Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-07-26
DEVILISH DANCES.
Indian Cruelty and Persecution Led
by Them They should be stopped.

| captain Charles IL. NOrdstrom, or the
Tenth United States cavalry, acting In
dian agent at the Pueblo and Jicarilla
agency, in New Mexico, has written an
interesting letter to the commissioner of
Indian affairs with regard to the Indian
dances. The letter treats of the sub ject
in manner novel of official cemmunica-
tions, and throws new light on matter
that has long given great concern to
everybody interested in the Indian ques-
tion. The letter is dated June 25. Cap
tain Nordstrom says
"During my recent inspection of the
day schools attached to and lying south
of this agency, many of the teachers COM
planned that on the occasion of dance
in the Pueblo they we're either locked in
their rooms and compelled to remain
there until the festivities we're over or
were driven out of the village entirely,
and ordered not to come back under a
given time--the teacher at San Felipe be-
ing elected and driven across the Rio
| Grande.
"The Indians pretend that it would be
sacrilege to admit an outsider to a par
! tioipation in them, or even to be present
as spectator, but this is only pretext,
an excuse to allow them to assert their
prerogative, the traders at Jemez and
Zuni iaform'me that neither of them are
molested when the dances are going on,
and that they have both been invited to
and have witnessed even the most secret
of them. If these dances, like the meet
ing revivals of the southern negro, re-
suited only in harmless enthusiasm or
religious fervor, no exception could be
taken to them, but they are often the ori
gin of great outrsges. The trader at
Zuni related the circumstances of one
case which took place in that village not
long ago, which does not speak very we'll
for the advancement of those engaged in
il.
"a young man, just from Carlisle, was
ordered to dance, and declined, represent
ing that he had graduated a. school, had
learned trade, and was now an Ameri-
can, and Americans did not dance that
way. Thereupon the governor arrested
him, tied him up to tree, and ordered him
beaten, aud beaten he was-nearly to
death. he danced after tnat.
"Zuni, it will be recalled, was the scene
of the recent hanging of poor old
creature as witch. While I was there
Miss DeSette, the estimabe principal of
the school, sent for the victim of this
revival of the days when our New England
forefathers piously devoted their neigh
bors to the stake, and barred her poor, old
arms to my inspection. There was no
difficulty in discerning the scars made by
the cruel cords, which had cut the flesh
through to the bone. This poor old
woman is at least Is or 80 years old. At
the imminent risk of her life, and the for
feture of her popularity with the medi-
cine men, Miss DeSette went to the old
woman's house, and by nursing her night
and day revived the flickering flame of
life which had 80 nearly been extinguished.
As this lady, her voice trembling with in
dignant emotion, described the circum-
stances of this unspeakable horror, my
own cheek blushed that 36 years of my
life had been spent in the service of a
government under which such things
could be done.
"The traders cook, an Iudian youth
about 20, unfortunately mourning the dis
pleasure of the medicine men, was ar
rested as witch, and, but for the firm
ness of his employer, would have been
put to death, and even now he dares not
venture outside the premises after dark
for fear of being kidnapped by the ennis
ssries of these fiends in human shape,
who will never rest satisfied until he is
immolated upon the altar of their beastly
superstition.
at may be asked, what has this got
to do with dances3' Everything, because
all the outrages committed originate in
dance. Is rain wanted! They dance.
If there is floodf They dance. Should
the doctors have made mistake in their
estimate of the amount of humidity the
clouds contain, and precipitation fail to
ensue, OF il the rain continues, and the
floods fail to subside, they Immediately
cast about them for scapegost, who is
arrested and threatened as witch, for
making medicine against their medicine;
and they invariably hit upon some poor
old woman who has neither money nor
friends, or other pe or devil (no profanity