Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-15

fast and vigil, and constantly anoint their
bodies with certain preparations which are
said to harden the flesh. At any rate, al
though they dance upon the live Goals In
their bare feet, and kick them around with
their bare legs as If they were playing In
pile of dry leaves, until the last spark has
been extinguished by their tread, they do
not suffer a single burn or blister Their
feet and legs are black, discolored with SCOT
and ashes, but the skin Is not broken nor
injured in any way. l suppose 1t is pro-
tected by some sort of preparation like that
used by the snake dancers of the Moquis.
Capt. Bourke, in his book on the Moqui
snake dance. says they wash their hands
and feet and legs with a preparation of
three herbs. which makes the skin imper-
vious to the fangs of the rattlesnakes.
Something like the ember dance I be-
Iieve is found among the fire-worshipers of
Persia.
Remarkable Trick.
1.-THE most startling feat 1 ever saw"
continued Mr.. Gushing, was performed
by the clown priests of the tribe or as they
were called. The Ancients of Creation
They seat themselves in a circle on the
clay floor around a jar that will hold, per-
maps, gallon, an ancient and sacred earth
en- vessel, which is filled with water. The
chief priest carries in his hand two ord-
nary eagle feathers, which are tied together
at the quill ends so that they make a fork
Behind the circle of the priests are other
members of the tribe, and the musicians
with their drums and gourds who join in
the chants with as much emotion as Is
shown by the attendants of a negro camp
meeting. The lamentations continue for
several hours, and when the participants
and spectators are wrought up to a proper
pitch of excitement the priest dips the
feather tips into the water, lifts the Jar
with them and holds it suspended for a
minute or two at height level with his
face or breast. Then he lowers it slowly
to the ground. This feat Is repeated sew
he narfn
parently there is nothing in the hand of
the priest but the feathers. and they ap-
pear to be inserted into the mouth Of the
jar only two or three inches. OF course,
there is some trick about 1t, but was new
er able to discover it,
"CalIing Up the Waters"
Another marvellous trick performed by
the priesthood of the bow" continued Mr..
Gushing, SIS the calling up of the waters
in the primeval jar. which is a piece of
pottery unnumbered centuries old-perhaps
as old a relic as they have in the Zuni
nation. 1t is beautiful piece of workman
ship with elaborate decorations. and is the
ordinary receptacle Of the fetiches of that
priesthood. 1t is intrusted to the charge
of the master priest and used once q year
in January-to call forth the waters, as
they term 1t.
LAS in the previous trick, the jar is placed
in the center of the circle and similar In
GdhtdlloiiS tame pIdCc. 4He WOfuS VI tllc
song describe the powers of the elements
and offer them praise. When, in the course
of the chant. the god of water IS named
the two guardian priests pour little wa
ter-perhaps a teacupful-into the jar, with
certain fetiches This is known as the
water seed Then. as the lamentations con-
tinue, the water rises in the jar until 1t
reaches the rim and overflows in little
rivulet, running toward the altar upon
which the image of the god Of water sands
Then the high priest dips a sacred shell
into the jar and allows each member of the
tribe present to drink After the last one
has drained the shell the water slowly sub
sides and the incarnation dies away"
May Be HypnOtism.
How do you explain this2'
Il do not attempt to explain 1t, except as
an optical illusion or an example Of hyp-
notism; but 1 am sure l saw that jar fill
with water by some invisible agency. There
could be no connection with underground
pipes, for such a thing would be impossi-
BILE in Zuni, nor could anybody have poured
in water unseen by me. The skill of the
performance and the ingenuity of the trick
equal anything l have read of the Jug
glers of India 1t is equal to their trick of
climbing an invisible rope"
DO the Zunis know anything of hyp-
notism?"
Yes; their applications of hypnotism are
all sorts of occultism and are subject to
the highest influence of mystery. The in
tensity of their natures and the absolute
faith in which their priests, shamans and
medicine men are held make them easily
subject to the hypnotic power.