La Junta tribune., 1915-09-11
GRAND CANYON or COLORADO,


Hosi Ind1aas Dancs Tor Rain, aad
Mako 0ooa-0ganAsur and In.
nsaslsy q Orand Caayoa.
A little while ago the Hopi Indi-
ans. at their village about two miles
away. held what they called = Gu
chino dance for the purpose Of bring
ing rain. Il was = gala day with
them and equal TO . circus day. The
village was full Of visitors and every
body was dressed In their best. which
among these people. means especial
ly bright colors. The audience.
therefore, which was mostly seated
on the housetops, was quite . sight
In itself. The dance was participat-
ed In by twenty-seven Indians. twen-
ty-one Of them dancers. four dressed
as Indian maidens. and two old
priests In blue overalls who continu-
ally sprinkled corn meal on the dane
ers and the ground and also called
time like the old dancing masters,
but In their native tongue. The
four dressed rs maidens provided
the music. or at least that is what Il
WAS supposed to be. They did Il
with notched sticks and boxes and
shoulder blade bones Of q sheep.
The dancers wore doubie-faced
masks. probably two feet high and
eighteen inches vide. made Of heavy
pasteboard. and painted with their
symbols In bright colors and also
decked out with turkey and eagle
feathers aad grasses. They also
had several large necklaces Of tur-
quoiss. shells. beads. coral. hammer
cd silver. etc. Their bodies and
arms aad lower limbs were hare and
paistsd In bright colors. and they
had small leather aprons painted and
decorated With native jsweiry and
large hrlgAt sashss and bslts and reg
ulaf. uDD0DooG Each had ~ empty
tesoD6o sAe1l tisd o. he right lsg
eoataiaias so4stAing 70 naks Il
nstls whsa tasy walked - dancsd.
- alss - : saall ossea saaAls
vtssb ~ eAsph elesQe cossiassl-
b. Thsy ~ thsls 1aasiag h .
snail court, peosahly fIftssa N flfly
feet In dimsasloas. TAsy did not
dance like white people. but siaDly
prancsd arousd In lias and thea
stood seill and danced with one foot
By raising Il and lowering Il on the
ground. the tortise she'll and gourd
ratties all keeping time 70 their con.
tinuous weird chant. They kept
this up for some thirty or forty min.
utes and then filed hack 70 their Kiva
or lodge chambers and rested. and
ate and raak for about the saoe
lsagth Of time. Thea they went at
it aeaia.
They began daaeias e slaslDe -
kept II ~ untii sunset, and II that
tine bad sins OF ten ssparsts dances.
u some Of which tAsy brought all
kinds Of fruit. vegetables, asd other
satables. dspositins thsn II Tie Geo.
tss Of ths dancing spacs Tor awhile
and thsa givisg then away 70 their
fFlsads aad The ehildrsn. TIE whole
perfoe0ance was Q very lotoeosting
sight 70 The stranger. aad u rsin was
what. they were really dsaciag for.
they got Il good and plenty the fol.
lowing day. Their lodge rooms. or
Kivas. are always uadsr ground and
about twelve fest BY twenty-five feet
In dimsssions. With Q hole In the
roof and . woodsa ls1dsr % which
10 descesd.
Just . few ds,s after the dance
we made ~ . larry Of swo auto loads
and went 10 the Grand Csayon Of
the Colombo. iIO miles by roadway.
but only forty.five miles across the
dsssst By trail. We reached Orsnd
View. fifteen miles from n Tovar.
the same evsaisg. In time 70 see .
bsautifuI sunsst and GET our first
view Of the canyos. which 10 IN In.
msass crsvics dovn In The level mesa
sad not ~ among The mountains %
I had' always inaglnsd. Il 10 thlr.
tsea miles vide asd sons three hua.
drs1 nilss loas. aad ~ you eaaset
~ Il unsll within . ven few test of
u Il ehss su1lsaly buFsls upoa
yeus vIeW = Ill ~ graadeus. IL.
oeasley. esleslsg. ss1 swfulssss. ~
yoe1 ~ Deves q vef1s 70 lescsibs
- bsush - palat. WjtA ~ eelssias
evos GAoas1a0. ed . oew visw fFo0
evosy ~ - ~ IN - basla. ~
e1no1y oeaol = ave aa1 a1mlsatleo
~ ~ DeeAlag. NJ wes1s 90 -.
eoeooe \ - esoeess yeus 1ssllnOD q
~ . tlos.