The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-09-17
4 RABBIT DRIVE
AMONG THE PUEBLO INDIANS
OF NEW MEXICO.
Ap Annual Event Which is Preceded
by Curious Preparations,
Including s'Sacred
Dance.'

great eV2nI Wlgn tnem. III takeS piac5
with the appearance of the new moon
in September. A sacred dance pre-
cedes the hunt, for with the Pueblo
Indian dancing is form of worship
as we'll as an amusement.
The ceremonies of the annual rab-
bit drive are conducted by the shaman
| (medicine man) OF lie village. Under
his direction prayer plumes are planted
around the village on the day pre-
ceding the hunt. These "prayers"
are sticks, notched at one end, about
a foot in length, with tuft OF feath-
ers tied on with corn shred. Only
feathers Of the brightest plumage are
used, as those of the woodpecker,
blue bird or red-birl. Black feathers
are considered to bring bad luck. The
feathers of q blackbirl or Of q raven
are of i'll omen, and if found in the
possession Of any one he would be
taken from the village and beaten to
death as o witch. These "prayers"
are planted at intervals of about fifty
feet in every direction for about
mile from the village. The distribu-
tors OF them are first sprinkled by the
shaman with sacred corn meal. The
"prayers" are first planted to the east,
and then to the north, south aud west,
and the myriads of plumes, seen on a
plain, give picturesque appearance,
something like field Of "ari-colored
flowers, or garden in bloom.
In front Of every Pueblo village,
facing to the east. is a shrine-a four
or fve-foot stone structure with two
chambers. The shrine is topped with
a smooth stone. Into these chambers
and around the shrine are thrown the
skulls and bones of rabbits killed at
the hunt. At the next annual drive
new bones are placed at the shrine.
Each Indian engaged in the hunt is
supposed to take from the shrine
charm in the shape Of bone of one
of the rabbits, but in reality he has
carved from stone fetch resembling
that part Of the rabbit which strikes
his fancy This is supposed to give
him luck in the drive. Bundles of
prayer plumes, inclosed in the sacred
eozn9busks, are placed in the shrine,
and when the >ecSemonial of each In
dian hunter taking his peculiar charm
has ended, the shrine is closed unit!
the next annual drive.
Each hunter places his charm
around his neck, and then they all re-
pair to the estufa (church) for their
worship dance. The Indian believes
that this fetch gives him the cunning
and swiftnrss that the rabbit pos
sesses. After all have squatted upon
the floor, the shaman gives to each
sacred cigarette, made Of native to-
bacco, and rolled in corn husk. All
smoke in silence. This is supposed to
blind the red eyes Of the rabbit so that
his capture may be assured. When all :
have finished the sha,nan grunts, and
then pitches tune III which all Join.
Strangely, there are no tenoS or So
prano voices among the Pueblo In.
dians, and as every man sings il nearly
the same strain. their music is dlscor-
dant-if it can bo classcd as music.
About sunlovn, while the hunters
are engaged in the preliminaries, the
aleuacil thigh sheriff Of the village)
goes through the narrow and crooked
streets shouting IN q nasal tone that
the hunt will TAKE place the next IL orn-
ing; that The shaman will lead, that
he has selected twenty braves for the
hunt, mentioning their names, and
that tue rabbit hunt dance vii! now
begin-cveryhody must come. What
ever effect the cigarette smoking anil
the sacred singing may have had in
paralyzins the rabbits is certainly dis
PEELED by the discordant wells Of this
town crier.
About dark the squaws build fire
near the door Of the estufa, and then
return to their huts-women not be
ing permitted to enter the sacred es-
tufa, nor witness The ceremonies. The
medicine man furnishes the spark for
the fire by briskly rubbing together
two sticks. This is considered sacred
fire; if furnished otherwise it would
be PROCLAMATION, and. besides, thsy
would not kill any rabbits. Ths pueb-
los believe that the sacred fire rests
in trees, and that it can be had coly
in this manner.
At signal from the shaman, which
is grunt, all rise and form N line
facing the east-the shaman at the
head. He first splinklcs the floor with
corn meal, and then tie men file before
him, each receiving sprinkling. The
line has now formed as a crescent,
opening to the east. The dance be-