The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1892-11-26
VIEWING THE PROCESSION FROM THB
HOUSE TOP.

chamber. The dance is composed main
ly of men.
The merry-go-round procession of
dancers is led by the a1quaca or 'high
sheriff." who is an officer of state as
we'll as OF church; also, the captain de
la querre, the secretary of war;" of
the village, whose duty it is also to
look after the morals Of the people. He
also marks out the line of the process
sion, orders the dance and serves as
"caller. "The village mayor" I" or officer
who serves in that capacity, leaves the
procession whenever the fighting that
usually occurs is serious enough to de-
mand his attention. For before the
dance is ION" the Pueblos and their WIS.,
iting Mexicans and the rough element
from Albuquerque have drank freely OF
the native wine, and few draughts of
this turpentine article never fail to
have the immediate effect of arousing
in the person the latent combativeness
of his nature.
The dancers are dressed in small,
short blankets worn around the loins;.
the upper part of their bodies is paint.
ed dark red; their legs and arms are
striped with red, white and blue, and
above the elbow green, sprigs are worn,
and around the neck is also a green
sprlg. And around each knee are worn
bands of red cloth, to which are fast
ened the small shells of the ground
turtle and the hoofs of the antelope,
and dangling from the back, at the
waist, is wild fox skin. In one hand.
each carries dry gourd about half
full OF grains of corn, which they con-
tinually shake, making hollow, rat
Ting noise. In the left hand is string
from which hang a few tortizas-a thin
corn cake about half cooked and with
out salt. The dancers" walk in line.
STOPPING and bending, as though each
man had the weight of the universe
upon his bare shoulders; then they stop,
Jump up and down, chanting and swing
ing the body. The procession marches
round the plaza, visiting each house,
when the host comes to the front door
to receive the surprise" party, which
he had been expecting.
One OF the elders "makes a speech,'
commemorative of the day and it's OH
servance, to which the host replies in a
few chosen words" and the procession
OF dancers moves to the next house and
continues until they have made the
rounds, something on the style of New
Years calls. Then they get out in the
plaza and all dance until they drop on
the ground from exhaustion. In the
meantime the inhabitants of the VILLAGE
have taken to the roofs of their houses
so as to get an unobstructed view of
the green corn Dance" which lasts
from one to three or four days.
The musicians do not appear in the
full evening dress of the dancers but in
| their ordinary costume-buckskin shoes.
buckskin leggings, andinstead of buck
skin pantaloons they wear pantaloons
OF red flannel and shirt of varied
colors, according to taste, no coat,
and red handkerchief around the
forehead. None of them wear hats.
Each musician, of which there are the
mystic number thirteen (perhaps an
| accident, or with no superstitious def
ance), carries half of gourd suspended
from the neck. The gourd is convex
side up; smooth stick is placed across
tho gourd and held in the left hand.
and with the right the so-called musi-
clan draws across the gourd a notched
piece OF wood, producing squeaking
sound, which they are pleased to call
music. After each visitation by the
dancers and speech by the man Of tho
house this music is resumed, just as the
band plays after a serenade ovation.
! The disturbances on these occasions
are rarely. if ever of serious nature
the fights mostly being manly con-
tests" when the combatants are sober
enough to stand up and confront each
other. However, the adobe Jail is gen.
orally filed, and on the morrow, or as
soon as they have become sobered, the
disturbers are released without further
punishment. The civil government of
the independent Pueblo Of Isleta is very
mild at times, owing to the disposition
OF the cocique, whose will is law, anS
from which there is no appeal
j. NJ. SCANLANn