14 THE SIA. 



ceremonials of their cult. The writer is of the opinion that he was the 

 first and only white man granted this privilege by any of the pueblo 

 Indians previous to the expedition to Zuiii, in 1879, by Mr. Stevenson, 

 of the Bureau of Ethnology. 



The writer accompanied Mr. Stevenson on this occasion and during 

 Ills succeeding investigations among the Zuni, Tusayan, and the Rio 

 Grande Pueblos. And whenever the stay was long enough to become 

 acquainted with the people the confidence of the priestly rulers and 

 Uieurgists was gained, and after this conciliation all efforts to be pres- 

 ent at the most secret and sacred performances observed and practiced 

 by these Indians were successful. Their sociology and religion are so 

 intricately woven together that the study of the one can not be pursued 

 without the other, the ritual beginning at birth and closing with 

 death. 



While the religion of the Rio Grande Indians bears evidence of con- 

 '*" tact with Catholicism, they are in fiict as non-Catholic as before the 

 Spanish conquest. Their environment by the European civilization of 

 the southwest is, however, slowly but surely effecting a change in the 

 observances of their cabalistic practices. For example, the pueblo of 

 Laguna was so disturbed by the Atlantic and Pacific railroad passing 

 by its village that first one and then another of its families lingered at 

 theranch houses, reluctant to return to their communal home, where they 

 must come in contact with the hateful innovations of their land; and so 

 additions were made to render the summer house more comfortable for 

 the winter, and after a time a more substantial structure supplanted the 

 temporary abode, and the communal dwelling was rarely visited except 

 to comply with the religious observances. Some of these homes were 

 quite remote from the village, and the men having gradually increased 

 theii- stock of cattle found constant vigilance uecessary to protect them 

 from destruction by the railroad and the hands of the cowboy; and so 

 first one and then another of the younger men ventured to be absent 

 from a ceremonial in order to look up some stray head of cattle, until 

 the aged men cried out in horror that their children were forgetting 

 the religion of their forefathers. 



The writer knew of but one like delinquent among the Zuiii when she 

 was there in 1886. A son of one of the most bigoted priests in the vil- 

 lage had become so eager to possess an American wagon, and his atten- 

 tion was so absorbed in looking after his cattle with a view to the accu- 

 mulation of means whereby to purchase a wagon, that he dared to 

 absent himself from a most important and sacred ceremonial, notwith- 

 standing the current belief that for such impiety the offender must die 

 within four days. The father denounced him in the strongest terms, 

 declaring he was no longer his son. And the man told the writer, on 

 his return to the village, "that he was afraid because he staid away, 

 and he guessed he would die within four days, but some of his cattle 

 had strayed ofl' and he feared the cowboy." The fourth day passed 



