STEVENSON] NATIVE ACCOUNTS OF REVOLT OF 1680 287 



the revolt, the Zunis went to the mesa called by them To'wa val'lJinne 

 (Corn mountain) and prepared for defense. On their way thoy poi- 

 soned a number of the springs. They also deposited stones near the 

 brink of the mesa, for use as missiles. The Spanish priest who was 

 with them at the time accompanied them to the mesa. When the 

 Spaniards came to avenge the supposed death of this priest, who had 

 long since adopted the dress of the Zunis, having none other to wear, 

 they were met Avith missiles hurled from the mesa and with small 

 shells tilled with magic medicine, that could not fail in its purpose, 

 ejected from the mouths of the keeper of the *su'*hlan'na (great shell) 

 and his deputy. Finally the rain priests scraped a buckskin and 

 requested the foreign priest to write upon it telling the Spaniards 

 that he was safe and beloved by the Zuiiis. This he did, and a large 

 stone was fastened to the rolled skin and thrown down into the val- 

 ley. Learning of the safety of the priest, the Spaniards retired. 



A more detailed account of the revolt was given by the theurgist 

 Tu'maka, as follows: '•''After the old church was built in I'tiwanna, a 

 Spanish priest resided permanently at the village. After a time the 

 Zunis came to believe that they were to be destroyed by the Spaniards, 

 and they planned a revolt. They told all their women and children to 

 refrain from attending services on a certain day, and the men, pro- 

 viding themselves with bows and arrows, which they hid under their 

 blankets, started for the church. The leader of this revolt was the 

 keeper of the great shell, who said that he was not afraid, as he had 

 plenty of medicine to destroy the enemy. The Indians found only a 

 few Spaniards in the church. They locked the doors and killed all 

 but the priest and one other who escaped through the roof. The 

 priest was stripped of his vestments and made to wear Zuni dress. 

 The keeper of the great shell declared that it would be best to return 

 to To'wa yal'lanne to protect themselves better from the enemy. 



While on To'wa yal'lanne they noticed one night a fire in the dis- 

 tance, and several men, perhaps six, were sent to find out what it 

 meant. A party of Laguna Indians had made the fire, and they told 

 the Zunis that in a short time many Spaniards and many Indians 

 would attack them. The Zunis returned with the news and were again 

 dispatched to the Lagunas, who joined the party of Zunis. The Lagu- 

 nas said that they had been compelled to accompany the Spaniards in 

 the march against the Zunis, but had escaped. They were instructed 

 by the Zunis to till hides with water and not to touch water from 

 any spring in the Zuni country, as they would all be poisoned, and 

 als^o to take a bit of cedar twig into their mouths to protect them from 

 the poisoned shells which would be shot by the keeper of the shell. 

 When the enemy was discovered approaching the keeper of the 

 great shell and his deputy were in their house. Three times they were 

 called upon to come out and help the people, but they did not appear. 



