The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-03-19


a complished this after years Of
unremitting effort to convince
these people of his friendliness.
1t was not, however, until he entered the
Moqui priesthood that he was successful
The fortunate man IS J. Walter FeWkes,
who has done more toward supplying the
connecting links between ancient and
modern Indians than any other man. His
work along these lines has made him
famous the world over.
The Moqui Indians are the sole repre-
sentatives of what their sort of Indian
was in past centuries. They are almost
the same to-day as when Coronado's men
found them early in the sixteenth CEN
fury. In the village where Mr.. Fewkes
lived, Walpi. the houses are centuries old,
located on the brow of cliff hundreds
of feet above a great plain, and are not
one jot different from the dwellings that
have occupied that site for perhaps a
thousand years The scientist lived
among the Indians as one of them, and
IN this isolation from the white folks has
been alone, except during the latter years
of his investigation when Mrs. Fewkes
accompanied him, the first white woman
ever looked on with favor by the Moqui
race.
The customs of their neighbors, the
Apaches, as well as those of the other
Indian tribes with whom people are IA
rniliar are utterly unlike the ways and
habits of the Moquis. In the SOS, when
them. they were still using stone imple-
ments and. in fact, living in just the
way that we are taught the Indians lived
when Columbus made his entrance on the
scene.
while history is unable to give any in
formation of the Moquis before the adj
vent of Coronado's men, investigation Of
rhe graves made by Mr. Fewkes furnishes
conclusive proof that the symbols of the
tribe were as ancient in the sixteenth
century as they are regarded by the MO-
ouis of to-day. H.
while Mr.. Fewkes had no difficulty IN
witnessing a number of the MoQui cere-
monies he was well aware that there
were very interesting secrets in Econnec-
ZION with the religious rites Of the In
dams Of which he was entirely Ignorant.
Every effort he made to learn was check
mated and he found that as an outsider
he was at the end of his investigation.
at saw" he said, when telling me the
result of his Investigations, that IL was
through the priesthood must get at the
facts The Moquis were distinctly fire
worshipers though unlike any other OF
the fire worshiping sect OF Wh1ch L ever
heard They created their sacred IRE
this I knew-but how 1t was all done was
bevond me- It took a very long time, and
the utmost care, to convince the Indians
that / meant only good and that did not
want TO use the information gained 10
their disadvantage. At last prought
agreed that l should enter their priest
hood and be initiated into the secrets of
their Underground temples, for the more
important features of the Moqu ritual
are performed in these caves.
1T was in one of these temples that
witnessed what to me was as interesting
q thing as could be seen, Of all the more
interest because l knew that was the
frst white man whom the Moquis had
ever permitted TO be present on such an
occasion. To the Moqui fire is living
breathing thing. It's creation is to him
eYactlv the same as the birth OF cnlld.
II fs a sacred creation, however, and the
Indian pavs 10 the fame as great trlp-
me- as he can conceive ONO one is per-
Tnitted TO light either a pipe or cigarette
from II And when you stop to think that
win the Indian all things begin ana end
with a smoke you see the slgnlncance Oh
his action %
The ritual observed in the creation or
the fire is so simple that it is impressive.
The members of the priesthood present
gather in a semicrcle in front OF the al
TAR and the priest upon whom falIs the
du+v of bringing the fire into being takes
2 notched piece of wood and in that notch
places a stick which nearly Nils IT, inns
stick he rapidly rotates. Directly be-
meath the earth has been covered with
shredded cedar. A hush that Is impress
sive follows nothing being heard except
the grinding noise made by the two pieces
of wood The friction of the wood is con-
tinued for not more than minute when
a spark falls upon the cedar, ana then
. another The blaze is instantly nursed
and presently is of sufficient size to per
nit torch to be lighted from 1t. The
sacred fire has come into being.
''Then one of the priests is selected. to