Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-29
DANCE OF THE YAQUIS
NOW THAT 1T MAY BE A
CHRISTIAN CEREMONY.
Indians Were Converted Two Centur-
les Ago-Follow Golden Rule Except
In Treatment of Mexicans.

| Phoenix tAriz.) CORES. Chicago Record.
The ''Matachina," the peculiar religious
| ceremonial dance of the Yaqui Indians,
now at war with the Mexican government.
has been exhibited probably for the first
| time to the public in this country during
| the Phoenix carnival of Indians and cow
boys. 1t Is a religious rite which the reds
| are indisposed to present to the American
| public: curious ceremony performed in
celebration of the birth Of Christ. HI. r.
Patrick, an American who spent years
among the Yaqui Indians after great
| deal of persuasion induced a number of In
| dian dancers to come to Phoenix to per-
| FORM The Indians appear in two other
| dances known as the "Pascola" and BAHIA
de Vena6o." both weird and interesting.
The Yaquis, fifteen in number, line up in
| TWO rows. with the patron or chief of cere-
monies between the rows, and an Indian
whose face is covered by a mask resem-
| bling the head of an ass does considerable
writhing with his body. This movement
| indicates that with the birth of Christ a
| furious battle was waged against sin The
dancers are attired in gaudy colors and
moving their limbs in a lively manner to
the strains of a native band, the pieces of
Wnlch are tam-tamS and other Indian in
struments, the Yaqui baIla performers pre-
sent spectacular and at times grotesque
appearance They perform the curious
ceremony, however. with faces of austerity
In their left hands they hold bamboo bou-
quets and in the right hand each dancer
snakes a rattle box. gourd filled with
seeds. The sound produced by the COM
pany is not unlike that produced by a
group Of rattlesnakes. but 1t is intended to
please "Malinche." the Lnrist child
Generally the name Indian suggests
Leatners ana paint said Patrick, but the
dancers have brought from Mexico repre-
, sent a pastoral and agricultural people
Ihey are nomadic In their habits, hard
workers and religious. and even in an ex-
nlpilion they carry out with persistent for
marty the peculiar ceremonies established
oy their ancestors 200 years ago.
Yaauis Christian Indians.
The Yaquis are said to be the only In
d1ans on either continent who have adopted
as tribe the Christian religion, and to the
man they are more sincere in their belief
and more regular and pafnstaking in their
observation than We're the Puritans II is
not clearly known what was the orthodox
religion of the Yaquis further back than
Two centuries AT that time several Roman
Salnoilc priests were ShipWrecked off the
our OF California and made their way into
the interior of Mexico, where they met the
1aquis. Inc Indians gave them a heartv
aeeceptioI, ana IN short time thousands
VI iaqulS were converted into Christ
"orshiplng people. They were attentive
70 the teachings of the priest but could
mot grasp the new creed in it's entirety
lhe1 were handicapped by the fact that
they were unable to read or write the
6lbie could not be used as an Instrument
LOT thelr instruction, but they had 20 de-
penu on the words Of the priests The mis-
sionar1es left them fairly well started alnnp
the paths of the Christian relig on buf d,,r
ing me last two centuries, as the creed has
peeh handed down from father to son II
mas become greatly distorted -
The priest taught penitence The o.o,,;
began In easy stages. but in the sout vest
erh part OF Sonora. down near San-a Ana
nany OF the Indians undergo excruclatinr
tcftufe annually to atone Tor the sins Of
their communities. In June of each -
tneie Is invariably number of young bucks
VINO volunteer their flesh for the elevation
Vi thelr people In each community one is
seiected, who, CARRIED only in a breechclout
leads a procession composed of eyerv ;nhab
liant of the village and he seldom returns
alive. The Indians arm themselves with
cactus: ana each In turn pricks the ''peni-
tehte. ne more cruel is the nature of the
torture the more nearly have the people of
Tue community been forgiven by the Supreme
belng for their sins during the year The
suffering subject, bleeding and prnerafIy
dying. is then carried back to the Yaoui
church where prolonged and weird cere-
monies are conducted, but medical and sur
gical attention Is omitted until the conclu-
sion OF the ceremonies. when an under
taker or a medicine man is permitted to
hsure In the disposition of the sacrifice.
Make Human Offering.
This is human offering, which is fol-
lowed by the 'Matachina," the principal
daDce of four days duration. The dancers
prance about, much in the same manner as
babboon trips about in a cage, until from
sheer exhaustion he sinks to the ground.
Another Immediately takes his place and
the never-varying movement ACCOMPANIED
by the continuous rattle of the gourds con-
tIuues undated through the four days. At
the conclusion of the ceremonies the va
quis heave mighty signs Of relief for they
have performed their duty. they have been
forgiven for their transgressions and they
begin new year with unsullied records
The past has been entirely forgotten and
when member of the tribe dies during the
next year he is punished only for the sins
committed during the period following the
last atonement ceremonies. The young In
dams offered for sacrifice, who escape the
orgies with their lives, are awarded place
in heaven, second in glory only to that of
the deluded subjects who succumb to the
cruel prickings of cactus.
The "Matachina" is a ceremonial dance
produced only on occasions CT great joy. II
is supposed that after a buck has been
cruelty sacrificed the Indians should be I'M
usually happy and their 'hala'' is in the
nature of an Irish wake The same cere-
monies. devoid Of the torture scenes, take
place frequently during the month Of De-
cember, ending on Christmas day. when
the culmina ting and most severe of the
dances of the month takes place.
o. N. Lloyd, who accompanied the Yaqui