The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-10-04
RAIN GODS OF INDIANS
Harvard Has Specimen of
NavajOs' Sand Pictures.
THROUGH GENERATIONS
Legend of the Tribe a Most
interesting One.

Cambridge, Mass, Oct. 3.-Many of the
recent visitors to the Peabody Museum Of
Harvard university stop with particular
curiosity before a case that has only
lately been ADDED 10 the Indian collection
and contains a reproduction Of one Of the
sand pictures made by present day Nava-
jos in ceremony at which one OF the
MUSEUM staff had the good fortune TO be
present. What the visitor sees. however,
on looking down through the glass case,
appears rather as a puzzle than as a bit
of original American art reproduced year
after year by memory from some remote
period whose date cannot be definitely
settled. The picture represents the four
rain gods. one for each of the cardinal
points Of the compass and. Il the draw
ing itself is almost amusingly archaic,
the color treatment Of the figures and the
various symbols that surround them. IS
Well as the decorative effect of the com
position as whole. does no small credit
TO the poor Indian" as a designer and
poster artist.
IN this picture the four rain gods. rec
osnizable to the Indian and the ethnolo-
gist as being Of the sterner sex on &C
count of the round masks they wear, are
depicted as coming from a southern
cloud. blue in color which rises in turn
from a black. white and yellow line sny-
& ooliZing the north east. and west The
god Of the north wind IS black: Of the
south wind blue; Of the west wind, vel
low; and of the east wind. white. Each
god carries q highly decorated tobacco
pouch. containing also a ray Of the sun
with which he Is suppo ed to light his
pipe-and the combination Of the sun
vi the rain. which the Indian magma
ton pictured the gods as sending. is SYM
bolized by the rainbow colors. red and
blue. decorating the tobacco bags From
the left hand of each figure hangs a
water bottle, a natural emblem of his
Office. while around the north. west. and
south sides of the picture IS the rainbow,
personified by goddess. decorated with
the square mask by which the Indians
differentiste their female from their male
deities
Curious however. as is this bit Of Amer
lean symbolism, the method by which
the Indians paint" their sand picture is
even more interesting. The picture is only
one Of several used in the nine days
on. New Mexico. not far from Pueblo
Bonito. The Harvard scientist who wit
messed the ceremony was not invited TO
view il as a scientist, but r. her a a
temporarily adopted member of a small
Indian village with whose members h
had ingratiated himself not only by tact
fully concealing any too "civilized in
terest in their proceedings. but also by
adopting the Indian dress and Indian
manners. The ceremony was held prit
marily TO cure two Navajo Indians. one
OF whom had lost his voice in boyhood
through breaking the tribal law by max
ing mask Of one of the gods and dane
ing in It. and the other woman afflicted
with general bodily weakness. Neithee
was cured-a fact. however. that could
be easily accounted for on the ground
that the gods were unwilling and need
not be counted against the inherent medi-
cine of their sand nkenesses.
The sand picture which exists from
ear TO year only in the memory Of the
medicine man. or shaman. who directs
its making was drawn" on the floor Of
q sacred hut especially constructed for
tho purpose. its doorway carefully facing
the east. from which direction. the Indian
belief H. no evil spirit need be expected.
The medicine man whose professional
fee amounted to several sheep and horses.
had as his advisers and memory assist
ants overall old men # the tribe who
had participated in the painting" Of
many a former sand picture. These men
sat together at one side Of the hut and