Arizona republican., 1900-12-15
A YAQUI DANCE
A Description of an Interesting Re-
 ligious Ceremonial.

&iaGs ceremonial dance of the Yaqu
 Indians. has appeared for the first time
 in a midway, and probably has beer
 exhibited to the public for the frs
 time, in Phoenix, during the carnival
 It Is a religious rite which the reds are
 indispossd to present to the Ameri 1aH
 public: a curious cere mOny performed
 in celebration of the birth of Chris.
 H, R, Patrick, who spent years among
 the Yaquis after a great deal or pe'-
 &Oasion induced a number of Indians
 to come to Phoenix to perform Thl
 Indians appear in two other dances,
 known as the "PasCola' and the
 ''Bana tle Venado," both wierd and fan tastEc. The Yaquis, fifteen in number,
 line up in two rows, with the patron
 or master between the rows, and an In
 dian, whose face is covered with a
 mask resembling the head of an ass, does considerable writhing with his
 body. This indicates that with u1e birth of Christ a furious battle WIS
 waged against sin. The dancers ar at- tired in gaudy colors, and moving their limbs in a lively manner to the strains of a native band, the pieces of which are tam-tams and other Indian instru- Irents, the Yaqui baile performers pre- sent a spectacular and at times Sro- tesque appearance. They perform the curious ceremony, however, with cOuu- tenances of austarity. In their left hands they hold bamboo boquets. and in the right hand each shakes a rattle box, a gourd filled with seeds. THe sound produced by the company is not unlike that produced by a group of ra5- tlesnakes, but it is intended to please 'AIalinche," the Christ child.
 "Generally .he word Indian sug- gests feathers and war paint" said MT. Patrick, but the dancers I have brought from Mexico represent Q pas toral and agricultural people. They are nomadic in their habits, hard workers and religious, and even in an exhibition carry out with persistent for mality the peculiar ceremonies estap- lished by their ances tors two hundred years ago.
 ONLY CHRISTIAN INDIANS.
 The Yaquis are probably the only In- dians on either continent who have adopted the Christian religion, and to the man they are more sincere in their
 
 clearly known what was the orthodox of the Yaquis further back than two centuries. At that time several Roman Catholic priests were shipwrecked off the gulf of California and made thelr way into the interior of Mexico, where they met the Yaquis The Indians gave them a hearty reception and in a short time thousands of Yaquis were into a Christ worsiipping people. They were attentive to the new teachings of the priests but could not grasp the new creed in it's entirety. They were handicapped by the fact that they were unable to read or write. The bible could nc- be used as an in strument for their instruction, but they had to depend upon the words of the priests. The missionaries left them fairly we'll started along the paths of The Christian religion. but during the past two centuries, as the crSed has been handed down from father to son, it has become greatly distorted.
 The priests taught penitsnce. The Yaquis began in easy stages, but in he southwestern pant of Sonora, down near Santa Ana, many of the Indians excruciating torture annually to atone for the sins of their cCmmun- tiles. In June of each year there are Invariably a number of young bucks who volunteer their flesh for the e!e- vation of thzir people. In each com one is selected who garbed only in a breech-clout, leads a pro- cession composed of every inkabitant nf the village, and he seldom returns alive. The villagers arm themselves ! with cactus branches, and each in turn bricks the 'peaitent." The more cruel | is the nature of the torture the more | nearly have the peopla of 'the commun- | ty been forgiven by the Supreme Be ] ng for their sins during the year. The | subject. bleeding and genrr- | ally dying, is then carried back to the | Yaqui church where prolonged and | weird ceremonies are conducted, but | medical and surgical attention is omit ! red until the conclusion of the c5re- . monies, when an undertaken CT a | medicine man is permitted to figure !. n the disposition of the sacrifice. This . $ human Offering which is followed | by the "Matachina," the principal | dance, of four days duration. The | lancers prance about, much iu the | 'ame manner as a baboon trips about | n a cage, until from sheer exhaustion . le sinks to the ground. Another i'm ! takes his place, and the | leVer-varying movement accompanied ! Jy the continuous rattle of the gourds | continues Unabatel through the four | lays. At the conclusion of these ccr- | ,monies the Yaquis heave mighty signs | If relief, for they have performed their | luty, they have been forgiven for their 1 and they begin a new year with unsullied records. The past ! las been entirely forgotten and when a member of the tribe dies during the next year he is punished on,y for the sins committed during the period fol- owing the atonement ceremonies. The | 'Oung men offered for sacrifice who es- ape the orgie with their lives, are i Earded a place in heaven second in l glory only to that of the deluded sub | ects who succumb to the cruel prick | nSs of cactus. A JOYFUL DEMON i
 STRATION.