322 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 184 
POPULATION INCREASE 
But suicide was not to be the fate of the Sia, although it was liter- 
ally true, I believe, as these observers judged, that they would indeed 
have perished in their home, and the home of their mothers and 
fathers, rather than move and live elsewhere. Eventually the tide 
began to turn. The figures for population provide us with the best 
index of the change. In 1880, as Bandelier noted, there were only 
92 Sias (I am not willing to accept the figure of 58, in 1881, as accurate; 
see p. 36). In 1890, the population had increased to 106. But 20 
years later it had reached only 109. After that, however, the climb 
was rapid. ‘There was an increase of 28.5 percent between 1910 and 
1920; 26.4 percent between 1920 and 1930; 32.8 percent in the 12 
years between 1930 and 1942; and over 39 percent between 1942 and 
1957. The population in 1957 was slightly more than 3.5 times as 
great as in 1880; it almost doubled between 1928, when I began my 
study of Sia, and 1957, when I did my last fieldwork there. Although 
I do not have the facts and figures to prove it, I believe it would be 
fair to say that this great increase has been due principally to a re- 
duction of infant mortality as a consequence of better medical care, 
sanitation, and nutrition. 
TRANSPORTATION 
As I have already noted (p. 81), Sia was very isolated until the 
1930’s. It was difficult for outsiders to reach the pueblo, and the 
Sia had only horses and wagons as means of transportation. The 
bridge across the river at Sia was built in 1939, and roads were built 
and improved. More people came to visit Sia and the Sia them- 
selves increased their travels. In 1957 an informant gave me the 
names of 14 men in Sia who owned ‘“‘pickup”’ trucks. This is the 
most useful vehicle for rural dwellers in this region whether Indian, 
Mexican, or Anglo-American. It is an automotive vehicle with an 
enclosed cab that will seat three persons, and a truck bed, which will 
accommodate a great many things: persons, wood, even a live heifer. 
These trucks provide transportation for many more than 14 house- 
holds: for relatives and neighbors of their owners. In addition to 
the trucks, there were two automobiles and one station wagon in Sia 
in 1957. Isolation has given way, to a great extent, to mobility at 
Sia, and this, of course, means accelerated acculturation. 
HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE 
When I began my study of Sia in 1928, some households still did 
their cooking in a fireplace and bowls of food were placed upon the 
floor at meal time, the people sitting around them on little single 
