4
THE
CHEMAWA
AM ERICAN
the Indians recognize him as their leader who has rendered them incal
culable services. He has got the Indians themselves to put an abso
lute stop to gambling, whisky-drinking, and sexual immorality. His
annual agricultural fair is one of the features of Navajo life, and is of
far-reaching educational value. Yet this exceptionally upright and ef
ficient public servant, who has done such great and lasting good to the
Indians, was for years the object of attack by certain Eastern philan
thropic associations, simply because he warred against Indian criminals
who were no more entitled to sympathy than the members of the Wliyo
gang in New York City. Messrs. Shelton aad Parquette explained to
me the cruel wrong that would be done to the Navajos if their res
ervation was thrown open or cut down. It is desert country. It can
not be utilized in small tracts, for in many parts the water is so scanty
that hundreds, and in places even thousands, of acres must go to the
support of any family. The Indians need it all; they are steadily improv
ing as agriculturists and stock-growers; few small settlers could come
in even if the reservation were thrown open; the movement to open it,
and to ruin the Indians, is merely in the interest of a few needy adven
turers and of a few wealthy men who wish to increase their already large
fortunes, and who have much political influence.
Mr. Robinson, the Superintendent of Irrigation, in protesting against
opening the reservation, dwelt upon the vital need of getting from Con
gress sufficient money to enable the engineers to develop water by dig
ging wells, preserving springs, and making flood reservoirs. The lack
of water is the curse of this desert reservation. The welfare of the In
dians depends upon the further development of the water supply.
That night fires flared from the villages on the top of the mesa. Be
fore there was a hint of dawn we heard the voice of the crier summon
ing the runners to get ready for the snake dance; and we rose and
made our way to the messa top. The “ yellow line” as the Hopis call
ed it, was in the east, and dawn was beautiful, as we stood on the sum
mits and'watched the women and children in their ceremonial finery
looking from the house tops and cliff edges for the return of the racers.
On this occasion they dropped their civilized clothes. The children
were painted and naked save for kilts; and they wore feathers and green
corn leaves in their hair. The women wore the old style clothing;
many of them were in their white bridal dresses, which in this queer
tribe are woven by the bridegroom and his male kinsfolk for the bride’s
trousseau. The returning racers ran at speed up the precipitous paths
to the mesa, although it was the close of a six-mile run. Most of them,
including the winner, wore only a breech-clout and were decked with
feathers. I should like to have entered that easy-breathing winner in
a Marathon contest! Many of the little boys ran the concluding mile