Here and there in his ceremonials it is possible to 

 catch a glimpse of the soul of the Indian. His instinct 

 for worship, groping in the darkness for the unknown 

 god, can be seen in the background of his crude but 

 romantic rites. This is especially true in the case of 

 the Pawnee sacrifice to the morning star, the thunder 

 ceremony, the purification of the sacred bundles, and 

 the ritualistic setting of the many altars which are 

 illustrated in the various halls. Other collections 

 portray clearly the life and the culture of Indians 

 of the Great Plains and the Indian tribes of Arizona, 

 Mexico and California. The Hopi Group is especially 

 well staged. They are seen at home busily preparing 

 food, weaving, basket making, etc., giving an impres- 

 sion of industry which is, perhaps, in excess of the 

 truth in actual life. Hopi dolls are much in evidence. 

 A Hopi bride in bridal costume looks charming, but 

 the Hopi dancers in their weird masks and barbaric 

 clothing are grotesque in the extreme. 



And yet, this ferocious get-up has a distinct signifi- 

 cance. Wherever, north, south, east or west, are found 

 tribes in the earlier stages of development, there also 

 will be found the symptoms of a vague indefinite, yet 

 very real, sense of fear clutching at their hearts. 

 Their idols and their worship of them invariably 

 reflect this subconscious terror of the unknown. 

 When, for the purpose of their ceremonials, they put 

 aside their own personalities, they generally clothed 

 themselves in garments and masks which were calcu- 

 lated to produce in their neighbors and their enemies 

 the ever-present sense of fear that lurked just below 

 the surface in their own lives. The Museum is partic- 

 ularly rich in exhibits of such emblems. The masks of 



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