388 OBJECTS FKOM THE PUEBLOS. 



was obtained from the Spaniards or Mexicans. In Southern Mexico a 

 similar black ware is made by the Indians and sold in the towns for ordi- 

 nary use. This, as shown by samples of the clay and coloring matter 

 brought to the Peabody Museum by Dr. Palmer, is made black by the 

 admixture of oxide of manganese. The black ware from Isleta, however, 

 is colored by a coating of plumbago. Among the black vessels are two 

 large ollas with covers, a shallow dish, and three small bird-like objects. 



Lieutenant Russell, during the expedition of 1873, obtained from one 

 of the Moqui pueblos, in Arizona, an object carved in wood and rudely 

 representing a man. By the collector this was thought to be a doll or toy, 

 which is probably the case, but by others, as I understand, it is considered 

 as "a portion of a sorcerer's outfit for producing rain." The head, body, 

 and legs, are cut from a single piece of wood. Although the body and 

 legs are fairly carved, the head is represented by the conical termination of 

 the wood into which small pieces have been inserted, probably intended 

 for the ears and nose. The arms are made from separate pieces and are 

 attached to the body by pegs. In one hand is a piece of wood which 

 probably represents a rattle. The wood is painted red, yellow, green, and 

 black, in a symmetrical pattern. Around the neck there is wound a small 

 twig of pine. Hanging from the shoulders is a square piece of canvas 

 upon which a border of red and black has been painted. The space between 

 these borders on the outside has been covered with white paint. This 

 peculiar object is entered in the Smithsonian Institution catalogue, under 

 No. 31342, as " Dressed and painted Rain God." 



Several of the little bows and arrows, ornamented sticks and other 

 objects, such as are mentioned on preceding pages, were found at one of 

 the "Sacred places" on the mesa upon which are the ruins of Old Zuni. 

 Of these objects only three are in the collection before me. They consist 

 of sticks about six inches long to which eagle-feathers have been fastened. 



Since the above was written I have seen three similar objects, found by 

 Mr. Gr. Thompson on the top of Mount Taylor. One of them is a short stick 

 to which feathers are tied, another is a twig which has been smoothed at 

 each end, and the third is a short flat stick in which notches have been cut 

 on each side. Mr. Thompson informed me that there were thousands of 



