The evening times., 1898-06-16
PUEBLO WOMEN
and THEIR MKY
Nothing New" About These
Primitive Indian Squaws.
They Still Grind Corn. Weave B1an-
kets. Make Quaint Pottery
and Are Content.

In the Century Magazine for May. sup
plementing an account of the ascent OF
the Enchanted Mesa" there Is an article
on old Mesa life by Fernand Lungren.
who gives an interesting picture of the
modes of living and OF the Pueblo wo-
mans place in the community. When the
men went down to the fields the pueblo
was really In control of Its rightful own
ers. the women. says Mr.. Lungren. In
these old communities the woman was
an important partner in the household
She was the owner of the house and all
it contained. She built 1t and furnished
it with its utensils of daily use. The
children traced descent through the moth
er and took her clan name. The mans
position, other than mere provider, was
that of an honored guest: and If he pre-
sumed disagreeably on his position more
likely than not he was sent back to his
own home. Far from being the general
slave and pack animal that is her sister
of the plains tribes, the Pueblo woman's
duties were purely domestic, and If she
ever worked in the field 1t was for the
common good, to save the scanty harvest
in time of need.
The grinding of the many-colored corn
for bread. the weaving and the making of
pottery were her principal occupations
and are to this day. The Pueblo Indians
are, par excellence. the potters of the
southwest. and 1t will be confessed that
they come fairly by the title. as an ex-
animation of some Of the old-time ware
will prove, although In this case. as in
some others. the evolution has not been
for the better. Through these pottery
forms and their decorations runs one of
ba atr oh In hindippr ho oId IN the
new. Near me are two tinajas, or water
jars.
One Is many generations, perhaps CEN
turies. old: the other perhaps five years;
and yet in shape and general decoration
they are much alike. and II the newer one
were properly toned" they would pass
as of the same period. Near the potter.
gossiping with her neighbor, sits wo-
man weaving and here a change Is seen.
They had no wool then. cotton and skins
being with the yucca. the only textile.
Yucca was to the Indian what the bam-
boo is to the Asiatlc- IL gave them need
les and thread and cloth TO use them on
and entered in a hundred ways into the
economics OF daily life
Near by young girls and old women
hung over the "mealing box" of stones.
and with the rubbing stone ground the
bright red. blue and yellow corn into fine
grained. variegated meal upon the metate;
and others. mixing 1t to a paste. quickly
spread 1t in thin layers on a broad, hot
stone, and then. defrly picking II up. roll
ed or folded it into many-hued bundles Of
peckee tmatsu), or paper bread. So the
day wore on. and when the sun had melt
ed his way !ato the mesas in the west.
flooding all the valley with a golden
glory. barred at the horizon by long lines
CT blue and purple cliffs, up the trail. be-
tween great towering masses of rock.
came the women from the springs at the
base of the mesa. each with graceful car
riage. posing upon her head an ola. or
tinaja. of water for the households COM
fort.