Evening star., 1896-11-14


their shadows before, and that certain
things might perhaps be better left un-
done If certain premonitions are expert
enced. Also we have likes and dislikes
which would be difficult to explain other
wise than survivals Of old superstittons.
But curiously enough similar ideas when
cherished by other people and especially
by other races seem to US very odd and
even ridiculous
Among primitive people these ideas are
more strongly developed. more real as it
Were than with us, and more abundant
also. They often appear as taboos things
which must not be done; and many OF
them take the form Of food prohibitions
There is but little difference between the
taboo of the savage and our own idiosyn-
cracies in food, except that the former
applies to a whole tribe or race and the
latter to an individual or family. In both
cases most excellent reasons can be and
are given in support Of these taboos.
Navnjos Won't Eat Fish.
This fish taboo Is one Of the most curl
GUS of all the superstitions which have
troubled mankind. Some Of our Indian
tribes, notably the Navajos Of Arizona and
New Mexico, will not eat fish under any
circumstances, although they are acquaint-
ed with other tribes whose main subsist-
ence is fish, and have seen white men in
Vulnerable eat fish and still live. 1t Is
doubtful whether any but an inland tribe
could cherish and live up to such an idea
for long period, but there is no doubt
that such tribes do have a fish taboo now
The Navajo believes and believes with
The NavajoS believes, and believes with
an earnestness that characterizes all his
ideas, that if he should eat fish the most
direful results will follow. His body Will
swell up to an enormous size and his skin
will nllf in xrytn5l f1A itch,
bones, whether he has eaten them or not,
will come out through thesefsores. There
is a suggestion in this that at some time
in the distant past the Navajos came IN
contact with some sea coast tribe who
We're afflicted with leprosy or some kim
dred disease, but very little is known about
these people prior to the sixteenth CEN
tury, except that they probably came
into this country from the far northwest,
from sorle region beyond The present
limits of the United States.
The fish taboo does uot stand alone.
Much the same idea was formerly held
about pork, and to this day some of the
older men of the tribe will not eat 1t. But
this feeling was pretty well broken by the
government at the time of the last Navajo
war, some thirty years ago At that time
practically the whole tribe surrendered
and were deported to San Carlos, where
they literally died by hundreds. They
died from home-sickness, which to an In
dian often proves fatal. but as they We're
fed on rations consisting principally OF
bacon the old men, the wiseacres, attrlb-
uted the deaths to the food.
Prefer Not to Eat Pork.
The younger men, however, who had
eaten bacon without evil results to them
selves, came back to their own country
with the idea that such food was not neces-
sarilY fatal but if they have any choice IN
the matter they prefer not to eat 1t. Sheep
and goats. horses, and even dogs are all
right; in fact, anything is better than pork;
and it is doubtful whether there IS Il single
hog on the entire reservation outside of the
agency. Moreover, they have a pronounced
contempt for the man who eats such food,
although it is seldom made apparent.
young horse is considered a Gelfcacy,
while a prairie dog roasted IN ashes is d
treat. Horses are killed for food just as
kill cattle for the same purpose, and
often the occasion assumes a sem-social
charac ter, and friends are invited from
distance to partake of the feast Nothing
could be more absurd than the statements
put out some two years ago and again last
winter that the NavajoS wcr. starving and
were killing their horses for food. 1t is
almost equivalent to saying TIA: the Amer
lean people are starving because they are
killing their cattle.
The Navajo cannot understand our pref
uGice against horse meat. He claims that
young horse is very much better to eat
than an old COW, and he extends this
statement to cover burros. 1t is quite prob
venison sold to whites is burro under ana
other name. The Navajo regards our pref
udices in this matter as senSelesS, and
takes malicious pleasure in deceiving
White man, just as the latter sometimes
tries to force fish on a Navajo by diSgus-
ing it's appearance and flavor. Not long
ago one of the traders on the reservation
became very angry because an Indian
brought in a burro hide with some other
pelts and offered it for sale as deer skin.
He abused the Indian roundy, until the
latter said, quietly, Il don't understand
what you are angry about. Two weeks ago
L sold you the hind quarters of that beast,
and you have since told me that it
hide?
No Taste for Bear Meat.
There are plenty of bear in parts of the
Navajo country, but they are never killed
for food by the Indians In fact, a large
sum of money would not tempt the aver
age Navajo to touch a dead bear, nor, for
that matter, live one. He will not skin
1t nor touch the hide after some one else
has skinned 1t. He feels the same way
about coyote, and coyote pelt is eff
fective tent guard, If so disposed about the
doorway that no one can enter without
touc hing it.
Quite recently practical joke involving
this FEELING came very near resulting in a
big fight in camp on the reservation. A
young Navajo, who was celRbrated for his
perpetual good nature, gave his silver
bracelet to one of the men to keep for him,
and the latter slowed it away in one of the
tents and threw coyote skin over the box.
When the Indian applied for his property
ne was told in what part of the tent it
was, and eventually he found it,; but he
came out Of that tent with face like a
thunder-cloud, and ready to whip any two
men In camp, but the authorSof the joke
had taken the precaution to Have four or
hve men about at the denouetaent; other
wise he would have beeni rslghly used
Late that evening saw the Navajo scour-
ing his bracelet with sand and water to re-
move the contamination of the coyote
skin, which had only been near it, not
against 1t, and it was several days before
he recovered his usual good humer.
The NaVa1os have the same aversion to
snakes that we have, but he never kills one
Intentionally. The deadly rattler enjoys
the same immunity as the harmless va
rieties, and all Of them have the right of
way on all the trails and roads through
out the country.
A Snake SuperstitiOn.
Snakes are often killed by white men,
and the Navajos will witness the operation,
but they will never take a hand in it.