The Republican., 1893-11-16
THE CORN DANCE.
Seven Long and Weary Hours for the f:as
during Pueblo Indians.

Seven Long and Weary Hours for the E@s
during Pueblo Indians.
The men dancers have punches Of
green and yellow parrot feathers fast
sned to the top of their waving raven
hair, while around their necks are
strings of beads made of shells. feld-
spar and turquoise. Their bodies are
nude to the waist, and are painted with
4 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 q
Zuni or Moqui WOW en- breech-cloth em-
broidered in red and black is held in
place by a white Gotten girdle or sash,
ending in balls and long strings waving
with every movement Below the knee
masses of brilliant colored wool are
Snotted; 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 bucxskin are sprigs
of cedar; 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 a 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; tho feet small
and beautifully formed Their head
dress is decidedly peculiar 1t is made
of an oblong 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 tho
center. 1t is painted a light green,
with red and yellow stripes and sym.
bolic figures; on the sides and points
are flecl<s of white eagles down. The
lower part is followed out to fit the
head, and is held in place by thongs
of buckskin fastened under the hair.
Immense strings of shell and coral
beads encircle the women's necks, and
big Navajo silver rings or a crude tur-
quoise hang as ear pendants. Many
silver and copper bracelets dangle at
Iilcii WIiSIS dS Iucy wave IHc OrdHChcS
of evergreen from side to side in unison
with the steps Rich vermillion covers
their checks and heightens their saw
age beauty. They are modest in de-
meanor, gracefully naive in movement.
and rarely take their eyes off the
ground during the dance.
The ilancing was kept up for seven
long hours; but there was never any
shirkinP; they stamped as energetically
the last hour as the first. Any sign of
fatigue would be met with renewed
vigor of the chanting chorus, while the
drummer would reverse his drum and
thump harder on the other head. The
chorus huddled closer together, ges-
ticulating seriously with their hands,
as though to emphasize the meaning
of their songs.
At sundown they all filed solemnly
into the church-yard, and kneeled
down while the image OF the saint was
carried inside. A volley from the guns.
then the Indian character asserted
itself in a wild race of men and women
to the cstufa, where they indulged in
their first refreshment Of the day.
Feasting was kept up far into the
night as were bonfires throughout the
Pueblo and on the church towers and
walls-Harper's Weekly.