Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-02-04

ment most pleasing.
The homes were built of sandstone
carefully pecked into shape with 6
stone hammer made of river boul-
der. This was laid up in mud
mortar, and sometimes tiny stones
were stuck into the soft mud of the
courses, creating q decorative ef-
feet. The whole family worked on
the house, and prints of their hands
are still perceptible In areas pro-
tected from rain. The men dressed
the stone and laid it up, the women
patted the courses and pressed in
the small stones, and fat babies
| playing about tried to emulate their
parents by pressing their tiny hand
prints into the wet mud, too. The
interiors Of some of the houses were
plastered with the reddish mud and
very often decorated in white clay
with borders of interesting design.
Roofs were made by cutting cedar
poles about inches in diameter, and
before the day of metal axes this was
not an easy task. 1t was done partly
by laying the poles across a fire,
burning them at the proper point
and then hacking away at the char
red portion with stone ak. These
poles were laid across the top Of
the walls. At right angles to these,
smaller reeds were set close together,
covered with strips of cedar bark
and then a layer of mud. Very often
one room was built on top Of another
and the process was repeated until
the roof OF the cave was reached.
Each ground floor room had a fire.
place in the corner and many Of
them had small shelves or cubby
holes In the walls which were formed
by the stone contour. Behind the
houses were storage rooms for corn,
dried fruits and vegetables. At one
end there was usually turkey run
turkeys being kept for their feathers
rather than to be eaten. Very often
there was spring at the rear OF the
cave which furnished drinking water
for the whole community.
In addition to the art Of weaving
which they had inherited from their
ancestors, these people excelled in
creating beautifully decorated pot
terry. This was made of the usual
clay base, covered with a grayish
white slip and decorated in black on
the white. The result was very ef-
Nctive bowl or mug which was con-
stantly in use
These people had a highly de-
veloped religious life. The kiva, an
underground ceremonial room, was
the meeting place for the men of the
village and also the place where all
the religious and communal affairs
were held. The construction of this
room and the ceremonies held there
must have been highly developed at
that time and they have continued
right down to the present day in
Indian villages of the Rio Grande,
where ceremonials are still held at
various times of the year.
In this atmosphere hundreds Of
people lived happily for many gen.
erations. They were unusually safe
in their protected caves, and the
crops which they grew and the
abundant small game in the area
kept them we'll supplied with food.
AS long as the rains came at the
right intervals and the crops could
be safely stored for the winter, all
was well. The story goes that 23-
year drought finally drove them from
their homes into the river valleys to
the south, where they formed the
villages that persist to this day. The
story of their devotion to their
homes, their love of the creative arts
and their appreciation of beauty is
an inspiration to all of us who too
often think of America as being
without permanent homes until
after Columbus discovered it.