The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-02-09
MADE INDIANS MAD
sAvAoEs' STRONG OBJECTION TO
BEING PHOTOGRAPHED.
Woman Tells Of Trip to Ancient City
Of Taos Which Seems to Have
Been Highly ENeltlng-saw
Feast and Dance.

During a journey through the prac-
tlcally unknown Southwest somebody
suggested that go TO the ancient city
Of Taos for the feast of San Geronimo,
Mrs. @. Il. Miller writes In Leslle's.
"You won't find photographlng these
Indians an easy Job, but II you sue
ceed you will get something interest
ing" Taos Is the ancient pueblo
about eighty miles from Santa Fe, and
reached by Il highway which Is only a
trail over stony mesa.
Somebody called out that the dance
was at the south pueblo and there was
Il rush across the logs which served us
bridges over the little stream which
runs through the reservation. There
we found perhaps hundred Indians
wrapped in white muslin robes and
carrying branches Of trees in their
hands. They were making II weird
noise and llmplng up and down as they
marched around the pueblo. II was
a strange scene. The movement of
their bodies was slight but the ex'
preston on their faces and the low
cultural utterances showed suppressed
emotion, and suddenly directly In front
of where / was standing one Of the
older warriors fell TO the ground In
an epileptlc fit. He was at once car
rled into the pueblo and the medicine
man summoned. The dancers, how.
ever, were not disturbed and the un-
canny performance went on for 10
minutes longer.
This was merely the prologue to
the feast Of the morrow. The foot
races were hotly contested by the
young braves of the two pueblos. The
participants were naked except for
kilt about the lOins and were deco
rated with feathers in their hair, on
their arms and their ankles. The race
Is run in a peculiar fashion. When
the judges give the word two men dart
from the course nearest the pueblo and
run swiftly to the other end. The in
stant the leader reaches a certain
stone at the end of the course another
man Of his clan takes up the race and
rushes past him on the home stretch.
This is kept up until all the contest
ants have had trial-the final victory
being a victory for the clan and not
for the individual runner. The pu-
eblo winning the race is entitled to
keep the statue of st. Geronimo for
the following year.
Early in the afternoon the Indian
clowns, known as the delight makers,
rush suddenly from the pueblos. Their
faces and naked bodies are smeared
with paint and their hair entwined
with corn husks. Nothing is sacred to
their touch and they viii steal fruit
from vendors wagon and perhaps
after taking a mouthful spit it at some
visitor. They object to being photo
graphed, and when one saw me in the
act Of taking his picture he came at
me with a rush, yelling in savage
fashion. / was sitting on log, and
he sat down beside me so close that
narrowly escaped falling off. He yelled
and gesticulated, but l sat perfectly
still and pretended not to see him. The
man who had sold me my permit came
up behind and said something. Finally
he left, but all during the afternoon
whenever 1 attempted to take a pic
ture dirt was thrown at me and all
the curses known to their savage ira
ditions were wished on me. The de-
light makers beat tin pans at horses
and caused several runaways, and
frightened children almost into spasms.