400 DRAMATIC REPRESENTATION DREAMS AND VISIONS [b. a. e. 



ter at Horseshoe Bend.— Mooney in 19th 

 Rep. B. A. E., 54, 63, 97, 1900. 



Dramatic representation. Among many 

 tribes ceremonies were dramatic in charac- 

 ter. Every religious rite liad its dramatic 

 phases or episodes expressive of beliefs, 

 emotions, or desires, but in certain in- 

 stances the dramatic element dominated 

 and became differentiated from the cere- 

 mony. In such cases there were masked 

 and costumed actors with stage setting, 

 efSgies, and other properties, and events, 

 historical or mythic, in the cultural his- 

 tory or life of the tribe were represented. 

 The most elaborate of these exhibitions 

 were those of the Pueblo peoples and 

 the tribes of the N. W. coast. Among 

 the Hopi a dramatic representation oc- 

 curs yearly in March either in the open 

 plaza or in a kiva. The space between 

 the fire and one end of the room is set 

 apart as the stage; at the rear a decorated 

 screen is placed, behind which are men 

 who sound shell trumpets and manipu- 

 late the effigies of aplumed serpent, which, 

 at times, are projected through the screen 

 and contend with the actors in front. 

 Marionettes of the Corn-maids are occa- 

 sionally employed and are skilfully man- 

 aged; birds walk about and whistle; 

 imitation fields of corn are swept over by 

 serpent effigies, and men representing pri- 

 mal gods struggle with the effigies in an 

 effort to overcome them. The stage set- 

 ting and personnel are changed for every 

 act, and during the change blankets are 

 held around the fire to darken the kiva. 



In the large wooden dwellings of the 

 N. W. mythsand legends were dramatized. 

 The performance took place at one end 

 of the house, where concealed openings 

 in the painted wall admitted the actors 

 who personated gods and heroes, and 

 there were devices to give realistic effect 

 to strange and magical scenes. Songs 

 and dances accompanied the dramatic 

 presentation. 



Some of the great tribal ceremonies of 

 the inland peoples, while religious in ini- 

 tiative, were social in general character. 

 They portrayed episodes in the past his- 

 tory of the tribe for the instruction of the 

 younger generation. There were societies 

 a part of whose function was to preserve 

 the history of its membership. This was 

 done by means of song and the dramatic 

 representation of the acts the song 

 commemorated. 



The Pawnee were remarkable for their 

 skill in sleight-of-hand performances. 

 Seeds were sown, plants grew, blossomed, 

 and yielded fruit; spears were thrust 

 through the body and many other sur- 

 prising feats performed in the open lodge 

 with no apparent means of concealment. 

 During many dramatic representations, 



particularly those which took jilace in 

 the open air, episodes were introduced in 

 which a humorous turn was given to some 

 current event in the tribe. Sometimes 

 clowns appeared and by their antics re- 

 lieved the tensity of the dramatic pres- 

 entation. Among the Pueblo Indians 

 these "delight-makers," as Bandelier 

 translates the name of the Koshare of the 

 Queres villagers, constitutea society which 

 performs comedies in the intervals of the 

 public dances. See Ceremontj, Dance. 



Consult Bandelier, Delight Makers, 

 1900; Boas in Rep. Nat. Mus., 1895; Dorsey 

 and Voth in Field Columb. Mus. Publ., 

 Anthrop. ser. ; Fewkes ( 1 ) in 15th and 19th 

 Reps.B. A. E., 1897, 1900; (2) Proc. Wash. 

 Acad. Sci., ii, 1900; (3) various articles 

 in Am. Anthrop. and Jour. Am. Folk- 

 lore; Fletcher in Proc. A. A. A. S., xlv, 

 1896; Matthews in Mem. Am. Mus. Nat. 

 Hist., VI, 1902; Powell in 19th Rep. B. 

 A. E., 1900; Stevenson in 23d Rep. B. A. 

 E., 1905. (a. c. F.) 



Dreams and Visions. Most revelations 

 of what was regarded by the Indians as 

 coming from the supernatural powers 

 were believed to be received in dreams 

 or visions. Through them were bestowed 

 on man magical abilities and the capacity 

 to foresee future events, to control disease, 

 and to become able to fill the office of 

 priest or of leader. It was the common 

 belief of the Indians that these dreams 

 or visions must be sought through the 

 observance of some rite involving more 

 or less personal privation; an exception 

 is found in the Mohave who believe that 

 the dream seeks the individual, coming 

 to him before birth, or during infancy, 

 as well as in mature life. In general the 

 initiation of a man's personal relations to 

 the unseen through dreams and visions 

 took place during the fast which occurred 

 at puberty, and the thing seen at that 

 time became the medium of supernatural 

 help and knowledge, and in some tribes 

 determined his affiliations. It was his 

 sacred object. It had no reference to his 

 kindred, but was strictly personal in its 

 efficacy, and he painted it on his person 

 or his belongings as a prayer for assist- 

 ance — a call for help in directing his 

 actions. Any dream of ordinary sleep in 

 which this olsject appeared had meaning 

 for him and its suggestions were heeded. 

 Men with a natural turn of mind toward 

 the mysterious frequently became sha- 

 mans and leaders in rites which dealt 

 with the occult. Such persons, from the 

 time of their first fast, cultivated their 

 ability to dream and to have visions; the 

 dreams came during natural sleep, the 

 visions during an ecstasy when the man 

 was either wholly or partially uncon- 

 scious of his surroundings. It was gen- 



