Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-09-29
FOLKLORE or THE PUEBLO INDIANS.
How the ola fnhsbiisnts ~ New Mesieo
Hand Down Their Traditions.

FONNNOnI VI lFtt fJItAg NfSlF''"'
How the old fnhabitants ~ New Mcsieo
Hand Down Their rrsfitions
Despite all their progress in oiviliza-
Son. desrite their mental and physical
acuionees and their excellent moral quail
tics, tho Teewahn arc in some things
but oycrgrown children. Their religion
y one Of the most complicated systems
on earth. Besides tho highest deities
all the forces Of nature. all animals, rs
well rs many things that are inHnimate,
are invested by them with Supernatural
powers They do not worship idols, but
images and tokens Of unseen powers are
revercd- They do nothing without some
reason, generally religious one, and
whatever they observe they can explain
IN their own supeutitous way.
Every custom they have and every be-
lief they own has u reason which 20
them Is all sufficient. aud for each they
have a story. There Is no duty to which
a Pueblo child Is trained In which he
has TO be content with tho bare com.
mand. DO thus;" for each he learns q
fairy tale designed TO explain how pto-
pie first came to know that Il was right
to do thus. and detailing the sad results
which befcll those who did otherwise.
It IL from this wonderful folklore Of
the Tecwahn that have lcaned-attct
long study Of the people, their language.
customs and myths-and taken. un.
changed and uncmbellishod. this series
Of Indian fairy tales
The use OF books Ia not only 10 tell,
but TO preserves not only for today, but
for ever. What an Indian wishes to
porpotuatc must DO saved by tongue and
ear, by "tclling down." as were the
worlds frat histories and poems. This
ornl transmission from father 10 sou IL
u sacred Importance with natives. Upon
II depends the preservation Of the amuso.
menis. tho history. the beliefs. tho Gus.
toms, and tho laws Of their race. a
people less obseryant, less accurate Of
speech and Of memory, would make a
s,d failure Of this sort Of records but
with them IL IA a wonderful success.
The story goes down from generation
10 generation. almost without tho change
Of word.
the Tcowahn where ain living, | have
become deeply interested not only In the
folk stories themselves. but also IN the
manner Of handing thom down. Win.
ter i tho season for story telling. Then
the thirsty fields no longer cry for water,
the irrlgatiug bitches hayo ceased to
gnaw at their banks aud tho men are
often at leisure.
Then Of an evening n go out 10 visit
some yccino tncighborl | am likely 20
find In the great adobe living room a
group Of very old men aud very young
boys gathered about the queer little cor.
ner fireplace with It's blazing upright
sticks. They, too, have come a.yiaiting.
The young mon arc gathered In another
corner by themselves, eating roasted
corn and talking In whispers 20 as not
10 disturb their elders, for respect TO agc
IA the corner stone Of all Indian training.
They aro not required TO listen TO the
stories. being supposed to know them al.
ready.
IA | come In. kindly old Taia grand.
father Lurcnso Is just beginning story
In the musical Tcowahn, and Que Of the
boys runs to bring mo little hown
wooden stool that may join tho circle.
Lorcnso pausei TO make cigarette from
the material In my pouch (they call me
"Por Todos, because have tobacco "for
air., explains for my benefit that this il
story OF tho beginning OF lsleta. pats
tho head OF the chubby boy at his knee.
and begins again. &C. l.. Lummis in st.
| Nicholas.