The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-12-23
LETTER FROM ARIZONA.
A Southern Lady's Experience In
Teaching q. s. Government Schoof
in the Far. and Gus
toms OF the Red Man.

Teaching U. s. Government Schod
in the Far. i.West-Manners and Cu,
toms of the Red Man.
|. CONTINUED FROM ISSUE DEC. IND. ]
The Moquis, or Mokis, and the Hopi
are one and the same tribe of Indians
They used to be called the Moquis al
toe ether. but of late years are frequent
ly known as Hopis, which lat
ter name they much prefer, as tha
means NEW, and they say they art
new Indians now.
AS there were four or five other EN-
ployees like myself, who 'had beer
in the service but for q few months
and consequently were entitled to only
about ten days vacation, we decided
to take ours about the time of the
Snake Dances, when we could spend
the time with friends employed as
teachers in the day schools in the diff
ferent Indian villages, and thus have
an opportunity of witnessing these
dances.
So on the morning of the 18th oI
August, six or eight of the teachers
male and female, and member of the
staff Of the st. Louis Globe Democrat
after having rugged up two of the gov
ernment vehicles aud packing every
available space with telescopes, dress
suit cases, band boxes, etc, struck oul
for Palacco, all Indian village. some
fifteen miles from Keams Canyon
where one of the day schools is. estab'
lished. Although nearly the whole
di. lnce was through deep sand with
only occasiona ly tree in sight, the
drive was quite pleasant-much more
50 than we usually find it driving
along our wooded roads in South Caro-.
lima at that season of the year, as there
is almost always pretty strong breeze
stirring in this open country, and as q
protection against the hot sun, our
blacksmith had fitted up nice frame
for one brake and covered it with two
navy blue blankets.
Arriving at our destination about /
o'clock we found a number of other
parties who had gone into camp, but
we were met by the jolly principal OF
the school, his wife and the matron,
who gave us hearty welcome and as
signed us quarters in their cottage.
After refreshing ourselves we were in.
vited to partake of good substantial
dinner-more like Southern cooking
than any I have eaten since 1 have
been out west, though these ladies are
from Michigan and Oregon. At meals
we met a great many strangers, and
while the most of the visitors were
served with meals. only those who
were from the Canyon-our crowd
were furnished lodging. 1t seemed as
if every class or phase of society was
here represented. There were at least
one hundred white visitors at this, the
first dance, hailing from almost every
section of the union. with one old pro-
fessor from the University of Oxford,
in England.
Among them were artists, photo
graphers, newspaper men, M. d., D.
Ds., LIDS, professors OF music, and
various apologies, with goodly number
of tourists of the regulation stripe,
men and women bent on seeing all
there was to be seen. Some Of them
evidently possessed of more money
than self-respect-people who acted as
if they thought that because they were
somewhat beyond the pale of civiliza.
ton, they were privileged to out-do
the uncivilized Indian in dress and
manners.
These people had travelled over land
from the nearest railroad station, dis.
tance of seventy-five or eighty miles,
sleeping in wagons or out on the
sand, and at very considerable ex.
pense, just to witness this unique per.
formance and yet some of them were
disposed to kick because they
were required to pay the Indians a
dollar to witness it.. :..
Heretofore it has been free, but this
year the Snake men got after the In.
spector, who came out here from
Washington this summer, to allow
them to charge all strange white Wis
itors $l.00 to come into the village dur.
ing the progress of the dance, and dol.
lar extra from those having cameras to
take views of the dance, but this did
not apply to any of the government
employees.
The Moqui Indians are divided into
two cans-the Antelopes and the
Snake men. They all regard the snake
as sacred, kind of intermediate
deity, who carries messages to their
gods, and hence they have no feal
even of the rattle snake.
None of them who have not come
under the influence of the teachings
of the white man or who still cling tc
their. heathenish beliefs, will kill any
kind Of q snake.
Last spring some of the school chill
dren found q hole in which were
quite number of different kinds o
snakes and one of the employees made
them kill them snd throw them in the
fire. When this fact reached the vii
lagos from ten to twenty miles away
great crowds of the Indians came ir
and made complaint to Mr.. Burton
the superintendent at this place, anC
stood around all day bewailing the cir
cumstance and would not leave or b,
reconciled to it, until the snperintend
ent assured them that he did not orde
it done or know of it.
There are great many ceremonial
dances practiced by these Indians dur
ing the year, and all of them hav,
some reference to their crops and th'
rains, but the snake dance il the mos
important.
During the month of August of eacf
year this dance is performed in one O
the other of two of their villages, al
ternating between the two.
These Indians locate their Villages
on top OF the MEsAs, which are i'm
mense rock ridges rising hundred O
more feet, almost perpendicular, abov,
the sandy plain below and are reached
only by the most tortuous winding
through and among the broken ant
ragged ledges of rock.