32 THE ACOMA INDIANS [eth. ann. 47 



Railroad at various places. But I could never see that any prestige 

 was attached to travel. On the contrary, I have learned of instances 

 where old people strenuously discouraged young men from leaving 

 the reservation. 



In addition to the old mission at old Aconia, there is a small Catholic 

 church at Acomita. Mass is held at old Acoma once a year (on San 

 Estevan's Day, September 2), but once a month (or perhaps once in 

 two months) a priest visits Acomita for religious services. Few 

 attend these services, and the congregation is preponderantly female 

 and juvenile. Many people are married by the priest, and quite a 

 number of children are baptized, but I know of only one instance in 

 which burial ceremonies were performed by a priest. This was the 

 case of a death in the family of a "progressive." The pueblo fathers 

 refused to allow the body to be interred in the church yard (where 

 all burials are made). But the father of the child said that he would 

 not bury his cliild there anyw^ay. My impression from talking to 

 the Acoma people about God and Christ is that they believe they 

 are supernaturals with power, but, somewhat like the gods of other 

 pueblos and the Navahos, they are not very close to the Acoma people. 

 San Estevan, though, seemed to belong to old Acoma. 



A man of about 50 told me the following: He "did not believe in" 

 the kachinas or the medicine men; he thought he believed in Cristo. 

 One night he had a dream. He dreamed he had died and had gone 

 to heaven. He found himself before God. He could not remember 

 exactly how God looked, but he seemed to resemble in appearance 

 and dress a successful American business man. He was in an office, 

 seated behind a desk "just like in a bank." The Indian stood before 

 God at his desk. God asked him, "Where'syour license?" (meaning, 

 "Where is the sign that you have the right to enter heaven?"). The 

 Indian had a Bible and showed it to God. Ciod said, "No; that's not 

 your Ucense. This is your license," and he showed the Indian a 

 prayer stick. ^' God told him that the Bible was the white man's 

 license. Then the Indian looked around and he saw different kinds 

 of Indians there; some were Apaches, some Pueblos. God told him 

 that the prayer stick was the Indian's license. I tiied to learn what 

 the Indian thought and felt about his dream, but it was very difficult. 

 He said he didn't know, but that he guessed the dream was right; 

 he seemed to feel that the white man's things were for the white man 

 and the Indian had his own tilings. 



Farming is the chief occupation at Acoma, although sheep are 

 raised in rather large numbers and cattle to a lesser e.xtent. Com, 

 alfalfa, wheat, beans, and chili are the chief crops; melons, onions, 

 squash, and some fruits and vegetables are also growTi. Potatoes 



•• Compare Dumarest, p. 172. 



