The record-union., 1895-04-15
MAGICIANs AMONG THE MoQUI
southwestern Indians Do Tricks Ths
Might PuZzle Herrmann.

/ southwestern Indians Do Tricks That
Might Puzzle Hermann.
Paleface slight-of-hand performers and
takers would do well to go West and learn
the true art from the Moqui Indians of
the Southwestern New Mexico. A pale
face is not permitted, however, to witness
these religious tests" unless he has first
| renounced civilization and become what
! IS known among trontiersmen as a
'5quaw man"-that is, white man
married with an Indian woman. The
Philadelphia Times thus describes the
original cabinet trick
The select audience of worshipers is
discovered in the estufa (church) seated
on the ground; all Aghts down Enter
into the open space several men, who
! move around in circle to solemn chant
! TO drum accompaniment. An Indian
drum is vessel partly filled with water
! with hide stretched over the top. The
! scene Is weird and the audience is as quiet
as a spook seance. Presently there is
| heard rustlIng of piniOns and feathers
and the hooting of an owl-a bird of ILL
omen to the Indian. The audience be-
come terrified and frequently the squaws
make hSsty exit. Then the noise be-
/ comes fainter and fainter STILL as if the
/ bird is making his exit through the flies
or tule roof Torches are brought in by
! the supernumerarIes and-prestO, change.
Lights down again and similar noise
/ is heard. The birds seem to be flying all
! over the room. The lights are again
/ brought in and the illusion shown.
/ Finally the medicine man squats down
! IN the open space, cross-legged like a
] Turk. One holds him by the knees. an
other by the arms The lights are turned
/ down or taken out. There is rustIing
/ OF feathers and pinions and an apparent
! struggle. The lights are called for and
the medicine man is not discovered. The
| men who attempted to hold him in this
cabinet position are sthe most mystified
| and cannot tell whether he went out
! through the barred door or the roof
Tho performance concluded with a
lightning and thunder scene. Thunder
! reveroerates through the room and
| flashes Of light, zigzag and horizontal
! lines, play over the heads of the auditors
almost binding them. Sometimes the
room Is so lighted with these flashes that
! the auditors faces are apparent to each
other, and they plainly see the medicine
4 man IN the open space, with no stage
| parsphernalia whatever, no wide sleeves
! or boxes, and almost as nude as q living
! picture. This wonderful magic trick is
/ performed Ia room holding only about
! fifty people, who are seated around the
/ shaman or medicine man. He is in the
4 center ofan open space ten feet square. and
| he has nOta table, chair or any property
! whatever. He has not even a 'mustache
! to deceive you.'
"Ihe shannon claim that these extraor-
! binary powers are given to them through
their fasting and praying. They fast and
| pray three days and nights before each
/ performance, which, however, is only
two or three times during a season, like
! grand opera. They do not charge for ad-
mission, claiming that it would be sac
rilegious TO do SO, and that they would
lose their powers. But after the perform
i a ha YY1yT ia6
ditors heap upon the shaman all kinds Of
/ presents, which, of course, he accepts,
just as prima donna does diamond
ring,n