Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-01-27
IZUNI INDIAN MAGIC.
a PERFORMANCE THAT PUZZLES ALL
WHO WITNESS 1T.


Hindoos-scientists' Are Unable to
Solve the Mystery. ,-,..a e. :
Nearly everybody has heard Of and
wondered at the mango growing trick
of the Hindoo. by which he makes a
seed sprout before the astonished eyes
of the European and reach maturity in
q very short time.
But few are aware that an equally
amazing feat is regularly performed
by the Zuni Indians on this continent.
Their medicine men at the annual
''corn festival do a stunt Of which no
satisfactory explanation has ever been
advanced. Scientists seeing it have
been made, as a cowboy described it,
to 'look like 80 cents"
Preparation is made for this extraor-
binary Zuni performance by spreading
8 large square of clean, yellOwish sand
on the ground before the southern aper-
ture of the medicine lodge. This sand
is carefully smoothed and packed so
as to present a firm. level surface.
Around the edges of the sand square
are then drawn, by means of a ceremo-
NAL arrow, figures representing the
Great Spirit, the earth, the sun, the
sky and the rain. There are also the
symbols for corn and for q bountiful
harvest. #*
The indentations made by the arrow
are then filled in with pigments. the
clouds and sky with blue, the earth
with black and the harvest with
chrome yellow. The center Of the
square is left vacant. When complet-
ed. this sand painting is a fine speci-
men Of barbaric art and is far from
displeasing to a civilized eye.
When the hour arrives. the officiating
medicine man takes his seat in the
opening of the lodge facing the sand
square. On his right and left, extend
ing out around the square, the chiefs
and warriors range themselves accord
ing to rank. When all are in position, the
medicine man fills the ceremonial pipe
with tobacco, lights it and blows one
puff of smoke to the east, n to the
west, one to the north. one to the south
and two to the heavens. He then ad.
dresses those assembled. recounting the
religious history of the tribe, it's wan
behring's and famine and the benevo-
lence Of the Great Spirit in the past.
He closes with a prayer for the contin-
lance of fatherly care.
Then he takes a grain of corn from
the medicine bag at his waist, thrusts
the sacred arrow into the center Of the
sand square, withdraws it, drops the
grain into the opening and carefully
smooths down the sand. Resuming his
seat. all the assembled chiefs light their
pipes and smoke in silence. s
If the Great Spirit condescends to an
swer the prayer of the medicine man,
as generally happens, the grain Of corn
will sprout and send forth a shoot.
After an interval of fifteen or twenty
minutes the sand seems disturbed at
the spot where the corn was buried.
Soon slender light green blades of
sprouting corn appear above the sur
face. The plant rises naturally and
rapidly during the day.
By the next sunrise the silk and tas-
sci appear. BY noo the ear and stalk
have reached full maturity.
Then ripenfng begins. Finally the
blades and husks turn yellow and rat
tie when they are shaken by the wind.
All this, mind you. has been done in
thirty-six hours.
On the morning of the second day
the corn growing is complete. The
medicine man now addresses the
watchers, who in company have
watched" the plant grow, for it is
eve left alone. With appropriate GER
emonies he symbolizes the harvest by
stripping the ear Of it's husks.
The corn he places in the medicine
bag for future ceremonies. while the
stalk is pulled up by the roots and
hung yer the door of the lodge. The
long vigil of the watchers is now end
ed, and they seek much needed rest
and food in order to be ready for the
rain dance on the following day.
Every white man witnessing one OF
these ceremonies is deeply mystified.
Above all, he is filled with admiration
for the old medicine man. So natural
and mysterious has been the process
that the spectator feels at times dis
posed to believe in the presence of
some supernatural power.
Yet every sane person knows that
this performance has nothing unnat-
ural about it. No white man, however,
has discovered the secret. The absence
of stage paraphernalia and the crude
mechanical knowledge Of the Zunis
add TO the mystery of the whole thing.
Various theories have been advanced
in explanation. One is that some
shrewd old medicine man discovered
by accident some peculiar natural
chemical that has the power Of fore.
ing the growth of a grain of corn and
that this secret has been handed down
from n generation of priests to an
other. T@
Another favorite explanation is tina,
by great skill the medicine man is able
to hypnotic the entire circle Of spec.
tators and SO produce the result with.
out apparatus of any kind save a vel