Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-16
FIRE CARRIER BRINGING THE
SKULL

way for fourteen years." he replied,
anxious to help. They have heard about
it, you see, and know what It Is. Inc
ordinary investigator, going among tnem
to secure information for magazine.
article they do not favor.
"But they have grasped the idea 'that
this is to be a permanent memorial OF
their race, and 1t appeals to their Imagr
nation. Word passes from tribe to trloe
about it. A tribe that have visited ana
studied let's another tribe know that after
the present generation has passed away
men will know from his record what they
were like and what they did. and the sec
ond tribe doesn't want to be- left out.
Tribes that / won't reach for four or
five years yet have sent me word asking
me to come and see them. Where they
haven't hit upon the idea themselves
suggest it to them. say. Such and
SUCH a tribe will be in this record and
you won't. Your children will try to find
you In it and won't be able and they Will
think you didn't amount to anything az
ALL while the other tribe will be thought
to be big people.
Il * >..s
There was old Black Eagle. an ASSN
niboine, ninety years old, who had all his
life refused to talk about his nation to
white men. At last he became convinced
and he unbent and gave me a great
amount of valuable information. Nothing
less than such a plan as this would ever
have made him talk.
1.-THE key to penetrating the Indians
reserve and making him talk confiden-
TALLY is to get into his religious and
devotional life Before you can get him
to talk on such subjects you must reach
a point where you can discuss his religion
with him on even termS-not merely ask
him questions about it: That is q most
vestigators it is the last thing 10 take
UP. I made It the first thing, because 1
realized that it was the key to all the
rest.
az couldn't make pictures OF their
religious ceremonies unless I entered into
their inner life and understood 1t from
their standpoint. not merely as an out
side spectator. In order to make them
talk about it I have to make a study Of
comparative religions, and when ] meet
them 1 must be able to bring them q
basis for discussion-nOt,. remind you
again, mere questioning, but discussion,
conversation, argument.
1T I find man who won't talk even
after all this have way which seldom
fails. I begin talking to him about the
religion Of another tribe: or perhaps it is
his own. but pretend that 1t is another.
In the course Of my tar, purposely
make some theological error. It frritates
him. why, that isn't So he blurts out,
and before he knows 1t he is telling me
why it isn't so and going on to other
points In his creed.
1T isn't merely a matter Of going
through one tribe and coming away full
Of information about it. 1 began my
work among the Pueblos thirteen year,
ago and haven't yet published the volume
that is to deal with them. ] go to them.
study some village, go away and return
to study another.
THE Pueblos have a tremendous de-
votional. or rather ceremonial life. and
they are secretive about it above most
Indians. 1t is an aggregation Of secret
orders. and one order will have no knowI-
edge of what occurs in another fraternity.
So after You have got a thorough kpoXl-