The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-02-09
DANCES OF THE YAQUIS
One oF Them a Religious Rite
Called the Natachina.
The Ceremony in Comm eI.,or:,tGo., of
the Rirth of Christ = Representa-
item "f Il war against sin-A Chris
tian Tribe of Observation-Disclosures of
the WhItes-O. \ LIoyi'S Statement

the "Matachina, the peculiar reIig-
~ious ceremonial dance Of the Yaqui In
dians. now at war with the Mexican Gov
eminent. has been exhibited probably for
the first time TO the public in this coun-
try during the Phoenix carnival of In
dams and cowboys. Il is a religious rite
which the reds are indisposed to present
TO the Aemrican public; curious cere-
mony performed IN the celebration OF the
birth Of Christ H. K. Patrick. an Amer
lean. VINO spent years among the Yaqui
Indians. after a great deal of persuasion.
induced 4 number Of Indian dancers to
come to Phoenix to perform. The Indians
appear in TWO other dances known rs the
"Pascola and "Baila de Veaado. both
weird and interesting The Yaquis. IF
teen in number, line up in two rows. with
the patron or chief of ceremonies be
tween the rows, and an Indian whose face
is covered by mask resembling The head
OF an ass does considerable writing with
his body. This movement indicates that
with the birth of Christ furious battle
was waged against sin The dancers are
attired in gaudy coIors. and moving their
Of a native band. the pieces OF which are
tam-tanIs and other Indian instruments,
the Yaqui bajIa performers present 4
spectacular and at times grOtesque ap-
pearance- They perform the curious cere-
mouy, however, with faces OF ausJerity-
In their left hands they hold bamboo
bouquets and in their right hand each
dancer shakes a rattle box gOurd filed
with seeds. The sound produced BY the
company is not unlike that produced By
a group Of rartlesnakes, but It is iat--sd-
ed to please -3IaIinche,' the Christ child
Generally the name Indian suggests
feathers and paint" said Patrick. 'but
the dancers 1 have brought from Mexico
represent pastoral and agricultural peo-
pie. They are nomadic in their habits,
hard workers, and religious, and even in
an exhibition they carry out with per-
sistent formality the peculiar ceremonies
established by their ancestors 2C9 years
ago"
The Yaquis are said 10 be the only Indi-
ans on either continent who have adop,ed
as a tribe the Christian religion. and 20
the man they are more sincere in their be-
lief and more regular and painstaking in |
their observation than were the Pu--itaES
Il IS not clearly known what was tle or
thOdOX religion OF the Yaquis furthe.. back |
than TWO centuries Al that time several |
Roman Catholic priests were shipWTecked !
OF the Gulf Of California aEd made their |
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 CONVEX ed |
into a Christ worshiping people. TZlay !
were attentive TO the teachings OF the /
priests, but could not grasp the new creed |
in its entirety. They were handicapped by /
the fact that they were unable TO read or 1
write. The Bible could not be used as an /
instrument for their instruction, and they !
had 10 depend on tie words Of priests. The /
missionaries left them fairly well started /
along the paths Of the Christian religion, |
but during the last two centuries, as the /
creed has been handed down from father to !
son. If has become greatly distorted
The priest taught penitepce. The Yaquis
began IN easy stages, but IN the south +
western part of Sonora down near santa
ANA many of the Indians undergo excru-
ciating torture annually TO atone for the
sins Of their communities IN June of I
each year there is invariably a number
of young bucks who volunteer their flesh .
for the elevation OF their people In each
community one is selected, who. CARRIED .
only in a breechclout, leads procession
composed of every inhabitant of the VII
lage. and ne seldom returns alive. The
Indians arm themselves with cactus. and
each IN turn pTiCks the 'penitente." The
more cruel the nature Of the torture the
more nearly have the people of the COM
mUnity been forgiven BY the Supreme Be-
ing for their sins during the year. The
suffering subject bleeding and generally
dying. is then carried back TO the Yaqui
church. where prolonged and weird cere-
monies are conducted, but medical and
surgical attention is omitted until the
conclusion OF the ceremonies when an
undertaken or q medicine man IS permit
ted to figure in the disposition Of the
sacrifice.
This e human ofzerfY,e ,,-5,5.b IS FOL
lowed BY the 'Matachina, the principal
dance. Of four days duration. The dane
or Frances about, much in the same man
uer as a baboon trips about in cage
until from sheer exhaustion he sinks 10
the ground Another Immediately takes /
his place, and the never varying move
ment. accompanied by the continuous rat
tie of the gourds. continues undated !
through the four days. At the conclusion
OF the ceremonies the Yaquis heave
mighty signs Of relief, for they have per- /
formed their duty, they have been for /
given fer 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 follow :
Ing the last atOnenleut ceremonies. The I
young Indians offered for sacrifice who
escape the orgies with their lives are
glory only to that OF the deluded subjects
who succumb to the cruel prickings OF /
cactus J
The "Matachina'' is ceremonial dance
produced only on occasions of great JOY
1t is supposed that after a buck has been
cruelty sacrificed the Indians should be
unusually happy. and their '"baila is in
the nature Of an Irish wake. The same /
ceremonies. devoid of the torture scenes.
take place frequently during the month /
of December. ending on Christmas Day
when the eliminating anG NEST severe Of (
the dances Of the monte takes place ;
O y Lloyd. who accompanied the YaQui ,
dancers from Mexico 10 Phoenix, spent
nine years among the people Before /
that he served at sea on nan-of-war. /
and, encircling the globe several times. /
came in contact with ali descriptions of /
people and phases of humanity. mingled I
with various kinds Of savages and half (
civilized people, but declares that he |
never met more agreeable savages than
the Yaqui Indians. In the last nine years