Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1902-03-27
El'NI INDIAN MAGIC.
a PERFORMANCE THAT PUZZLES ALL
WHO WITNESS IT.

ID
Nearly everybody has heard of and
wondered at the mango growing trick
of the llindoo, by which he makes a
seed sprout before the astonished eyes
of the European and reacl, maturity in
a very short time.
But few are aware that an equally
amazing feat is regularly performed
by the Zuni Indians OH this continent
Their medicine men Il; the annual
corn festival" do a stunt of which no
satisfactory explanation has ever been
advanced. Scientists seeing it have
been made as Il cowboy described it,
TO "lool like 30 cents"
Preparation is made for this eNtraoT-
dinary Zuni performance by spreading
n large square of clean. ycllowish sand
on the ground before the southern aper-
trre 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 Il ceremo
nial arrow, figures representing the
Great Spirit, tie earth the sun, the
sky and the rain. There are also the
symbols for corn and for bountiful
harvest
The indentations made by the arrow
are then filled i'll 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 fine speci-
men of barbaric art and is far from
to a civilized eye.
When the hour arrives, the officiating
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. Whcnall are in position, the
medicine man fills the ceremonial pipe
With tobacco. lights it and blows one
puff of smoke TO the east. one to the
west, one to the north. one to the south
and two to the heavens. He then ad
dresses those assembled rccounting the
religious history of the tribe, its wan
derings and famine and the benevo
!ence of the Great Spirit in the past.
He closes With a prayer for the contin-
uance of fathcrly 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 ii, 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.
If the Great Spirit condesccnds to an
swer the prayer of the medicine man.
as generally happens, the grain of corn
will sprout and send forth n shoot.
After an interval of fifteen or twenty
minutes the sand seems disturbed Mt
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 noon the car and stall,
have reached full maturity.
Then ripening 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
never left alone With appropriate GER
cmonies he symbolizcs 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 over the door of the lodge. The
long vigil of the watchers is now end
ed, and they seek n. b needed rest
and food in order TO he ready for the
rain dance on the following day.
Every white man witnessing one Of
these ceremonies is deeply mystitied
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 I'm 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 one generation of priests to an
other.
Another favorite explanation is that
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 yell
low stalk of corn from the last har.
vest
Others say the feat is accomplished
by elaborate machinery concealed In a
pit.
But nobody knows ezactly.-New
York Times.
Plays II Only Once.
"ln his uine," quoted an actor. "a