Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1891-11-07
PUEBLO INDIANS.
The Homes, Hsbits, and Customs az the
National Races of New Mexico.

or all the native people that remain
IN North America. none is richer In
folklore than the Pueblo Indians OF
New Mexico. who are. believe. next
20 the largest Of the native races left
IN the United States. They number
aine thousand souls. They have nine
Teen cities (called pueblos, also) In this
Territory. and seven in Arizona; and
each has its little outlying colonies.
They are not cities la size. ii Is true,
for the largest (ZunO has only fifteen
hundred people. and the smallest only
about one hundred; but cities they are.
nevertheless. And each city, with its
fields. is n wee republic--twenty-six of
the smallest, and perhaps the oldest
republics in the world. for they were
already such when the first European
eyes saw America. Each has its gov.
ernor. its council. its sherilfs. its war
, captains. and other officials who are
elected annually; its laws. unwritten
but unalterablc, which are more re.
spected aud better enforced than the
laws Of any American community; its
permanent and very comfortable
houses. and It's broad fields, confirmed
Iirst by Spain and later by patents OF
the United States.
The architecture of the pueblo
houses Is quaint and characteristic.
In the remote pncblos they are as
many rs six stories ia hcight-buili
somewhat in the shape of an enormous
ierraced pyramid. The Pueblos along
the Rio Grande. however. have felt
the influence of Mexican customs, and
their houses have but one aud two
stories. All their buildings. including
the huge. quaint church. which each
pueblo has. are made of stone plaster
ed with adobe mud. or OF great sun.
dried bricks Of adobe. They are the
most comfortable dwellings in the
southwest--cooi in summer and warm
in winter
The Pueblos are divided into six
tribes. each speaking quite distinct
language OF its own. Isleta. the quaint
village where live in an indian
house. with Indian neighbors, aud
under Indian laws. Is the southern.
most of pucblos. the next largest Of
them all, aud tho chief city OF the Tee
VAIN race. All the languages of the
Pueblo tribes are exceedingly difficult
to learn.
Besides the cities now inhabited, tho
ruins of about fifteen hundred other
purblos-and some OF them the noblest
ruins in the counlry-dot the brown
valleys and rocky mesa-tops OF New
Mexico. All these ruins are of stone.
aud are extremely interesting. The
implacable savages by whom they
were surrounded made necessary the
abandonment of hundreds of puebl0s.
The Pueblo Indians have for nearly
two centuries given almost no trouble
to the European sharers of their do
main; but their wars of defense against
the savage tribes who surrounded them
completely. with the Apaches. Nava-
JOS. Comanches. and Utes. lasted until
"A very few years ago. They are valiant
fighters for their homes. but prefer
any honorable peace. They are not
indOlcDt. Out industrious --iilling their
farms. tending their stock. and keep
ing all their affairs in order. The
women own the houses aud their con,
tents. and do not work outside; and
the men control tho fields and crops.
An unhappy home is almost an un-
known thing among them; and the
universal affection of parents for child
reu aud respect of children for parents
are extraordinary. | have never seen
child unkindly treated. parent
saucily addressed, or playmate
abused In all my long and intimate
acquaintance with the PueblOs.-G r.
LuDiniS. ia ST. NiciOins.