The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1902-09-09
STILL WORSHIP FIRE.
Savages in the United States Who
Stick to Old Belief.
ZunI Indians Create Combustion
with Strange Mechanism After
the Manner of Australian
Blacks.


Some of the methods still pursued by
savage races at the opening of the
twentieth century for producing fire
are very interesting, says the Chicago
American.
The Zuni Indians of North America
use an agave stick with sand to help
the friction.
In the National museum at Washing
ton is a collection of objects illustra-
tive of fire worship on the American
continent.
One article is a sort of fire pump,
utilized by the onondagos at the feast
of the White Dog, at which a white
dog is sacrificed. This tool utilizes
the mechanism of the pump drill for
making the point Of stick revolve
rapidly in another piece of wood, thus
obtaining ignition. 1t resembles the
apparatus in vogue among the Austria
liam blacks.
The Hindoos, by the way, have sim
liar sacred fire drill, by means of which
they make fire nine times each day
for nine days at periodical festival.
The Hupa Indians of California are re-
markedly expert firemakers. With
couple of simple sticks of soft mes
quite wood they can produce fire in
ten seconds.
The dwarfs of the Andaman islands
of the Indian ocean until quite recent
ly did not know how to make fire. On
one of the islands of the archipelago
is an active volcano, frGm which they
were accustomed formerly to obtain
fresh supplies Of fire at intervals. Spe-
cial expeditions for this purpose were
not often necessary, inasmuch as they
knew how to keep the fire smodering
in decayed wood for an indefinite
length Of time. They believe in purf-
cation by fire. and to this end they
literally wash themselves in it. The
feats they perform with it far exceed
the most wonderful act of fire-eating
and fire-handling accomplished by civ
ilized iugglers. Their fire festival is
a periodical institution, and in prepar-
alton for it gigantic heap of dry wood
is gathered from the desert.
At the appointed moment the great
pile of inflammable brush is lighted,
and in few moments the whole of it
is in one blaze. A stream of sparks
flies 100 feet or more in the air, and
ashes fall about like a shower of snow.
The ceremony always takes place at
and impressive.
Just when the fire is raging at its
hottest whistle is heard from the
outer darkness, and a dozen warriors,
1.-the and lean, dressed in narrow white
breech cloths and moccasins, are
daubed with white earth, so as to look
like so many living statues, come
bounding through the center of the
corral that encloses the flaming heap. !
Yelping like wolves, they move toward !
the fire, bearing aloft slender wands, |
tipped with balls of eagle down. Run
ming down the fire, always to the left,
they begin thrusting their wands to-
ward the fire to burn off the down from
the tips.
This done, another performance fol-
lows. 1t is heralded by tremendous !
blowing of horns. Ten or more men
run into the corral, each Of them carry
ing two thick bundles of shredded |
cedar bark Four times they run
around the fire, waving the bundles,
which are then lighted Now begins
a wild race around the fire, the rapid |
running causing the brands to throw
out long streamers of flame over the
hands and arms of the dancers.
The latter apply the brands to their
own nude bodies and to the bodies of
their comrades in front. A warrior
will seize the flaming mass as if it
were a sponge, and, keeping close to
the man he is pursuing, will rub his
back with it, as if bathing him. The
sufferer in his turn catches up with
the man in front of him and battles
him in flame. From time to dancers
sponge their own backs with the fam
ing brands. The spectators pick up
the flaming lunches thus dropped and
battle their own hands in the fire.