The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1902-01-31
z;,DNi HjSDIAN MAGIC.
ApERfORMAscE THAT PUZZLES Al
w4o NuTNEss II. sS

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mess Mango Growing Trick 81 me
nlnaoos-&eIenkists: Arr. unnhle e
+ sslve the AiystsrS. III
Nearly everybody has beard Of and
wondered At the mango growing trick
Of the Hindpo. By which he makes 2
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 Zuhi 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 Il haye
been made. as a cowboy described II
to "look like 80 cents.
Preparation is made for this extraor
binary Zuni performance by spreading
a 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 firm. level surface.
Around the edges of the sand square
are then drawn. by means Of 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 bounufui
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 q fine speci-
men OF barbaric art and Is far from
displeasing to 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. whenall are in position. the
medicine man ills the ceremonial pipe
with tobacco. lights it and blows one
| pun Of smoke to the east, one TO the
west. Que to the north. one 10 the south
and two to the heavens. lie then adj
dresses those assembled. recounting the
religious history OF the tribe. its wan.
behring's and famine and the benevo-
lence OF the Great Spirit In the past
He closes with prayer forthe contin'
uance OF fatherly care.
Then he takes grain OF corn from
the medicine bag ut his waist. thrusts
\ the sacred arrow into the center OF the
sand square. withdraws II. .drops the
grain into the opening aud carefully
smooths down the sand. Resuming his
seat. all the assembled chiefs light their
pipes and smoke in silence.
lf the Great Spirit condescends TO an.
swer the prayer of the medicine man.
rs generally happens. the grain OF corn
/ will sprout and send forth 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 uDpedT. by upUh tbS SAl "bS e'~..''''
have reached full maturity.
/ Then ripenins begins. Finally the
blades aud husks turn yellow and rat
1 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 Ii, roiupany hisNe
/ ",v;sirhr,l'' The pIant grow. for i is
never left alone. With appropriate Ger
| emonies lie symboizrs the harvest by
| strippin. the ear OF its husks
The corn ne places in The medicine
bag for future ceremonies. while the
stalk is pulled up by The roots and
hung over 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 mystifed
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. Que Is that some
shrewd old medicine man discovered
by accident some peculiar natural
chemical that has the power OF fore
ing the growth of grain OF corn and
that this secret has been handed down
from one generation of priests to an
other.
Another favorite explanation is that
by great skill the medicine man IL able
to hypnotic the entire circle Of spec
tators and 80 produce the result with
out apparatus OF any kind save yell
low stalk OF corn from the last bar
vest.
Others say the feat.is accomplished
BY elaborate machinery coucsalsd.in q