wniTE] GOVERNMENT 53 



was responsible for their origin. Fii'st, they represent the pueblo in 

 busijiess, political, or religious transactions with the whites and tlie 

 Mexicans. Secondly, they act as a screen which quite effectively 

 conceals the existence of the cacique, the war chiefs, and the medicme 

 men — the real powers in the village. Ever since the white men 

 entered New Mexico there have been attenij)ts to suppress the religion 

 of the pueblos. i\jid the identification of political functions with 

 priestly office exposed their religion and ceremonies to a certain extent 

 in all dealings with the whites. The creation of the offices of governor 

 and lieutenant governors has made it possible for the pueblo to deal 

 with outside organizations wdthout any apparent trace of priest or 

 religion. Moreover, the whites, learning that the governor holds 

 office for one year and is then (with few exceptions) succeeded by 

 another man, believe that the pueblo is a "democratic" commimity 

 and that the people elect the governor every year, and that the 

 governor's authority is the will of the people. This pleases the whites 

 and diverts suspicion. Many white people who have lived in the 

 jjueblo coimtry for years — even agents of the Bm-eau of Indian 

 Affairs who have lived on the reservations — do not even know of the 

 existence of the cacique and the war priests. 



This notion of the whites is, as we know, very- far from the truth; 

 the governor and his men are merely the tools of the cacicpie and the 

 medicine men, who are concealed by this simple device. 



Since the whites began to be numerous in New Mexico, and more 

 especially since the pueblos have come within the jurisdiction of the 

 United States, there has been considerable business between the 

 pueblos and the United States Government, as well as with church 

 and commercial organizations, which, to the cacique and the war 

 chiefs, is but a veiy distasteful intrusion and a hated violation of 

 their old customs. Nevertheless, the whites are there and their 

 influences persist and must be dealt with. It were better to have a 

 small group of men to take care of this business than to drag the 

 priests mto it. So here again the governor and his men serve a useful 

 j)urpose. They take care of a host of petty and for the most part 

 distasteful transactions with the Government and with outside 

 organizations, leaving the priests free for their sacred duties. Of 

 course, the general poUcy of the governor is always formulated and 

 enforced by the priests. 



The following items give some idea of the kind of extra-pueblo 

 i)usiness that falls to the governor. There is an Indian agency at 

 Albuquerque which "supervises" Acoma. They have a "farmer" 

 living at Acomita.** He supervises irrigation, hvestock, road building, 

 upkeep of the schoolhouse, etc. There is a day school at Acomita; 



*" This "fiirnier" does silniost everything but farm. He is really the executor of all orders from the office 

 of the superiniendent at Albmiuerque regardintr Aiioma. See suhsequent section on thi.-; individual. 



