The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-03-22
oypslEs OF NEW MEXICO.

| from transcontinental trip were
the Navajo Indians in New Mexico
Arriving at albuquerque late st night,
7 had begun 70 dress about half past
| eight o'clock the next mornirg, when
a trarlpling of hoofs called nc to The
| window. and, looking CIT, the town
sc,1lsd to DO in the iatuis 81 Indians
! Through The toor> Il tie Urge stores
; on tl:o n, ,in street indians Ccrc pass
/ ;n1 in ari ont or. grouped "po1 the
! platform, wcre exam mig a3a c.aaD-
/ cr:ug goods as earncstir az conrti'7
! people IL gh. DO in q Nav England yil-
, .aeo az u&ttle show d.. Bat how
! 1;o.urs-qa:, @vcr, in .crd.. bargaining.
woyo shesa ,;uaky c.r:i!rol G! t;;s p's'ns
"a l2@an1a:.,s.
Down t.. cen:c: OF the vida saady
street 4 dozen mounted Indians warc
driving sand OF yong, unbroIen
horses. SOM. riding ahead to prevent a
stampede in that direction. and the
Others, il a hal circle be
hin, urging forward the herd.
';ei., were p9-:aps fifty Wild staels
| Wflicl lisa uSfE. MI - ''st'.f =
bride, or sprr, stepping high ard
prancing, with wild eyes glanciny sus-
p!c;ously about, and tossing names and
ta1s. Ever few yards they wcaid Ill
gather together with tac;r heals to-
w.ri the center .nd Il WIS with OF
ficulty that this circle could be broken
and the horses urged along. at a
SQUARE lit1lc way down the HveDae
tho herd was held by Is riders, a
crowd Of people gathered, and trad
ing evidently begun ut once at y lively
rate
VIVA. does I'll this crowd 0: indians
mcan?7 assed O: the no. FROM dls-
socr: who ,.rouvll: ~ ~ be. ,va3or
s'!hcn's Nasajo&," u SAT-. H.
frat lot OF en,'s ir>G got ia;or ton ;2-
ID their f.li trading They've b-":.se'
blankets ard Ponies Ter swap Tor silver
dollars and stcr. track.
After breakfast, Wien went out on
the street. i vas nucA impressed By
| tie appearance and ways OF these
alorir:nes 10th men and wo1acn are
of good sic, with massive f1,u''as,
open. Intelligent faces, and impressive
dignity OF manner. Lighter in tint
than many OF the Indian tsioe~, t1>il
features display markedly the ialt+r
chara cter:stcs TO me they so strong
" suggested d Monaghan as some
Other lndian peoples do Semitic
derivation.
They came in from their reservation
every autumn in parties varying II
NUN Der from :. si:lr!e family up to lily
or six1y mem bcrs, and calno ln't ont
! side tho town sleeping in IT,, op9n cir,
or sheltered by old army tents ard
blankets stretched from roic;. Every
da. Of M stay thaT ce'no into The pub
lie square or upon th, n,.I streets 30
trade. TO sec these d:'s:ty rides at
ting in unstuicl. picturesque attitudes
upon their ponies, holding IN cheek
herd Of restless horses while waiting
for buyers, was q sight TINT bc.t pct-
urcs> They wore sonbrtros or Old style
but costly fur caps bought from the
traders, and some Of them had Mexican
spurs at their heels. Otherwise their
costume was pure Navajo, with buck
| SKIN CT calico Jumpers, buc'IsE'n leg
ginga moccasins and massive silver Or
nainents IL the shape oe bracelets car
rings, and crescent charms hammered
out from Mexican dollars by thosr m
tive jewelers. Here rad there in the
CHILL morning Navajo woul! stalk
along drnoe.l il one Of those splendid
| WOODEN blankets which they ahen'eives
weave, Of lnost 81 ostant;ei texture. IN
| great variety Of barbara colo1s and DC
! s.cns. Although their features were
! in general impossible, there Gas 81 IL
tangible ar amcng these Indians ei
le.ns or q picnic, ana soTzrsS7nss St
some mishnp, sucf as the stfuggla cs q
purt4.nscr With al inteactabls colt,
they you'd roll IA tiietr saddles II up
roalious laughter. There wore no
siqns that any OF them had INDUCED
IN fire water and think TINT among
Indians in general TIE Navajos, Ike
TIE Puei,los, rank pre-emincnt in So
briety. They arc too Good business
men to take he chances of loss tnroug Il
drunkenness. The squaws, who rode
|
co,nely, luxurant, and shapely OF fig
ure, and both modest and Independent,
sf sometimes q little fierce Of &C.
meanOr.
The Navajo Indians up to q time
about thirty years ago, were the
scourge Of all civilized races OF New
Mexico, the peaceful Pueblo Indians
being favorite victims Of their depreda-
tions. Unlike other Indians, thcT,
owing perhaps to the Tartar origin 81
ready limited at haze always inclined
20 a pastoral life and to acculn2iote
}locAs and herds. The Utas and
Apachcs, when raiding ranches
and villages, would feast inordi-
nately upop the flesh OF
cattle and sheep, manning and
Strengthening lnany animals from mere
wantonness. They would take back
to their ranchcrios villages with them
only horses and mules and asses which
could be ridden or driven ahead az q
gallop The Navajos on the contrary.
would drive to their mountain fast
nesses ali the cattle, sheep and goats
they could capture and collect, 70 add
to tee stock they already had. When
the famous tront:crsnan Col. K!t Car
son, In 1862 made his historic campaign
against tie NaTajos he foand no way
so effective to reduce them % subnis-
sion as. a1,er wasting their fields and
destroying the;r villages, to xii. 81
! their stock.
F! Since The lesson OF TIA campaign the
Navoios have never been or the war-
path, bite having renewed their foes
ANA herds. With some early assistance,