The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-11-19
THE CORN DANCE.
Seven Long and Weary Hours for the En-
during Pueblo Indians.

Seven Long and Weary Hours for the En-
during Pueblo Indians.
The men dancers have bunches OF
green and yellow parrot feathers fast
ened to the top of their waving raven
hair, while around their necks arc
strings of beads made Of shells, field
spar and turquoise. Their bodies are
nude to the waist, and are painted with
a blue white clay, sometimes merely IN
crude spots. while the legs and arms
are frequently striped with the same
or different tone Around the loins
Zuni or Moqui woven breeeh-cloth en-
broidered in red and black is held in
place by white cotton girdle or sash.
ending in balls and long strings waving
with every movement. Below the knee
masses of brilliant colored wool are
knotted: over various colored and
beaded moccasins are anklets Of white
and black skunk or goat fur; and hang
ing from the belt behind fox skin
with the tail downward. Under broad
armlets of tinted buckskin are sprigs
of cedar; a bunch of the same is held in
the left hand, while the right shakes a
gourd rattle at every change OF pos
ture.
The dress of the women is . square
of heavy dark blue wool! drawn over
one shoulder and under the other. ex-
posing part Of the breast. while the
sides are held together by ornamented
silver pins. A long woven colored sash
is wound around the waist The legs
are bare and notably fine; the feet small
and beautifully formed. Their head
dress is decidedly peculiar. 1t is made
of an ohlong piece of board or dried
buffalo-hide, notched at the top.
with T-shaped piece resembling
the Tau" the emblem of life OF
the ancient Egyptians. cut out OF the
center. 1t is painted light green,
with red and yellow stripes and sym
bolic figures: on the sides and points
are flecks of white eagles down. The
lower part is followed out to fit the
head, and is held in place by thongs
of buckslsin fastened under the hair.
Immense strings of shell and cora
beads encircle the women's necks and
| big Navajo silver rings or crude tur'
quoise hang as ear pendants Many
silver and copper bracelets dangle al
| their wrists as they wave the branches
of evergreen from side to side in unison
with the steps. Rich vermillion cover.
their cheeks and heightens their sa "
/ age beauty. They are modest In de-
meanor. gracefully naive in movement
/ and rarely take their eyes of the
| ground during the dance.
The dancing was kept up for sever
/ long hours: but there was never an,
! shirking: they stamped as energeticall.
/ the last hour as the first. Any sign o.
! fatigue would be met with renewed
/ vipor of the chanting chorus, while the
/ drummer would reverse his drum an'
thump harder on the other head. Th'
| chorus huddled closer together ges
ticulating seriously with their hands
as though to emphasize the meaning
| of their songs
At shutdown they all fled solemnl
into the church-yard, and kneelec
| down while the image OF the saint wa:
! carried inside a vollev from the guns
/ then the Indian character asserte
/ itself in a wild race of men and wonel
I to the estufa. where they induiged il
| their frs. refreshment % the dav
! Feasting was kept up far into tn
| night, as were bonhres throughout IN
Pueblo and on the church towers an
| walls-Harper's Weekly.