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Show MOQUI FLUTE DANCE. 389 small sticks, to which the flutes played an accompaniment; and many persons kept time to the music ( seguia el baile tnucha gente) as well through the streets as on the house- tops. I observed that in some places the procession paused. The sun having now risen, I saw coming nigh unto me a great multitude of people, ( the sight of) which caused me some fear of losing my life. There came forward four Indians who appeared carved from a single piece of wood, like the chopping- bowl our cooks use. This was beaten with sticks to make a noise, and thus became a sort of kettledrum, probably as musical as a Chinese tomtom is, or a tin pan would be if so treated. Las ftautas of the text ( las pitos, pipes or fifes, in the Beaumont MS.) is quite correctly translated " flutes," as the Moquis are well known to have long had an instrument blown by mouth to which the term " flute" could properly be and usually is applied. In fact, the baile which Garc6s witnessed was none other than the famous Flute Dance of the Moquis, for which they have long been and are still celebrated. It was therefore not a demonstration for or against the poor priest, but a regular religious ceremonial, the time for performing which is now known to have been determined by certain phases of the moon. I am not quite sure that " kept time to the music " is actually the idea of the clause seguia el baile; but my MS. admits of no other construction, as people who stayed on the house- tops were certainly not following the rout or procession through the streets. The* Beaumont MS. has: siguendo el bayle tnucha genie por las calks, y por las azoteas, apparently meaning that the rabble ran after the procession through the streets and over the housetops, as they easily could do. The pub. Doc. says simply, p. 331: seguia tnucha gente. |
