328 ZUNI CREATION MYTHS. (eth.ann. 13 



iug him, they gradually came to look iipou his religion as no less that 

 of mortal men than their own, and to regard its magic aud power of 

 appeal to the gods as of small account in the making of rain or the 

 quelling of war aud sorcery. Wherefore, although baptized by dozens as 

 they had been, they brooked but ill tbe compulsory attendance at mass 

 and other observances and the constant interferences of the father and 

 his soldiers (for a small escort, unluckily, accompanied him) M'ith their 

 own acts of worship. When in the winter of 1630 Fray Martin de Arvide 

 joined Fray Letrado at H.iwik'uh, on the way to establish missions 

 among the Zipias, a pueblo people said by the Zuiiis to have lived con- 

 siderably to the south westward of them at that time, and called by them 

 Tsipiakwe (" People-of-the-coarse-hauging-hair "), he foresaw for his 

 brother and himself speedy martyrdom. He had but fairly departed 

 when, on the Sunday following, the people delayed attending mass, and 

 Fi^y Francisco, going forth to remonstrate with them, met a party of 

 the native religionists armed with bows and arrows aud in mood so 

 menacing that in expectancy of death he knelt where he had stood, 

 clinging to his crucifix, and, continuing to entreat them, was trans- 

 fixed by many arrows. 



Thus speedily was slain the first resident priest of Zuni ; thus were 

 the Zunis themselves disillusionized of their belief in the more than 

 mortal i)ower of the Spaniard and the deiflc character of his religion; 

 for they broke up the ornaments of the altar, burned the church, and 

 then sallied forth to follow Fray Martin. They overtook him at night 

 five days later, attacked his party while in camp, overawed and killed 

 outright his two soldiers, aud, joined by his traitorous " Christian 

 Iiidiaus," one of whom, a half-blood, cut off his hand aud scalped him, 

 they killed also this venerable Mar and hastened back to their town. 

 There the ceremonial of the scalp dances of initiation were performed 

 over the scalps of the two friars, an observance designed both as a com- 

 memoration of victory and to lay the ghosts of the slain by completing 

 the count of their unfinished days and making them members by adop- 

 tion of the ghostly tribe of Zuiii. The scalp-dance is also supposed to 

 proclaim in song, unto the gods aud men, that thenceforward their 

 people are of the enemy, and unto the gods of the enemy that the 

 gods of Zuni are victors over them, whereof aud wherefore it will be 

 well for them to beware. Thus the estimation in which the Spaniard, 

 and especially his religious representatives, were ever afterward to be 

 held was fixed on those fatal days at the close of February, 1030. 



Now again, after this demonstration, the Zufus, as in the days of the 

 great flood, when meu had disobeyed the gods, as when Coronado 

 advanced on Hawik'uh, so soon as they had completed the rites of 

 purifying and baptizing the scalps, betook themselves to Thunder 

 mountain and thereon iutrenched themselves. 



It was not until after two years had passed that they were attacked 

 there, but not overcome, by Tomas de Albizu and his soldiery aud 



