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Show reservation for the Navajos, who were in dire need of additional land. 2 Trotter sent a lengthy description of the Tucker Livestock Ranch to Collier, attaching a previously written statement that made it abundantly clear that officials had long known of the Zunis' use of the land. The Zunis' use of, and rights to the lands were emphasized in this narrative. The description, which according to Trotter was written in 1928 or 1929, confused some details concerning K/a:tulhlhanna and Kolhu/wala:wa, but is valuable nevertheless:163 These lakes have been used as medicine by the Zuni Indians since time immemorial and still once every four years their medicine men, or so-called priests, make pilgrimages to these lakes to strew cornmeal on the water and plant feathers in token of blessing them. Discussing K/a:tulhlhanna, a few miles north of Kolhu/wala:wa, the report continued: 164 Their tradition states that the tribe at one time lived near these lakes, and last year the Smithsonian Institute uncovered old ruins one mile northwest from these lakes, which bears out this tradition and which the archaeologists estimate are at least 1,000 years old. Collier, however, balked at buying the entire ranch. He was working with the 162. Ibid. Parker to Collier, December 7, 1933, Central Classified Files #310-54806, 1933, Zuni, "Zuni Sacred Lakes Area," Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75, National Archives. 163. Trotter to Collier, enclosure, 1933, og. cit. 164. Ibid. Roberts, og. cit., 1931, reports on the excavations mentioned and corroborates the Zunis' use of these lakes. - 114 - |
