Transcriber’s Note: The cover image was created from the titlepage by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
THE URINE DANCE
OF THE
ZUNI INDIANS OF NEW MEXICO
NOT FOR GENERAL PERUSAL
THE URINE DANCE
OF THE
ZUNI INDIANS OF NEW MEXICO
BY
THIRD CAVALRY, U. S. ARMY
FROM THE ETHNOLOGICAL NOTES COLLECTED BY HIM
UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
LIEUTENANT GENERAL P. H. SHERIDAN, U. S. ARMY
IN 1881.
PRIVATELY PRINTED
1920
On the evening of November 17, 1881, during my stay inthe village of Zuni, New Mexico, the Nehue-Cue, one ofsecret orders of the Zunis, sent word to Mr. F. Cushing(whose guest I was) that they would do us the unusualhonor of coming to our house to give us one of their characteristicdances, which, Cushing said, was unprecedented.
The squaws of the Governor’s family put the long “livingroom” to rights, sweeping the floor and sprinkling it withwater to lay the dust. Soon after dark the dancers entered;they were twelve in number, two being boys. The centermen were naked with the exception of black breech-clouts ofarchaic style. The hair was worn naturally with a bunchof wild turkey feathers tied in front, and one of corn-husksover each ear. White bands were painted across the faceat eyes and mouth. Each wore a collar or neckcloth ofblack woolen stuff. Broad white bands, one inch wide,were painted around the body at the navel, around the arms,the legs at mid-thighs and knees. Tortoise-shell rattleshung from the right knee. Blue woolen footless legginswere worn with low-cut moccasins, and in the right handeach waved a wand made of an ear of corn, trimmed withthe plumage of the wild turkey and macaw. The otherswere arrayed in old cast-off American army clothing, andall wore white cotton night-caps, with corn-husks twistedinto the hair at top of head and ears. Several wore, in additionto the tortoise-shell rattles, strings of brass sleigh-bellsat knees. One was more grotesquely attired than the rest ina long India-rubber gossamer “over all” and a pair ofgoggles, painted white, over his eyes. His general “get-up”was a spirited take-off upon a Mexican priest. Anotherwas a very good counterfeit of a young woman.
To the accompaniment of an oblong drum, and of therattles and bells spoken of, they shuffled into the long room,crammed with spectators of both sexes, and of all sizes and[4]ages. Their song was apparently a ludicrous reference toeverything and everybody in sight, Cushing, Mendeleff, andmyself receiving special attention, to the uncontrolled merrimentof the red-skinned listeners. I had taken my stationat one side of the room, seated upon the banquette, andhaving in front of me a rude b