, bearing
 as offerings to the new born babe large
 pottery bowl and inside of it tiny blank
 ct She then prepares warm suds of
 yncca root in the bowl, in which she
 bathes the infant at the same time repeat
 ing prayer of thanks for the life that
 has been given them and praying for the
 future of the child. She then rubs the
 entire body of the child, except the head
 with warm ashes held in the palm of tht
 hand and moisten6d with water. Thi'
 process IS repeated every morning duIipl
 infancy and the same paste IS put upOI
 the face of the child until 1t is severa
 years old I would remark that thii
 paste is seldom noticed upon the olde
 children because 1t is put on in the morn
 ing and drying soon is brushed off by tn
 child. It is asserted by the Zuni that Il
 four days after the birth of a child tn
 first skin is removed by exfoliation and i
 supplanted by new one. After apply ing the ashes, the paternal grandmothe places the infant in the arms of the ma j ternal grandparent, who performs othe ] offices for the little one and wraps 1t il a piece of cotton cloth. The paterna grandmother prepares a bed of warn l sand by the right side of the mothe l leaving a cool spot for the child's head } she then receives the infant and lays
 upon its bed, and over 1t she arrange ] the little blanket which she brought; sh , then places upon the sand and at tn ? right side of the child an ear of whit corn; if the child be girl, the mothe Q or three-plumule, corn is selected; if | boy, the father, or single ear, corn. Tn a fouth day after the birth the child l. again bathed in the yucca root suds b 2 the same grandmother, who again repeat l. a long prayer. During the first ten day p of the child's life the paternal grand l mother remains in the daughter in-law D house, looking after the mother and hell l. ing in the preparation of the feast that
 to occur. On the morning of the tent h day the child is taken from it's bed ( h sand, to which 1t Is never to return, ar a upon the left arm of the paternal grant e mother 1t IS carried for the first time in ,- the presence of the rising sun. To u If breast of the child the grandmother ca l. rying 1t presses the ear of corn which l; ]. by its side during the ten days; to h Il left the mother of the infant walks, carr n ing in her left hand the ear of corn whi' n. lay by her side. Both women sprinkle in line of sacred meal, emblematic of u a, straight road which the child must folio KS to win the favor of its gods. Thus t D. first object which the child is made in behold at the very dawn of its existen at is the sun, the great object of their wC DC ship; and long ere the little lips can Ii ly prayer 1t is repeated for it by the gran ne mother.
 CT The Zufli are polytheists; yet, wh ly they have plurality of gods, many Id whom are the spirits of their ancesto is these gods are but mediums throu it. which to reach their one great father
 all-the Sun.
 ITS Returning to the house, the pateri ng grandmother again bathes the child nv yucca suds; then for the first time