AT ZUffl AND MOQUI PUEBLOS. 91 



remain to guide the future student in his researches on the 



D 



indigenous or aboriginal religion of the southwest. 



The primitive forms of religious observances which char- 

 acterize these people and which have persisted up to the 

 present are rapidly suffering great modifications, and unless 

 efforts are made to record them permanently, in a gener- 

 ation or two they will be so much modified that the diffi- 

 culty in distinguishing the ancient from the modern will 

 be greatly increased. Without reflecting upon the excellent 

 work which has already been accomplished in this direc- 

 tion it may be said that so much yet remains to be recorded 

 that the field is almost a terra incognita. There is there- 

 fore a call for prompt action to secure the largest possible 

 series of accurate observations of the religious ceremonials 

 practised by these peoples before it is too late, and before 

 the ceremonial habits of the race have been so changed 

 that such records are impossible. 



Of the several tribes of pueblo Indians, in New Mexico 

 and Arizona, possibly the least modified in the particular 

 which we are considering are the Moquis and the Zunians. 

 The former are the more primitive ; the latter more easy 

 of access. The present paper deals more especially with 

 the latter, but references are not wanting to similar cere- 

 monials observed among the former. 



In the present state of our knowledge of the religion of 

 the pueblos it is well to have some adequate even if didac- 

 tic description of the ceremonies which are practised by 

 them. It is therefore thought desirable to publish an ac- 

 count of those portions of the ceremonials which can be 

 seen by all. A proper interpretation of those events is un- 

 doubtedly of still greater importance, but what is most 

 needed at the present time is a trustworthy record of the 

 observances as now practised. This article simply con- 

 siders the events in a series of ceremonials as witnessed 



