The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1914-01-01

IN secret lodges n L ground.
No outsider is ever permitted to
witness these and tn cir charac-
ter a only be surmised from the
dances that take place in the plazas.
DR.. Herbert j. Spinden, of the Ameri-
can Museum of Natural History, has
recently returned from a four months
s~ojourn among the Pueblo Indians Of
the Upper Rio Grande. lie was espe-
cially interested in the Tewa Indians,
as his studies on this trip were almost
wholly chronological, and the rich myth
ology Of the Tewas offered him a mine
of material.
Not All War Dances.
Most persons think of those dances
of the Indians which were really var
dances as being the only ones which
were practised," said DR.. Spinden. AS
a matter of fact there are numerous
dances, extremely interesting and very
old, in which women as well as men
participate and which have nothing to
do with warfare. Few of these are
wholly social, although some of them
LdNo tHdt ClCLlChI. ldCtiNdby III vi
them have a religious origin and to-
day retain a religious significance.
The Tewas are a simple, agricul-
tural people and their homes are doubt
less the Oldest of any in the United
States.
when the Spanish came they con-
verted the Indians to the Roman Cath
Ollie religion, and nominally these In
dams are still Catholics"
But while many of the Tewas re-
tain many Of the beliefs and ceremo-
MES of the Catholic religion, they com
bine with them many Of the myths
and ~observances of the religion that
a~ntedated their acceptance of the
Christian. 1t was because of the early
opposition Of the Catholic priests to
this adherence to the old rites and Gus
toms that the people sought secret
places under ground in which to prac-
tice them. And, although the neces-
sity for the secrecy has passed, they
still hold these secret meetings. have
dances that no white man has ever
see and keep up other traditions with
a consistency and seclusion incompre-
hensible to men of a different race
Some white men say they have pen
etrated to these underground lodges
and have seen what was done there,
but DR.. Spinden does not believe that
they have ever been present at the
carefully guarded ceremonies. The
most that they have done is to see the
vacant or perhaps some dance OF
no great significance. So cautious are
they tIat when there is to be one OF
these important conclaves at one OF
the villages an Indian is sent with a
roll of cloth to cover the windows and
doors of the house in which the teach
er, who Is much loved and respected
lives In order that she may not see
anything that goes on. OF course she
Is not permitted to go put of the house
Formerly some one was left on guard
but they trust her now sufficiently to
content themselves with fastening VI
aer house. Any stranger who was In
the neighborhood would be jealousy
watched lest he should get any inklina
VI NudI WCnb VII III thC uhucISIOuQ
room.
Wear Masks.
These lodges always contain an al
tar, and although most OF them seen
to have no connection with the out
side world except the obscure en-
trance, they have a splendid system o
ventilation The participants In these
underground dances are always
masked.
While the American (whom they cal
The red neck, not the white man, b,
the way,J may not penetrate to the IN
d~erground chambers and witness thu
most sacred dances. he may see In TIT
plaza Dances al great variety and in
terest, deeply significant. each one