XXVIII ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 
of Jemez, and spent six remarkably successful weeks in mak- 
ing a collection and studying the customs, sociology, and my- 
thology of the people. 
The Sia retain their ancient religion in great purity in spite 
of the efforts of Christian priests, which have been continued 
for centuries. Their ceremonial chambers contain brightly 
colored altars of wood, before which many idols and other 
sacred objects are placed, while the walls are hung with various 
mythologic emblems of great delicacy and beauty. Mr. Stev- 
enson was invited to inspect all these freely. The fact was 
disclosed that these people have a finer variety of fetiches than 
eyen the Zuni. Their stone fetiches in human form present a 
special feature, the carving being of a higher type than any 
betore seen in the region. 
From one of the large ceremonial chambers he was passed 
through a concealed opening into a much smaller room liter- 
ally filled with masks made in imitation of their fetiches, all of 
which he was permitted to examine at leisure, a most unusual 
privilege, as these people have a superstitious dread of their 
masks being seen when off the person. The collection of 
masks made at this place is not only large, but is especially in- 
teresting by. reason of the variety in its articles. Sketches 
were made of many of them. 
The Sia, like the other Pueblos, have shrines scattered around 
the village, both near and at a considerable distance from it, 
which Mr. Stevenson was invited to visit and inspect. Some 
of them are guarded by colossal stone animals crudely 
formed. Having unexpectedly discovered, while studying the 
mythology of these people, that, like the Tusayan Indians, 
they hold ceremonials with live snakes, including the rattle- 
snake, he asked to be shown the exact place where the snake 
ceremonials were held. This proved to be 5 or 6 miles dis- 
tant from the pueblo, in a desolate spot among the arid hills, 
where there is a small square log structure in which the Snake 
Order hold ceremonies before the dance, the snakes being con- 
tained in two large pottery vases. The cave, when found, was 
closed and completely concealed by a stone slab, upon the re- 
moval of which two admirable specimens of ancient vases were 
