Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-06
Singular Ceremony Witnessed by
Professor Fewkes in Arizona.
URGENT APPEAL TO TEE sun GOD
The Observance Interesting From
Scientific Standpoint.
STRICTLY A SECRET RIGHT


nology spent Christmas week which was
a most remarkable one in many respects.
and which has seldom, If ever, been passed
by q white man. He returned to Washing
ton yesterday. To use his own expression,
Professor Fewkes may as well have been
in the heart of Africa, SO isolated was he
from anything that savored Of civilization.
and so lacking were all the elements of
those things which go to make 1t up.
The barbaric rites which Professor
Fewkes left Washington in the height of
the Yuletide season to witness. and which
were most interesting to him from a scien-
tific point of view, were performed in the
wilds of Arizona. In short. it was the
Christmas of the Moqui Indians of the pu-
eblo region who celebrated the event with
all the features and outlandish rites pc
culiar to that tribe. The ceremonies had
Fever before been observed by a scientist
and. so far as known, by but one pale-face.
Professor Fewkes. who is one Of the most
prominent ethnologistS in the country, and
who knows much about the Moqui Indians
and their peculiar ceremonies at different
seasons, had not heard of this solstitial
ceremony until a few years ago. 1t was
then described to him by man who had
by accident witnessed it. The professor has
been initiated into the Mooui tribe and is
one of the Antelope priests Of that order,
so that he had the distinction of seeing
what other scientist could have seen. as
the ceremonies are secretly observed as
those Of the Masonic order.
Not the Christian Yuletide.
The Christmas Of the Moquis does not
correspond by any means to the Yuletide of
civilized nations. 1t is really the rites
which are performed by the Indians in or
der, they propose, to induce the sun to
return to the earth. The sostice, as it is
known, occurs December 81. That is the
time when the sun is supposed to be farth-
est from the earth, or at least the portion
of it represented by America. The Indians
are aware of this fact, and their ceremonies
are performed with the idea of inducing
the great god of the sun not to desert his
friends on this continent, but to return and
let them bask in his presence and enjoy his
warmth. These rights are far more interest
ing than any others performed by this most
Interesting tribe of Indians. 1t was to be
able to describe them from the standpoint
of a scientist which led the ethnologist to
leave his home Christmas and all the de-
lights and pleasures which he would have
experienced here to spend it with the
ages in Arizona. He says his trip well re-
paid him for the deprivations which it en-
tailed.
The professor left Washington December
IA. In order to reach the Moqui Indian
town of Walpi, where the ceremonies were
to be observed the night of December 20.
he had to drive seventy-five or eighty miles
fl OH the town of HolbroCk, AriZ., where he
left the railroad. During this trip an acct
dent occurred which may have terminated
his earthly career, but which only resulted
in few scratches and bruises. The team
which was conveying him to WalDi
away and the occupants of the vehicle
were thrown out. Some delay occurred,
ard it not until December 20 that
Walpi, where the .'soyaluna" or solstitial
rite, was to be observed. was reached.
Receives Gifts.
THE Indians all greeted me with Christ
TIL,
were simply pine needles and feathers tied
to strings. They were in a great state of
excitement in regard to the performance in
which they were to participate. When
these strings were presented to me they
were given with set form Of speech,
which, being translated, meant May the
gods tomorrow all grant your wishes
lat night each one Of the men procured
willow wand from three to four feet
long and Topped upon it all the strings he
had received. He then carried his stick to
the place where the secret session was 20
be held. This place was underground in
chambers designated kvas. There were
six or seven different orders participating
in the rites, known as the warrior societies.
These were entirely different from the or
ders of the priests, which take place in the
snake dance. They were all decorated spe-
cially for the occasion. Some of them were
naked, with the exception of a breech
clout, and had their faces daubed with
white paint giving them a most horrible
appearance. Some of them carried shields
adorned with different objects. One chief
of a society carried in his hand an effigy
of the great snake, which carved
from the woody stalk of the agave. Anoth-
er had on his shield a picture of the sun
god.
The 'Monkva,' where the principal cere-
monies took place in the subterrancan
chambers, was about fifteen feet by TWEEN
ty-hve feet. 1t was one of the warmest
places was ever in in my life. The cham
her lighted with a blazing fire of
grease wood in the middle, the reflection
from which on the dusky forms of the war;
rors in their terrible costumes produced
effect l will never forget. The cere-
mony was one not to be forgotten. 1t will
remain in my memory for all time. There
we're fifty priests engaged in it, and /
might well have been thousands of miles
away from any of the matters pertaining
to white men, for every object which could
be seen was manufactured by the Indians
and unknown to civilization.
Invocation Chanted.
THE societies entered the kiva about
nightfall, when an invocation to the car
dinal points was chanted. At signal, one
of the societies arranged itself into two ir-
regular groups one on the north, the other