| Show THE ZUNI INDIANS 1 1 1 kiwy new mexico I 1 july tilly 22 editor deseret mews news I 1 arrived in thia this peculiar pecullar place yesterday and have been beeri very much interested since my arrival ini in viewing the nights sights of 0 the indian village and a few of my observations ahi may prove interesting to some bome of your many readers the zuni valley is a very nice level place miles in extent surrounded by low hillsand hill sand in some places high mesas Me aab sab aas the village is jar situated on onali a hill illin in the centre of the valley the houses built of dark many of them two stories high or rather one house built on top of another the en entrance trance to many of them being by descending through a hole in the top by mean meau mean a ladder adder the houses are all flat on top poles being laid across crosat then ben willows and covered w with th dirt there it not much dan danger gerof gerot of being burned outtie streets are very narrow and crooked in some places passing under the houses emerging again J into i n to open courts and narrow lanes or bt streets I 1 am also informed they have bave underground der ground passage passages s leading from one house to another used in former times as modes of or defense tacked by more warlike tribes in the centre of the town is nn un old jesuit Je stilt stitt cathedral about loo feet in length with two twofold old oid bells still sur cur mounting the top this building wilding is supposed to be about years old oid and is much decayed being now used to house donkeys iri ill the village ri umbers about inhabitants and ret their water out of or one well tha the well weil a about twelve feet in diameter eil dil circular cu walled up with rock and aa has hag steps le leading adini down to it it cut in the earth this thib morning was amused to 0 see eee the number ol 01 carrying water in large crocks dra gracefully cerulli balanced on the top ol 01 their heads This people are quite democratic in their form of government the massof the people elect aJ Council of ten men abdi and these bese ten tile then n elea elect a guver Gover ng and they then appoint nil all su subordinate bordina t a officers nass necessary e vy the they never elect a man to the council wiio who hns hns has ever been known way to anger or exhibit temper lie h e must be a model man according to their idena ideas they are a great people for foot fool horse dancing and are very ivery tenacious in holding tf iq the tho belief of they are very virtuous they have liever been known n ban to mii mik mix with white men there is ngi not a half halt breed in n the place lace one singularity i is there are arb arba a few Albin Alb aib inoes bes among alm them hair hak a as white as white wool skin shin ivery avery very white te eyes very weak weik they can ean cannot not bear the light ilg there are ard only or nive five of th these s e I 1 believe eve in the village thise tima own numbers of sheep donkeys and some horses they farm considerable tand and have a becu d 1 U lar liar jar method of bf farming which lyna lyka I 1 have ve not time at present to describe they make c crockery ro ware waro 0 of f a very peed peculiar 11 a r kind considerably ornamented also i make quite guite anum berof ornaments out of clay frogs figures to represent mexicans etc the mexican figure figures ii are quite quito amusing molook haf at chavel I 1 have bought ohie ofie one of them bopre to preserve as is a 6 reminder of yV IsIt as well weil dellaa dis ris being wing quite a curiosity they also make blankets saddles and many ot other othen her hen things and mrk some in ey were logs for roofs roods lat jat apt evening and daeing being accustomed to work in wood I 1 A asked gig one of them to allow me to use his drawing knife I 1 took hoid hold of it but was soon glad to hand it baby it rather got away with me much to their amusement andi and andl I 1 enjoyed the fun fan aa as much as they did I 1 think they manufactured the knife thom selves when they want rain they have a big dance they had one a few days ago and yesterday it rained unmercifully ci giving us a good soaking in journeying here they think their dance brought the rain if so 60 1 I would have preferred their waiting wailing a day or two and thereby saved us its a soaking there are only three white men located in the place nir air benley the government officer as well as presbyterian by terlan terian minister or missionary lie he keeps a school here which he tells me is very poorly attended by the ch children ildron and religiously they hae haye not been able to make any impression upon them one of the indians asked me if I 1 was a mormon I 1 told him yes ha he seemed pleased hel hei holdout held heid dout out his hand r sald aid said he was a 11 mormon Nl ormon and that ammon tinney baptized him this is the place where so many were healed of the smallpox under the ministration of elder eider Harris sand tiley entertain a kind feeling towards our cur people in spite of all tile the influences brought to bear against us the other white men keep a store here and trade with the indians tills tribe is harmless have never been beon known to interfere with anyone and have never received any support from the government except keeping a school here for their benefit perhaps if they had killed a number ol of whites and cost the government half a million of dollars to whip them into info subjection they would have been paid like other tribes to keep them quiet they are entirely self sustaining and believe in keeping three years bread on hand and I 1 am told that some of them have this much supply on hand band at present they me nie very hospitable a gentleman who wiio has resided here three years says when horse racing running or dancing I 1 have never known them to quarrel their troubles are submitted to a council to decide in haste amram |
