Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-15
Marvellous Feats Performed by the
Priests in the Pueblos.
PART OF THEIR RELIGIOUS RITES
But They Are Equal to the Best
Work Of Famous Magicians.
TEST ONES CREDULITY
WIN. f. Curtis. in the Chicago Record.

WIN F. Curtis in the Chicago Record.
Among all the villages of the Pueblo In
dams in New Mexico and Arizona, and also
among the NavajOes and other tribes in the
southwest. medicine men or shamans per-
form feats of magic fully equal to those of
the conjurers of India or the legerdemain
of professional magicians, but, unlike the
latter the Indian priests claim supernatural
powers. They pretend to be genuine wiz
ards and magicians like those who COM
peted. with Moses and Aaron before the
throne of Pharaoh. and some of their feats
are equal and similar to that great wonder
of the Egyptians, the budding of Aaron's
rod. They claim to receive their power from
the Great Spirit and to be authorized me-
diums of communication between the liv
ing and the dead. Everything is based
upon superstition. but how far hypnotism
is involved cannot be easily determined.
As among the Israelites, the priesthood of
the Pueblo tribes is a separate clan which
Is never extinct, for it is recruited annually
by the adoption of the brightest boys, who
are ed Icated to become custodianS of the
traditions and history of the tribe flor they
have no written language), the expOunders
of their theology. the healers of disease,
the interpreters of natural phenomena and
the protection of the entire tribe against
the Vaccinations of their enemies and evil
spirits.
feats of magic are performed in the wor-
ship of the gods and the spirits of the
dead Hence it is difficult for stranger
to obtain admission to the estufas in which
the rites are celebrated. and no amount of
money would tempt Pueblo priest to per-
form them upon platform for the graf
ihcatiOn of a curious audience They have
no accessories. no machinery no mirrors
no properties of any kind Their tricks
performed in the center of a circle of SIN
cere and credulous worshipers, from whom
nothing concealed ma
by lamentations and weird refrains chanted
by every one present
Play With Live Goals.
The shamans dance upon live Goals, eat
fire. swallow swords and arrows, like the
jugglers of India, and perform all sorts of
muscular feats that are amazing. One of
the most familiar and at the same time one
of the most wonderful of these is to make
feathers dance upon the floor. This has
frequently been seen by outsiders-army Of
ficers. traders, missionaries and visiting
scientists-but nobody has ever been able
to explain how it is done Some people say
il is an optical illusion and the result of
hypnOtism. but that is hardly possible.
The members of the tribe gather in cir
Gle around fire in the center of the floor
of the estqfa. or underground temple. and
after preliminary incantations, accom-
panied by strange chants which recite the
glnries Of the tribe and the abilities of the
priests when the emotions of the audience
the high priest, or cacique, takes from his
bosom bunch of eagles feathers and
sticks the quin ends into the clay floor so
that they stand upright. Then, with their
eyes fastened upon them and with many
SyratiOns the priests dance, sing and clap
their hands until all at once the feathers
begin t" move and dance about upon the
hoor Tor five or ten minutes or even longer
moved by invisible power changing places
circHng around one another and acting like
puppets: but there is no connection between
hands If rTfe md fa.,
at least no one has ever been able to detect
such a thing.
PrOphesies the Crops.
Another and somewhat easier trick is
known as seed giving" 1t is celebrated
at the planting season. and the result is in
terpreted a prediction of the success or
failure of the harvest. If the trick fails as
IT sometimes does, the whole community
goes into mourning and takes measures to
1ntercede with the gods for restoration of
favor, in order that the tribe may not
starve- When the woFshipers are gathered
IN the estIfa one of the priests shells an
ear OF white corn into blanket. II must be
perfect ear The more perfect the better
the results. Then. after two or three hours
OF chanting. dancing and lamentations, at a
signal from the chief priest all present
arise and direct their gaze upon the
blanket, which all this time has been lying
folded in the center of the group. No hand
has touched it. 1t has not been interfered
with IN any way, but when IL is opened II
is found to contain a bushel or more of
different kinds of seeds-corn, wheat beans
peas, watermelon and other seeds used by
the Indians in their gardens The quantity
indicates the comparative volume of the
harvest There may be an abundance of
corn and very few beans, or wheat may be
plenty and corn scarce. Sometimes the
blanket viii contain two three bushels of
seeds, which by some mysterious process
have been evolved from the handful of
white corn that was originally concealed in
the folds of the blanket.
The disclosure is always greeted with ex-
CARNATIONS Of joy or disappointment, as the
case may he. If poor crop is indicated
there Is great lamentatiOn. If there are
signs of an abundance every person in the
village joins in shouts of qualification.
The Enchanted Plant
Another of the most interesting feats of
the Pueblo jugglers is called the enchant-
ed plant and its significance is similar to
that OF the seed giving" All the members
OF the tribe gather in the estufa at sunrise
on a day selected by the medicine men be-
fore the annual planting begins. and after
long and labored lamentations a kernel of
corn is planted in jar which stands in the
center of the floor This jar is surrounded
by circle of priests. who sing dance and
clap their hands ali day long. The ordi-
nary members of the tribe retire and go
about their daily duties. They may come
into the temple for a little while at inter
walls during the day TO see how things are
going on, but their presence is not neces-
sdry.
1t is a day Of serious and continuous
labor for the medicine men, however, be-
cause II the singing ceases the corn stops
growing. and the greater the yigor of the
song the more rapid the growth. A few
hours after the seed is planted 1t seems
To gerninate, and a tiny shoot energies
from the earth. By noon ii is a foot high:
by night it is a perfect plant-a stalk of
corn five or six feet long. with perfect
leaves and soft milky fruit. BY sunrise
the next morning the grain is ripe and dry
Then, IN the presence of all the tribe the
high priest plucks the ears, which of
course. are sacred. shells the corn, and di-
vides 1t among the several families TO be
mixed with their ordinary seeds to insure
a good crop. OF course, Il is a trick but il
is an extraordinary one. The Indians be-
Heve il to be the result of supernatural
agencies. and the quality Of the growth in
dicates the comparative abundance of their
harvest
Among the Zunis.
l asked Frank II. Gushing of the bureau
of ethnOlogy. who spent some years in
Zuui "a Yne-7,hs.- of he tribe Nd