DIPLOMATIC PACKET. 



163 



the pieces, and colored yellow. A shuck of the maize, one end of which, rolled in the 

 shape of a cone, is bound up by cotton strings, with a small bird's feather, in the man- 

 ner of the symbolic pipe. There is also tied up with the symbolic sticks, one of the 

 secondary feathers and bits of down of a bird of dingy color. The feather is naturally 

 tipped with white. Together with this, the tie holds a couple of sticks of a native 

 plant or small seed of the prairie grass, perhaps. It may, together with the husk of 

 the maize, be emblematic of their cultivation. The whole of the tie represents the 

 Moquis. The following cut, B, [reproduced in Figure 64,] represents this symbol: 



The third object is, in every respect, like B, [reproduced in Figure 64,] and symbol- 

 izes the President of the United States. A colored cotton cord, four feet long, unites 

 these symbols. Sis inches of this cord is small and white. At the point, of its being 

 tied to the long colored cord there is a bunch of small bird's feathers. This bunch, 

 which symbolizes the geographical position of the Navajoes, with respect to Wash- 

 ington, consists of the feathers of six species, the colors which are pure white, blue, 

 brown, mottled, yellow, and dark, like the pigeon-hawk, and white, tipped with 

 brown. (See the preceding cut, C.) 



The interpreter appends to these material effigies or devices [which are arranged 

 as in D, reproduced in Figure 66] the following remarks. 



" These two figures represent the Moqui people and the President; the cord is tho 

 road which separates them; the feather tied to the cord is the meeting point ; that 



Fig. 66— Part of diplomatic packet. 



part of the cord which is white is intended to signify the distance between the Presi- 

 dent and the place of meeting ; and that part which is stained is the distance between 

 the Moqui and the same point. Your Excellency will perceive that the distance be" 

 tween the Moqui and place of meeting is short, while tho other is very long. 



Fig. 67.— Tart of diplomatic packet. 



"The last object of this communication from the high plains of New Mexico, is the 

 most curious, and themost strongly indicative of the wild, superstitious notions of the 



