Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-03-09
ISLETA INDIANS.
They Amused Good Crowd Yesterday
with the Second Acsquia Dance,
FUNERAL DURING PROCEEDINGS.

seers and friends of the Pueblos. In
dams from the Apache, Navajo and
Laguna tribes were guests of peacea-
BILE inhabitants of the adobes, whom
they robbed and ~overpowered in the
days of hardships and strife.
Although the village may have APP
peared to assume a spirit of gaiety and
revelry to the uninitiated, 1t was not
SO to the Indian in any respect. These
dances, in which they offer prayer to
the great spirit to send them water,
that they may have good crops and a
golden harvest, are very sacred and
solemn.
At first sight, from a distance, there
is little to attract the favorable atten-
ton of the Caucasian; a huge collec-
ton of small adobes, without a sign of
life. Sunshine, silence and adobes
meets the curious gaze. But as n
draws nearer the unique and ancient
architecture, the quaint ovens and
neat arrangement of the small. clean
courts are viewed with admiration.
The first evidences of the dance was
the sudden appearance on the
house tops of six yelling In
dians, clad in white cotton, richly
decorated with sashes of bright colors,
their faces made hideous by facial dec
orations of black and white. Banishing
their long whips in the air, they pene-
trated the atmosphere with soul-stir-
ring yells. They disappeared as mys-
teriously as they appeared. A lew
minutes of quietness and they would
appear on another house top in the
vicinity of the plaza. This was kept
up until every Indian in the village
knew his fate If he did not attend the
dance. These six grotesque and grim
beings, whose faces were rendered
more CHASTITY and appalling by the
bright rays of the SUM-, were the chief
of the dance ceremonies. 1t was their
duty to see that everyone attended the
dance. If anyone refused there vas
fun for the spectators. By this time
the tops of the seemingly colorless
house were lined with Indians wrapped
in red and brilliant colored blankets.
The dOorways and front of the house
were filled with the figures that stood
ings. The conventional and accus-
toned garb of the American added
a peculiar shade or tint to this pictur-
esque sight. The dance was the occa-
sion of the visit and it was for the
dance that everyone waited patiently
to see. From out of the council cham
bers came the men, n having formed
a long line. keeping step to the odd
sounds being pounded out of an equal
ly odd and antiquated drum, they were
Joined by the women The costumes
we're very elaborate and p~rofusely
adorned by bright colored sashes and
they were especially lavish in their
silver jewelry. Stepping in a circle to
the tapping of the drum, they sent a
mystical, strange chant into the heav
ems. At times ii reached a pitch OF
shrillness which caused a SILVER tc
visit the spinal column. Their gesticu
lations were as fantastic and peculiar
as the articulations were mysterious
The singular sight was very interest
ing to the crowd of Americans from
Albuquerque, and ii was especially fas
cinating to those that had a Gamers
concealed under their arm, wrapped
In a newspaper to represent a lunch
'iSx. If an Indian had been fortunate
= enough TO see a snap, there surely
would have followed a breaking up in
the photograph business.
Across the plaza came the six dance
chiefs, dragging an Indian, who had
taken too much of the elixir of over
enjoyment, and had refused to dance.
Into the %acequia," yelled some one,
and the crowd nearly broke the record
in reaching the scene in time to see
the ducking. The chiefs dragged theil
sittihh oNtl inc Sdhu anu SldNtl, Wutl
they reached the ditch, they lifted hin
high over their heads and he dropped
with a splash into the muddy water.
Well, is would not be proper to max
a Photographic record of his language
which was English all right, the pre-
family alphabet of the Indian Language
was not sufficient to express his view
on the subject. He was not only wet
but muddy, and far from sober. Every
one took care to keep out of his way
as his anger was running over. n
sooner had the crowd returned to tn
plaza thar the bells of the church @
three centuries began to toll mourn
fully, and as the crowd gazed towar
the old building, there came forth