Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-19
THE TUsAYAN RITUAL.
Ceremonies Among the MOquIs De-
scriIcd by DIR. FeWkes.

Ceremonies Among the MoquIs De-
scribcd by DIR. Fewkes.
DIR. ]. Walter Fewkes of the chronological
bureau lecturei Saturday afternoon at the
National Museum on the ''Tusayan Ritual"
This lecture, as one Of course Of lectures
illustrating the effects OF environment, was
especially designed to show the influence of
surrounding conditions on primitive relig-
ious ideas or upon aboriginal cults" as
they are called For this purpose, DIR.
Fewkes chose as an example for his lecture
the Moqui Indians. inhabiting Tusayan, in
the northeastern part of Arizona, because
these Indians have not been influenced to
any marked degree by the inroads of civil
lization. They inhabit part OF that great
arid zone of the Rocky mountains known
the Great American Desert, a barren
region chara cterized by rocks, canyons and
plains, with little or no water.
In this locality nearly two thousand
native Indians carry on agricultural pur-
suits, utilizing barren sandy soil, such as
a white farmer would despise. Here the In
dams build rock houses high upon the sum-
mits of the cliffs, which resemble them to
such a degree that they are often indistin-
guisnable. The barrenness of the soil keeps
away even the animals, and the resources
or the hunter are even less than those OF
the agriculturist. Thus these Indians have
been compelled by environment to adapt
themselves to the only means of livelihood
under such climatic conditions. No peoples
are without religious ideas of some kind,
and the more primitive the people the
lower is its form. A nature worship is this
original religion of all peoples, and the
deities of the sun, the rain, the volcanoes,
the storms, ETC., are represented usually by
small significant figures rudely carved and
ornamented by feathers, etc, called fe-
tiches. The lack of the common necessities
usually produces a special reverence for
those deities which represent their needs.
fr1-1 fl-a hos Of -la
Indians the fetiches or tokens Of the sun
and rain were most worShiped, as IL was
upon these that they depended chiefly for
their subsistence. The sun being productive
OF light and warmth comes TO be a generally
Der eficent god, and thus is associated with
rain, corn and general happiness. Also the
lightning, which accompanies, or rather as
they thought, causes the rain, had for them
a special value. 1t is from the latter that
springs the underlying idea which forms
the basis of their ritual" From the re-
Semblance of the lightning to the snake
and from the fact that both kill when they
strike, the snake has become associated
with rain, and the snake dance, a compli-
Gated ritual lasting nine days, is one of
their most important ceremonials, in fact
a compendium of all ceremonials. This
ceremonial was witnessed by DIR. Fewkes
and he described ii in detail, showing in
connection with his talk some fine pictures
some of the articles and charms used some
very fine models of the affairs, and finally
an Indian brave, decked out I'm full war
paint with significant figures painted on
his skin and on his meager costume, bear
ing in his mouth q live rattlesnake The
ritual, very long drawn out, nothing being
left undone to invoke the blessings of rain,
is performed by fifty-two priests, who In
subterranean caverns in the open fields,
about huge bonfires, etc, go through an
everlasting and unceasing number of weird
lamentations, and end by each taking live
huge snake in mis- teeth from the writing
pile of reptiles, and carrying it to the fields
TO carry their prayers to the gods of rain.
Such an effect upon their religion has their
environment had.