River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-12-14
CORN DANCE OF THE PueeLos.
Seven Hours OF Constant Movement Kept
Up by the Indians.


Up by the Indians.
The men dancers have punches OF
green and yellow parrot feathers
fastened to the top of their waving
raven hair, says Harper's Weekly.
while around their necl-s are strings Of
beads made of shells, feldspar and tur-
quoise. Their bodies are nude to the
waist, and are painted with blue
white clay. sometimes merely in crude
spots, while the legs and arms are fire.
quently striped with the same or diff
ferent tone. Around the loins Zuni
of MOqui woven breech cloth. en-
brOidered in red and black, is held in
place by a wEte cotton girtile or sash,
ending in balls and long strings, wav-
ing with every movement. Below the
knee masses of brilliant colOred wool
are knotted; over various cOlored and
beaded mOccasins are anklets os white
and black skunk or goat fur, and,
hanging from the belt behind, fox
skin with the tail downward Under
broad armlets OF tinted buckslSin 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 posture.
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, the feet
small and beautifully formed. Their
headdress Is decidedly peculiar. 1t is
made OF an Oblong piece of board or
dried buffalo hide. notched at the top,
with I-shaped piece resembling the
Tau" the emblem of life of the an
cient Egyptians. cut ont of the center.
Il IS painted a light green. with red
and yellow stripes and symbolic figures;
on the sides and points are fecks OF
white eagles down The lower part
is followed ont TO fit the head, and is
held in place by thongs of buckskin
fastened under the hair. Immense
strings Of shell and coral beads encir-
Gle the wOmen's necks and big Navajo
silver rings or a crude turquoise hang
as ear pendants. Many silver and cop
per bracelets bangle at their wrists as
they wave the branches of evergreen
from side TO side in unison with
the steps. Rich vermilion covers their
cheeks and heightens their savage
beauty. They are modest in demeanor,
gracefully naive in movement and
rarely take their eyes off the ground
during the dance. The dancing was
kept up for seven long hours, but there
was never any shrinking; they stamped
as energetically the last hour as the
first. Any sign of fatigue would be
met with renewed vigor Of the chant
ing chorus, while the drummer would
reverse his drum and thump harder on
the other heal. The chorus huddled
closer together. gesticulating serious
~ with their hands, as though 10 en-
phasize the meaning of their songs.
At sundown they all solemnly filed into
the churchyard and kneeled down
while the image of the saint was car
ried inside. A vOlley from the guns;
then the Indian character asserted
itself in d wild race of men and women
to the estufa, where they INDUCED 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