1951 Flagstaff All-Indian Powwow Program

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23RD ANNUAL
SOUTHWEST
All-Indian
pow-wow
PERFORMANCES
The rodeo performaces are held each afternoon at the Pow­Wow
grounds in the city park. They begin at 1 :30 p.m. Only
I ndian contestants are permited to take part. Parades through
the downtown streets of Flagstaff are held at noon each day
of the celebration, July 2-3-4. The ceremonial performances are
held each evening with the grandstand gaTes opening at 7:30.
TICKETS"OFFICES
Tickets for all six performaces - three rodeos and three night
ceremonial programs - are on sale at the Chamber of Com­merce
at 115 East Aspen Ave., until the Pow-Wow starts. Tickets
may then be obtained at the Pow-Wow ticket office at the
grandstand. All persons with Pow-Wow business may find
members of the board at the Pow-Wow office at the grandstand.
/.
INDIAN VILLAG,E
A large area in Flagstaff's beautiful city park is set aside as
a camping place for the Indian visitors at the Pow-Wow. During
the celebration this park becomes one great Indian camp. The
Indians are happy to have visitors, and you are cordially invited
to visit the camp and make friends with the people of various
tribes.
Ralph W. Bilby ................................... .
Andy Wolf ... . ............... .
T. M. Knoles Jr . ............ ....... ................ ........ .
F. l. Decker
Neil V. Christensen ............ ........... .
Ted Babbitf ................................................. .
president
member
member
member
member
member
A. C. Grasmoen ..... .. ... ... ........ . .... ........... ........... member
Bill Fennell ........................................................ member
G. W. JakIe Jr. ................. ...... ........... .... .... ... secretary
Earl F. Insley
Bob Hansel
Platt Cline
................... asst. secy.
. ........ ........ rodeo director
publicity director
The thunder drum is a very irnportant part of any Ind'ian ceremonial. If you look closely, you will
discover that this drum is 1nade of a 'Very ordinary nail keg with raw hide heads.
Mmmmm! Good! The Indians come to the Pow-Wow to have a good time, and this little 'Hop a­long
Cassidy' fan is no exception. Watermelon dealers do a big business in Flagstaff during the
celebration.
Picture makers, both professional and amateur, find a real happy hunting ground at the big cele­bration.
Here a weighty individual gets a real closeup of a smiling brave in w·ar path r (3(galia.
'Chicken Pull At Place-of-Snows'
Practically everyone in America knows that
the biggest, most unusual Indian celebration in
the World is held in a great pine forest near
snO'w-cO'vered peaks in northern Arizona each
July 2-3-4.
This great celebration is known far and wide
to' whites as the "Southwest All-Indian Pow­Wow."
To the Indians, the celebration is better
known, in a variety of languages, as "The Great
Chicken-Pull at The-place-of-snO'ws-where-the­thunder-
sleeps."
Wha tever they call it, they all agree that it's
the biggest, happiest, most colorful celebration in
the sO'uthwest. Thousands of Indians represent­ing
practically every southwestern tribe come to'
Flagstaff for the daily street parade, the after­noon
performances, and the beautiful, thrilling
night ceremonial performances. With them come
thousands of white visitors from every U. S. state
and most western hemisphere countries, plus a
scattering from various European and Asian
nations.
The Indians cO'me to "The-place-of-snows" to
have fun, and it is this very same excellent pur­pose
that brings their white brothers, too.
But what is a "Pow-Wow?"
Webster defines it as "a ceremony, especially
one in which conjuration is practiced, attended
with a great nO'ise and confusion, and often with
feasts, dancing, etc., performed by Indians for
the cure of diseases, for success in hunting or in
war, and for other purposes; alsO' a conference of
O'r with Indians. Any assembly likened to an
Indian pow-wow or cO'nference; especially a noisy
frolic or gathering; more widely, a congress, con­ference,
or meeting."
Well, the greatest pow-wow of them all, the
one at Flagstaff, is all of that, and more too, as
you wil find.
Planning for the Pow-Wow goes on all the year
around. Much of this is done by the Pow-Wow
committee, comprised of business and professional
men of Flagstaff. They devote much of their
spare time thrO'ughout the year to' countless de­tails
which go to make the PO'W-Wow the wonder-
The~e smiling In:dian: women are dressed in their finest, and proudly walk about the carnival.
Notwe the beauttful Jewelry, the fine Pendleton blankets, the moccasins (and the sport shoes) .
. . . The Indians' Own Celebration
ful show it is. Along in early summer these men
start devoting practically all of their time to' the
celebration, and by mid-June they have time for
little else.
Just before the big three-day show starts each
year, the Pow-Wow board members and Indian
leaders meet at a Flagstaff hotel for a great
tribal breakfast and business meeting. At this
breakfast, tribal leaders express their ideas
register complaints, and submit suggestions t~
m~ke the celebratiop bigger and better. This big
trIbal conference dIrects the PO'W-WOW board in
its planning.
Members of the Pow-Wow board include Ralph
W. Bilby, manager of a wholesale grocery busi­ness;
Andy L. Wolf, insurance man; T. M. Know­les
jr., bakery proprietor; F. L. Decker, account­ant;
Neil V. Christensen, attorney; Al C. Gras­moen,
operator of the Ski and Spur dude ranch
a~d the Arizona Snow Bole winter sports area;
BIll Fennell, manager of a local gas service' and
Ted Ba~bitt,. assistant manager of a Flagstaff
mercantIle fIrm. G. ·W. JakIe jr. is secretary.
His profession is that of accountant. His as­sistant
is Earl F. Insley, director of athletics at
Arizona State College. Bob Hansel, stockman, is
rodeo director.
The three-day celebration, in which only In­dians
are permitted to participate, costs around
$24,000 to stage. For many years the Pow-Wow
was underwritten by local businessmen. For
t~e past decade this has not been necessary, as
ticket sales have brought in enough money to pay
the bills. The Chamber of Commerce supports
the celebration to the extent of $3000 each year.
Ticket sales last year totaled $26,804, of which
$4467 went to Uncle Sam as admission tax. The
Pow-Wow still maintains the price schedule set
up 15 years ago, and visitors often express amaze­ment
at the reasonableness O'f the Pow-Wow ad­mission
prices.
Because Flagstaff is in the very heart of the
Southwestern Indian country, it has been only
natural that the Indians have taken over the
celebration. Back in the days when the show was
(Please Turn Page)
This steady little f ellow, of wh01n his father is so proud was adjudged the "best" child in the
children's contest at a previous Pow-Wo~v. The balancing ~ct played a big part in his victory.
of the usual "49'ers" variety, the Indians came in
. swarms. They played a bigger and bigger part
in the celebration each year, until it finally be­came
their own show.
As we said above, the Indians call the Pow­Wow
at Flagstaff "The Great Chicken-Pull at
The-place-of -snows-w here-the-th under-sleeps."
To the Indians, a celebration is always a
"chicken pull." This comes from a game the In­dian
horsemen used to play. A chicken would be
buried in the ground with only it's head sticking
out. The mounted braves would swoop down and
attempt to seize the chicken's head and pull the
fowl from the ground. This game was a little
gory for some tastes, and has been gradually dis­continued.
The "Place of-snows" is a literal translation
from the Navajo Indian name for the San Fran­cisco
peaks at Flagstaff, "Dogo-Ahslect," "Place­of-
snows-where-the-thunder-sleeps." The Indian
tribes of the southwest, dependent as they are on
rain for crops and forage, believe that some of the
powers which can bring rain dwell in the clouds
or on the high peaks near Flagstaff.
Hence the big ritualistic ceremony at the Pow­wow
is doubly significant to these First Ameri­~
ans of the great Southwest.
Most of the Indians of the Southwest live in
comparatively barren, dry country. Only a few
have an abundance of water and enjoy the de­lights
of trees, or mountains, of cool nights.
And so, as you can well imagine, the big get­together
at Flagstaff is a real treat for them.
Here they have an opportunity not only to
take part in the fun, to be thrilled bv the rodeo
and to observe the ceremonial perfo~mances of
other tribes, but to camp in the great pine forest
at the foot of the San Francisco peaks. They
enjoy the shade, the cool weather, and the wonder­ful
opportunity to visit, to talk, to ride on the
merry-go-round and other carnival attractions,
to eat spun sugar candy and hot dogs, to drink
soda pop and watch the white visitors.
Many of the Indian visitors finance their
trips to the Pow-Wow by selling jewelry, rugs and
other items. You'll enjoy walking through the
big Indian camp and seeing their displays of
merchandise.
Sometimes white visitors need to be reminded
that the Indians are people - who resent intrus­ions
and rudeness just as much as their white
brothers. However, courtesy and friendliness
will meet with the same response in the Indian
camp that it finds everywhere - like friend­liness
and courtesy.
This fine-looking Indian woman displays some magnificent jewelry. Note the perfect design in the
massive necklace, the fine bracelets, and the huge rings. All of these stones are turquoise.
· ThrIlling And Colorful Ceremonials
A lot of factors are involved in the spell of
magic to which you will succumb at the night
ceremonial programs at the' Flagstaff Pow-Wow.
You are setting in the grandstand. Everything
is still. There are no electric lights, only the light
from the ceremonial fires in the arena and the
moon and stars.
The deep shadows of the forest, the smoke
from hundreds of camps in the forest, the grave
stillness of the towering San Francisco peaks,
the tall pine trees silho.uetted by the moon-and
then a clear, expressive voice weaves all these fac­tors
together, drawing you into the mood to not
only enjoy, but to become a participant in the
great ceremonial you are about to witness.
The vo.ice is that of Governor Howard Pyle of
Arizona, one of America's most famous speakers,
who dearly loves this great celebration, and who
served as it's announcer for many years before
he became governor.
Sparks from the great ceremonial fires sweep
up into the towering darkness, and you hear the
gentle throb of a drum. The first dancers appear.
You watch, fascinated, as their ritual is stamp­ed
out in intricate measure by the light of the
great fires. The chants you do not understand,
but so.mehow you know it is exactly right, that its
mood of dignity, of supplication, of awe is just
what it should be. You realize you are witnessing
a religio.us ceremony.
The drum ceases, the chanting dies away, the
dancers fade back into the darkness, and the voice
of the announcer comes back, continuing to weave
the magic which no.w holds you enthralled.
Other rituals follo.w in rapid succession.
You see Hopi, Zunis, Navajos, Havasupais,
Apacies, San Juans, Taos, Maricopas, Pimas,
Yavapais, Mohaves, dozens and dozens of others.
More costumes flash in the firelight.
You are one with the thousands and thousands
of other spectators, white and Indian alike. You
join the roaring applause for the o.utstanding per­formers,
smile at the youngsters who also take
part, thrill to the color and chill to the throb of
the drum.
You see Apache devil dancer s, Navajo Ye­bechis,
and dignified gentle Hopi supplications
for good crops and peace.
An intermission comes, the lights come on, and
for a few minutes the curtain falls on the great
spectacle.
Then the lights go out, the drums start their
throbbing anew, and you see more and more cere­monials.
Each one you like better than the last.
And then, finally, comes the great finale­hundreds
and hundreds of costumed, painted,
chanting Indians move forward out of the dark­ness!
The climax is reached, the lights come on, you
relax. You have s'een something unique, and you
know it, something yo.u'll never forget!
The Squaw Dance Is For Fun
"Squaw" dances, a special feature the Navajo
Indians stage at the Pow-Wow grounds every
night of the big celebration, supply a focal point
of attraction for hundreds of Indians.
The squaw dance is a sort of free-for-all social
event in which Indian girls exercise their pre­rogatives
by grabbing the arm of any male who
catches their fancy, and compelling them to march
around a circle until released by payment of a
forfeit, which may be a coin, piece of jewelry, or
other item.
Although intended fo.r the Indians alone, un­wary
pale-faces are liable to. find themselves drag­ged
into the ring also, and assessed a suitable
penalty.
The squaw dance is primarily a courtship
dance, and through it the young Indians meet,
size each other up, and become ecquainted.
Probably most Navajo Indians met their fu­ture
mates at squaw dances.
The visito.r will enjoy watching the squaw
dance (which probably runs all night) and will
also enjoy o.bserving the by-play of courtship
which goes on.
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These are favorite performers in the night ceq'emonials. Note the beautiful costumes. The
woman's dress is fine buckskin beautifully tanned and decorated. Note the buffalo horns in the
man's headdress.
Performers in the night ceremonial programs vie to be acclaimed the "best" or the crowd's favorite
each evening. The.se men pr.actice an intricate step accompanied by the drum.
Hopi Buffalo dancers are Pow-Wow favorites. The Hopis borrowed much of this dance and their
costumes from plains tribes. Most Indian tribes borrow ceremonial ideas from others.
Scores Of Tribes Represented
Arizona is the home of more native Ameri­cans,.-
Indians-than any other state.
The surrounding states of New Mexico, Cali­fornia,
Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah and Nevada
contain most of the rest of America's Indians.
Representatives of these scores of tribes come
to the great Flagstaff celebration each July 2-3-4,
to visit, renew acquaintances, watch the per­formances
of other Indians, and join other In­dians
in observing that funny creature, the White
Man.
Here are thumbnail sketches of some of the
maj or tribes at the Pow -Wow:
NAVAJOS:
The Navajos are a nation of between 60,000
and 70,000 souls living in a vast, sun-drenched
domain of more than 25,000 square miles in north­eastern
Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, with
a small area in Utah.
Undaunted by the handicaps of their bleak
territory, they call themselves the "aristocrats
of the Southwest."
Established 1906
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When you observe the parade, note the detail
in the various costumes. Note the huge bells
and beautifuL conchos on the belt above.
Scores Of Tribes • •
(Continued From Previous Page)
They are children of nature, whose wealth lies
in their sheep and horses, occasional small farms,
and who now starting to look forward to develop­ment
of the vast mineral resources which underlie
their realm. Their arts are those of the silver­smith
and rug weaver.
They are deeply religious, and spend much
time in ceremonials.
They are individualists and make their homes
in simple wood and dirt structures called "ho_
gans", pronounced "hoe-gahns."
APACHES:
The Apaches are spread over two large reser­vations-
the San Carlos and the White Mountain
-in southeastern Arizona.
Formerly notorious as warriors and for their
long resistance to the White Man, they are today
(Continued .on Next Page)
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These men have daubed themselves with clay
and wear burlap scraps for hats. Note the
drum at left.
Scores Of T r,ibes •
(Continued From Previous Page)
among the most prosperous and progressive of all
Indian tribes.
The visitor in the White Mountain country
near Fort Apache will be interested to see Apach­es
living along the highway in their ancient-type
of native dwelling, the wickiup-equipped with
electric lights, washing machines, and radios and
often refrigerators.
(Please Turn To Second Page)
INDIAN JEWELRY
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Flagstaff, Arizona
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Favorites in the parade at noon each day and in the night programs are these Zuni maidens, who
walk with jars balanced on their heads. These costumes are worth hundJreds of dollars.
Scores Of Tribes
(Continued From Previous Page)
HOPIS:
The Hopi Indians are pueblo (village) dwel­lers,
with homes built on high mesas overlooking
the Painted Desert of northern Arizona.
Their villages are accessible by roads leading
into the remote area from Tuba City on High­way
89, from Winslow and Leupp Corners and
Holbrook on Highway 66.
Their reservation is an "island" in the midst
of the great . N a vaj 0 reservation.
They are exceptional farmers, and have learn­ed
how to eke out a living with tiny farms. which
are nearly wholly dependent O'n rain for moisture.
They are also excellent potters and basket­makers.
Oraibi, one of their villages, situated on third
mesa, has been continuously inhabited since about
the 12th century, and thus is probably the oldest
village in what is now the United States.
(Plea-se Turn To Second Page)
Serving Northern Arizona
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Wholesale Liquor Co.
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co.
23 S. San Fracisco Street
FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA This is a Navajo fire dancer. The fire dance
usually is the concluding number on the night
programs. You'll never forge,t it!
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108 NORTH LEROUX FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA PHONE ~
These men make a colorful, interesting appearance with very simple costumelS. Note the use of
pine boughs and feathers plus a liberal daubing of ceremonial face paint - ,and the smiles!
Scores Of Tribes • •
(Continued From Previous Page)
HAVASUPAI
The Havasupai, the peo.ple o.f the "land of the
sky blue water" dwell in a canyo.n which is a
tributary to. the Grand Canyo.n. They number
abo.ut 200. They are basketmakers and farmers,
and do. so.me sto.ckraising on the rim of the
canyo.n.
Their tiny reservation has become a favo.rite
SPo.t for visitors seeking the "o.ut of the way"
the unusual sight in the so.uthwest.
The Havasupai are unexcelled as horsemen,
and many of the ro.deo perfo.rmers at the Po.W­Wo.
W are Havasupai.
(Continued On Next Page)
If you have a thirst ... Call Ruff's first
Ruff' 5 Package Store
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BEER WINE LIQUORS
For Your Entertainment and Enjoyment ...
NORTHERN ARIZONA THEATRES, INC.
FLAGSTAFF
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The hoop dancer is one of the most skilled, most highly trained of all Indian performers. To
become real adepts, hoop dancers must start young--as the chap lat the left is doing.
These Taos Indians are always Pow-Wow fav01~ites. Their costume$ feature elaborate, finely­worked
detail in beads, buttons, wampum, feathers, fringe, and horsehair.
Scores Of Tribes • • •
(Continued From Previous Page)
OTHER TRIBES:
Small numbers of Indians of Paiute, Hualpai,
Mohave, Chemehuevi, Yavapai, Pima, Yaqui,
Papago, Cocopah, Yuma and other extractions
occupy reservations in Arizona.
Total number of Indians in the state is around,
75,000, most of which are Navajo. The 14 reser­vations
cover more than 30,000 square miles of
the state's 113,810. square mile total.
The Hualpai live on high plateaus south of
the Colorado River between Grand Canyon and
Boulder Dam, and the Yavapai live in the central
mountains in the Prescott area.
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Trading Post
Meteor Crater Junctio'1
Highway 66 - Between Flagstaff and Winslow
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METEOR CRATER
Fifty times a5 large as any other Meteorite crater known
on e arth . The crater pit is visibly 570 feet deep and 4150
feet from rim to rim .
The Crater is located 40 miles east of Flagstaff
and 5112 miles south on Highway 66
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It is open all year. Here giant trees that drawfed the south­western
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On the opposite page and above are se.en ceremonial performers. All of these brightly-costumed
individuals plus hundreds and hundreds more take part in the parades and the night programs.
Zunis Irrigate Waffle G'ordens
The "waffle" gardens of the Zuni are pictur­esque
examples of what may be accomplished by
native ingenuity. The so-called "waffle" gardens
get their name from their appearance. They are
laid out in small rectangular basins like the
squares of a waffle. The small plots with adobe
or rock walls separating them are so built to pro­tect
the gardens from flood damage.
The Seminole women of Florida tie rattlers
made of turtle shells about their ankles for the
green corn dance.
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Spectacu lar Nationa I
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brochure, or inquire at Cameron, Arizona.
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Hopi Craftsman Exhibition
The 18th Annual Hopi Craftsman Exhibition
is now on display at the Museum of Northern
Arizona, three miles north of Flagstaff on the
Fort Valley Road. This famous exhibit of the
arts and crafts of the Hopi Indians of northeast­ern
Arizona has been an event of Pow -Wow week
since the latter's inception in 1930. Pow-Wow
visitors are invited to visit the Museum and see
for themselves the fine work of the Hopis.
• • •
The Hopi Craftsman Exhibition is shown in
the large beautiful patio of the Museum, facing
the San Francisco Peaks. The exhibits, arranged
according to Hopi Villages, occupy two sides of
the patio along the "corredores," while on a third
side the Hopi Indian demonstrators in festival
native dress make an attractive and colorful
group. Tuvenyowma of Hotevilla and Tawame­iniwa
of Shungopovi will demonstrate rug weav­ing,
Vera N evahoioma of Hotevilla and Myra
Joshua of Shungopovi will show how baskets are
made, Sadie Adams of Tewa will demonstrate all
phases of pottery making, and Paul Saufkie of
Shungopovi will do silversmithing. Here one may
watch the clever fingers of these men and women
fashion complete articles before his very eyes, in
the cool, quiet, green patio, where the Hopi kach­inas
look down from their homes on the San
Francisco Peaks.
The Museum of Northe·rn Arizona
Twenty years ago, Mrs. Mary-Russell F. Col­ton,
wife of the director of the Museum, started
Fort Valley Road
Flagstaff
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Entrance Gallerry of the Museum of Northern A rizona looking out into the patio where the wom
of the Hopi weaver may be seen.
the Hopi Craftsman Exhibition as an experiment
to encourage Hopi men and women to keep alive
their ancient arts. Due to the relatively small
production of Hopi goods and the vast number of
Navajo products with which they compete in curio
shops, Hopi crafts were sinking into obscurity.
Few people realized how beautiful the Hopi handi­crafts
were and what fine artists were still to be
found among them. In the first years of this
exhibition, the Hopis themselves as well as Pow­Wow
visitors had to be educated to see the pos­sibilities
of this crafts display. Today the Hopi
Craftsman Exhibition is the only place where one
can see all the Hopi arts together, - handwoven
woolen and cotton textiles, embroidered cere­monial
garments, baskets and pottery made for
the people's own use as well as types made especi­ally
for sale, hand-carved and painted kachina
dolls, beautiful silver jewelry, moccasins, and
various other things.
Members of the staff of the Museum of
Northern Arizona make a trip to the Hopi Reser­vation
in June each year to collect the material
for the exhibition. About a week is spent there
visiting in each village and talking to the individ­ual
craftsmen who send their products to be dis­played.
I t has always been the policy of this
exhibition to take the finest pieces offered b
each person who wishes to send his work, and ne
just the fine work of a few special individual
This, of course, makes for considerable variatio
in the quality of work displayed, but it helps
encourage all the craftsmen - the very youn
who are just learning, the middle-age group th~
is most expert and the older folk who can 11
longer do the fine work they once did. At tl
time it is collected from the maker, each piece
marked with a special tag bearing the name
the maker, the name of his village and the pric
When all the Hopi things are gathered at tl
Museum they are sorted according to the type
work and judged for prizes. Seventy-five class
are considered, and first and second prizes a
honorable mentions are awarded. Ribbons 3.1
given for all three awards and cash for firsts al
seconds. Both the ribbon and the cash prize a
sent to each winner following the exhibition, wi
the entire amount received from the sale of li
work.
The Hopi Craftsman Exhibition last year ~
tracted nearly 4,000 visitors. People have cor
from all over the' United States and from forei
countries to see it, the museums throughout t
country send orders for prize winning pieces
fill out their collections of Hopi material. He"
and here alone, are all the finest things that f
Hopi Indian~ make so skillfully.
This stalwart Indian brave is more than
seven f eet tall. His great feat hered head­dress
hangs almost to the ground.
REFRIGERATORS WASHING MACHIN ES
RADIOS
Flagstaff
Furniture Company
FLOOR COVERINGS
Hopis Handle Poisonous Sn'akes
The Hopi Snake Dance which is held each
year in August probably has attracted more wide­spread
attention than any other single Indian
religious ceremony because of the peculiar atti­tude
of the typical white man toward snakes.
Once the Hopi ceremony became publicized it
arDused unusual interest with the result that
through the years the curiosity of tourists has
made the Hopis secretive about the ceremony.
The chief question asked by the spectator is:
"Are the snake dancers ever fattaly bitten;
and if not, why not?"
The complete answer is fairly complicated,
but it largely is bound up in the fact that the aver­age
white man is highly superstitious about snakes
and the Indian is nDt. Likewise the typical white
man is even more ignorant regarding the habits
and actions of snakes than he is of most other
animals. The Indian, on the other hand, is a
realist regarding snakes and is well versed in
snake lore.
M. W. Stirling, chief of the American Bureau
of Enthology, Smithsonian Institution, reports
that the Dnly venemous snake available to the
HDpis is the prarie rattler. A study of the results
of 128 bites by this s-pecies reveals eight fatalities.
SDme Df these had the benefit of antivenin treat­ment
so that a true fatality percentage might be
somewhat higher. The prarie rattler may be
cDnsidered a moderately dangerous snake. Many
factors affect the seriousness of the bite-the
size and health of the victim, the location of the
bite and the amount of venom injected. A boy
dancer might suffer seriDus if not fatal results
from a bite, whereas an adult bitten in the same
way by the same snake would be less seriously
affected.
N Dt all the snakes used in the ritual are rat­tlers.
There are many other varieties, and
rattlers are in the minority. Hopi snake dancers
occasionally do get bitten by rattlers. But since
they are reasonably cautiDus and skillful in the
handling of snakes, such bites are . nDt very fre­quent.
However, no case has ever been reported
that a dancer retired or dropped out Df the cere­monial
after being bitten.
The fact 'that the. snakes have been kept cap-
(Continued On Next Page)
GENERAL PETROLEUM CORP. '~'
FRANK and DON CHRISTENSEN, Agents
MOBllGAS MOBllOll MOBil TIRES
-< Mobilgas ~
sOCO"',VACUUM
Flagstaff Motor Inn
BOB PIPER
"YOUR DOWNTOWN MOTEL
AND SERVICE STATION"
216 E. Santa Fe Phone 483
WREN1S SERVICE
COMPLETE AUTO SERVICE
Ti res - Tubes - Accessories
Phone 829-W 208 W. Santa Fe
FI~gstaff Motor Vil'lage
GORDEN BECKLEY
Service Station & Motel
"ONE STOP SERVICE"
Phone 109 402 E. Santa Fe
This scene is one you will see in the noon parades .at the Pow-Wow. It's one you'll never forget.
There are many of these Indian wagons, each loaded with men, women and youngsters.
(Continued From Previous Page)
tive for several days preceding the Snake Dance,
during which time they are handled, undoubtedly
takes considerable edge from their aggressive­ness,
and it is the observation of zoo keepers and
others that rattlesnakes in captivity quickly lose
. "1eir fear of those handling them.
The reports that the fangs are removed from
the rattlers before the dance has been disproved.
However, it js very possible and probable that the
rattlers are kept "milked" of their venom during
the nine-day ceremony, so that the amount of
venom they might inject into a victim is very
small. Considering that their bite might be fatal
in one out of ten cases with a full load of venom
and the fact that their aggressiveness and potency
is drained from them during their captivity, the
danger to the dancers is slight. .
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
Monte Vista Coffee Shop
Come as you are and dine with us ....
Hotel Monte Vista Bldg.
H,OTEL MONTE VISTA
Flagstaff's Newest Hotel
BAR and COCKTAIL LOUNGE
FRANK E. SNIDER, Manager Flagstaff, Arizona
Steer riding is some fun, as long as the ride
lasts!
OVERNIGHT PHOTO FINISHING
8 North Leroux Flagstaff, Arizona
He's coming off slow and easy, but it's a long "Everything Photgraphic"
way to the ground!
The Wigwam
GENUINE INDIAN JEWELRY - SQUASH BLOSSOMS
CONCHO BELTS - INDIAN BLANKETS
NAVAJO AND CHIMAYO SOUVENIRS OF THE SOUTHWEST
CHIMAYO JACKETS AND PURSES
MOCCASINS - SQUAW BOOTS
18 East Santa Fe Flagstaff
The
·BANK OF ARIZO'NA
Oldest Bank in Arizona
PRESCOTT
FLAGSTAFF
CLARKDALE
COTTONWOOD
WILLIAMS
JEROME
Cheshire Motors
SALES
and
SERVICE
302 W. Santa Fe Ave
Daily Bus Service to
GRAND CANYON
AND SIGHT-SEEING TRIPS
THROUGHOUT NORTHERN ARIZONA
Nava-Hopi Tours, Inc.
Phone 107 and 157 P. o. Box 329
FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA
BREAKFAST
Indian Rodeos A,re Different
VisitQrs at the PQW-WQW are entertained each
afternoon by rodeos which are guaranteed to be
different from any other rodeo in the world.
They are real Indian rodeos, and only Indian
cowboys may participate.
Special Pow-Wow rodeo rules are prepared
and sent out each year to' the big mailing list of
Indian cowboys.
A special committee of seven Indian cowboys
serve as a rodeo. consultation and complaint board.
This committee is paid fQr its services.
Rodeo. events include all the usual rodeo. num­bers,
including bareback and saddle bronc riding,
bulldo.gging, steer roping, calf roping, wild cow
milking, team tying, etc.
The rodeo provides a wonderful oppo.rtunity
The rodeos present a real challenge to the
amateur photographer - and the professionals
will agree that there's nothing harder to shoot
than rodeo events.
You'll have a good time at the Indian rodeo,
and you'll agree that it is one rodeo where events
are run o.ff fast enough to keep you interested!
The pictures you see on these two pages are
typical of many sights you will see during the
exciting rodeo performances. You'll find, too,
that part of the fun is watching the Indians
watch the show.
The crowd razzes the awkward performers,
cheers the experts, sympathizes with the ones who
get hurt.
LUNCH DINNER
ANDREWS COFFEE SHOP
On Highway 66 at the Underpass
FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA
The Hopi Are Skilled Potters
From prehistoric times, the Pueblo peoples,
village dwellers of the Southwest, have been skill­ed
craftsmen. Their influence spread far and
wide among the primitive peoples whom they
contacted thru intricate avenues of trade, and
finally their fame traveled across the sea to old
Spain in the report of the Conquistadores. These
bold adventurers marveled at the fine garments,
the 'painted textiles," blankets and pottery pro­duced
by the peoples of the Rio Grande Valley,
Acoma, Zuni and Hopi.
Today, many of their ancient cities lie in
ruins and in those remaining in the Valley of the
Rio Grande, Acoma and Zuni, the arts have
dwindled to a mere shadow of their former great­ness,
and pottery alone still flourishes in a few.
Among all the Pueblo groups of the South­west,
the Hopis alone have maintained a semb­lance
of their former reputation as master crafts­men
and traders. In the Hopi villages can still
Nayajo-Hopi
Trading Co.
.. )- OPPOSITE DEPOT ~
INDIAN AND MEXICAN HANDICRAFT
INDIAN HANDMADE SILVER JEWELRY
NAVAJO RUGS ARIZONA SOUVENIRS
SEARS
ROEBUCK AND CO.
Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back
105 N. Leroux Phone 56
FLAGSTAFF
be seen the ancient arts, produced as they were
when the first Spaniards, Pedro de Tovar, visited
them in 1540.
The Hopi Indian pueblos, located about 100
miles northeast of Flagstaff, overlook the Painted
Desert and the Little Colorado River valley. Of
Large modern Hopi jar of the finest type.
Made by Fannie Nampeyo.
the twelve villages now inhabited, only one
Oraibi stands on the mesa top where the Span­iards
first saw it. The inhabitants of all the
other villages, which were originally located be­low
the mesas, took fright after the Pueblo Re­bellion
of 1680 and moved to defensible positions
on the mesa tops where they are seen today.
The present Hopi village groups are referred
to as First, Second and Third mesas, counting in
a northwesterly direction from the Hopi Agency
at Keams Canyon. At First Mesa there is the old
town of Walpi, with its suburb, Sichomovi, and
the Tewa town of Hano, or Tewa, whose in­habitants
came to live near the Hopis about 1700
A. D. At the foot of First Mesa is Polacca, a
modern settlement near the school and trading
post. On Second Mesa are the town~ of MishOI:g­novi,
Shipaulovi, and S?ung-opovl. A~ ThI~d
Mesa are Oraibi, HotevIlla, and BakabI, whIle
at the foot of the mesa near Oraibi is New Oraibi
(called Kia-ko-chomovi by the ~opis). Mo~~­kopi,
near Tuba City, owes its allegIance to OraIbl.
While the peoples of the three mesas have cer­tain
arts in common - weaving, moccasin mak­ing,
and silversmithing, all carried on by men,
ARIZONA SUPPLY CO.
~~~~ .
FASTE'WOOD~
5-49~3.25 .
McCULLOCHS
MILL. LOGGING, INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES
AUTOMOTIVE PARTS AND EQUIPMENT
Phone 88 FLAGSTAFF 107 N. Leroux
the work of the women of each mesa is specialized.
At First Mesa the women make pottery, at Second
Mesa, coiled basketry, and at Third Mesa, wicker
basketry.
Hopi pottery has a very long history. Archae­ologists
at the Museum of Northern Arizona and
elsewhere have found that the ancestors of the
Hopis began to make vessels of baked clay before
500 A.D. Both undercoated utility vessels, for
cooking and storage, and fine decorated types,
for serving food and ceremonial uses, gray, white
brown and red in color, were extensively made.
About 1300 A.D. the ancient peoples dwelling on
the Hopi mesas began to make yellow pottery,
practically identical to that still made today.
How Hopi Pottery Is Made
It is only comparatively recently that the
manufacture of Hopi pottery has been confined to
First Mesa, for 50 to 75 years ago it was made in
Cookie jar, a modern ,adaption to white man's
needs. M,ade by Sadie Adams.
all the towns. Prior to the introduction of metal
cooking utensils, buckets, tubs and oil cans, pot­tery
vessels were the only waterproof and air­tight
containers available.
Hopi pottery is divided into two main wares:
the heavy undercoated cooking and storge wares,
and the polished and decorated wares. The paste
or clay of the cooking wares differs from that of
the decorated wares in that there is added to it
a considerable amount of coarsely ground sand­stone
for tempering, while the paste of the decor­ated
wares contains very little or none. The
decorated wares are of three principal types: un-
(Continued On Next Page)
.. the key to
home comfort ·
for cooking
for waler healing
for refrigeration
for house heating
for air conclltlonlng
.Guth~~=;DGa.
"Helping 'Build the qre~t Southwest"
Hopi Pottery
(Cn1/tin UNJ F7'om Previous p.ag e)
slipped gray clay which fires a golden orange,
a pure white slipped type which fires white, and a
gray clay slipped with yellow or an unslipped
yellow clay both of which fire a beautiful dark
red.
The clay of which pottery is made is dug from
certain layers beneath the Mesa Verde sandstone
UPQn which the Hopi villages are located. The
clays are hard and Qf a light gray or yellQw color.
The WDmen excavate it in lumps and carry it in
sha w Is on their backs to their hQmes on the Mesa.
The lumps of clay are placed in a dish pan Dr
cQntainer, cDvered with water and left to soak.
When the lumps have disintegrated, the remain­ing
water is poured off, and the clay is thoroughly
kneaded until it becomes of a dQugh-like consis­tency,
any hard particles being removed. The
more thorQugh the kneading the less likely are
the vessels to crack and flaw. A large quantity
of clay is soaked up at a time, and that nDt im-
Hubbard
Refrigeration Supply
Westinghouse Appliances
SALES and SERVICE
105 W. Aspen
FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA
Phone 354
Witte Diesel Power Plants and Engines
Refrigeration Equipment Soda Fountains
Union Oil Products @ BILL WILLIS, Consignee @,
Phone 151
FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA
Old style bowl used by the H opis to serve
hominy and mutton stew, .a favorite dish.
mediately used is put carefully away and kept
damp.
Equipment Is Simple
The equipment and implements used in the
making Qf pottery are very simple : a makeshift
pick with which tD dig out the clay and a shawl or
cloth in which to carry it; a dishpan tor soaking
the clay; a shallQw clay vessel like a round­bottomed
plate called ta-ve-pe, to assist the PQtter
in mDulding large jars (it forms a base on which
to. stand the jar SD that it may be rotated easily;
several pieces of gourd shell fQr scrapers, and a
piece of sandstone fDr smoDthing and thinning the
sun-dried pots; a rabbit's tailor piece of cloth
for applying the slip; smoQth pebbles for polish­ing,
and a pail of water.
For painting, brushes of several sizes are
made from yucca leaves, the ends of which are
finely shredded tD form a brush. Several small
stDne mortars for grinding paint and a few dish­es
fQr mixing are needed. FQr firing, sheep
manure is used, having previouly been cut into
blocks and stQred to. dry. Cedar wood, bark, and
native coal cnmprise the fuel for starting the
fire. Large pieces .of broken pottery, slabs Qf
rock, sheets of tin, and wooden pDkers complete
the firing equipment.
When the clay has been thoroughly kneaded
and is Qf the right plasticity, the potter lays a
cloth on the grDund, places her implements and
materials upon it and sits down beside it. She
commences by taking a lump of clay, flattening
and shaping it into a round cake and giving it
concave form by pressing her elbDw or fist into it,
to. fQrm the bottom of the vessel. Another small
(Please Turn To Second Page)
8'obbitt Investment Co.
OAK CREEK HOMESITES REAL ESTATE FLAGSTAFF HOMESITES
~ ,.~) -".
FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA
GEORGE BABBITT, JR. 19 N. SAN FRANCISCO PHONE 422 P. O. BOX 308
A hands 01ne style of decorated Hopi bowl.
Old style decoTated bowl used by the H opis
as a mixing bowl.
Tiles have been made by the H opis for fifty
years or more for trade.
BLACK CAT CAFE
ACROSS FROM SANTA FE DEPOT
A GOOD PLACE TO EAT
YOUNG (:, YATES ~
CHEVRON SERVICE ~1·.
COMPLETE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE
JACK YOUNG - MARK YATES
124 E. Santa Fe Phone 79
WELCOME STRANGER
TO
SUNNYSIDE TAVERN
COCKTAILS DANCII~G
Come As You Are!
EL RANCHO GRANDE
NIGHT CLUB
202 S. San Francisco Joe Griego, Propri etor
BEER * WINE * LIQUORS
LES STANDIFIRD
UNION SERVICE
PROMPT COURTEOUS SERVICE
Santa Fe & Beaver Phcne 817
Flagstaff
~-J CASA GRANDE· COOUDG£ . FlAGSTAff· MESA· PHOENIX · lUCSO~
WESTERN LIQUOR STORE
PACKAGE LIQUORS
102 S. San Fra ncisco Phone 831 -M
Hopi Pottery •
(Continued From Previous Page)
portion of the clay is then removed from the pan
and rolled between the hands, the potter holding
this up before her as she works. The long roll
produced is attached to the bottom portion already
mentioned and laid around the edge. The vessel
is built up spirally in a succession of coils, the roll
being pinched and flattened as the potter proceeds,
adding to the roll from time to time as necessary.
If it is a large vessel and needs support, it is
placed on the ta-ve-pe. As the potter builds, she
tmpports the vessel from the inside with the left
hand, while using a gourd scraper with the right
hand to obliterate the coils and mould the vessel
to the desired shape.
Drying Follows Moulding
When the work of moulding is complete, the
vessel is placed in the sun or beneath the kitchen
stove to dry. This is the first test of its strength,
for if the clay has not been properly mixed it will
crack in the drying process. Under fevorable
Arizona Distributing Co.
PHOENIX - TUCSON - FLAGSTAFF
Miller High Life
Lucky Lager
Carlings Ale
122 E. Aspen Flagstaff Phone 855-W
Gray Mountain
Trading Post
24 Miles North of Flagstaff on U. S. 89 at
edge of Navajo I ndian Reservation
NAVAJO RUGS AND SADDLE BLANKETS
INDIAN JEWELRY AND CUDIOS
CAFE
Earl Reid Kenneth Stanfill
conditions a vessel will dry within a day .
When the vessel has been successfully dried,
it is rubbed with a piece of sandstone to remove
all inequalities and to thin the wall of the
vessel. It is then ready to be polished or slipped.
For polishing, a bowl of water is kept at hand
from which the potter wets the portion of the
vessel upon which she is working and which
she then polishes with a smooth pebble. If it is
to be a decorated piece, it is now ready to have
the design laid on.
If the vessels are to be slipped before painting,
a number are made ready at a time and after dry­ing
and rubbing with sandstone are ready to be
coated with the clay slip. White slip is composed
of fine white clay, free from iron, ground in
water until it is the consistency of cream. Red
slip is composed of yellow clay prepared in the
same way. The slip is applied with a rabbit tail
or small piece of cloth, used as a mop with the
fingers. After slipping the pottery is again
dried, and then polished.
Painting Is Next Step
The next step towards a complete vessel is
painting. There are three pigments in use: black.
yellow and white. To make black is a complicated
process. First tansy mustard plants are boiled
down. After boiling- for several hours, the black
liquid is poured off and the remaining pulp is
sque.ezed thru a cloth and added to it. The liquid
is boiled some more until it becomes very thick,
when it is cooled, and formed into cakes which are
dried. The cakes are wrapped in corn husk and
will keep indefinitely. When she is ready to
paint, the potter takes a small bit from the Tancy
Mustard cake and mixes it with water in her paint
mortar. She then takes a lump of hematite (iron
sesquioxide) and with her fingers grinds it
around and around in the black liquid in the paint
mortar. The liquid serves as a grinding medium
for the hermatite :which is the actual coloring
matter, and which, when fired, firmly adheres to
the clay vessel.
The yellow paint is a clay containing iron
hydroxide, which fires red or varied shades of
orange, depending upon the temperature and
time of firing. It is ground with water on its
own mortar.
White pigment is a fine white clay, free of
iron, procured from a broad vein in a wash near
Coyote Springs, southeast of the Hopi villages.
It is mixed with water until of the proper consist­ency.
When the potter has gathered about her the
paints, mortars and yucca brushes, she places
her pottery to be decorated nearby (there are us­uallya
number to be worked on at a time) and she
(Please Turn To Second Page)
ATLAS TIRES W. R. "Bill" PRESTON MINO'R REPAIRS
BATTERIES
YOUR FRIENDLY CHEVRON DEALER
.. POLISHING ACCESSORIES LUBRICATION
At Junction U. S. 66 and 89, West of Flagstaff
-.,:.
This dance1> is a Hopi. His costume shows
influences from tribes other than his own. In
his left hand is a lightning s~bol.
WHEELER'S
GROCERY and SPORTING GOODS
HUNTING AND FISHING SUPPLIES - BOATS - MOTORS
OPEN SUNDAYS and HOLIDAYS
At Underpass Flagstaff
RAGLE
FURNITURE STORE
NEW and USED
WE BUY - SELL and TRADE
Phone 14
15 S. Sitgreaves Phone 783 -W
GREENWELL'S MOTORS
D~ SALES and SERVICE
: ' " ,:, Phone 984-W 401 W. Santa Fe
, At the Uunderpass on Highway 66 in Flagstaff
GORDON'S
LIQUOR and SPORTING GOODS
Store Hours 9 A.M. to 10 P.M. - Sundays 12 Noon to 8 P.M.
23 N. Beaver GORDON EVANS, Owner Phone 555-W
CENTER OF CITY
NACKARDINN
MOTEL and HOTEL
Phone 777 FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA
W. E. CAFFEY C'hevron Station
STANDARD OIL PRODUCTS
COMPLETE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE
AT THE UNDERPASS ON 66 PHONE 788
SKY-LINE MOTEL
FLAGSTAFF'S NEWEST MOTEL
112 Mile East of Flagstaff on Highways 66 and 89
PINE SPRINGS
SERVICE STATIOIN AND CAFE
1 MILE WEST OF flAGSTAFF ON HIGHWAY 66
TRUCK STO'P
SAVE 5c A GAllON O!'l PACIFIC GAS
...,... ,
I
Complete CURIO Shop
Compliments of
RIORDANS INC.
INSURANCE
AUTOMOBILES FINANCED THROUGf-l VALLEY NATIONAL BANK
FLAGSTAFF KINGMAN
Phone 46 - Box 299 Phone Blue 156 - Box 443
(Our 6th Year)
GIBSON'S CHIX FRY
FRIED CHICKEN BOXED TO GO
3 Miles Ea st of Flag staff or Highway 66
PHONE OI3 -J -3
HIG,HWAY DINER
A GOOD PLACE TO EAT
FLAGSTAFF WINSLOW WILLIAMS
Hopi Pottery • • •
(Continued From Previous Page)
is ready to commence. While painting, it is usual
for her to sit with her back against the wall, her
feet extended before her. The vessel to be painted
is held in the left hand, or rested on the thigh and
freely rotated while the design is laid on in long
steady strokes with the unsupported right hand.
The potter may have conceived the entire
design to be placed on a bo'wl or jar when she was
moulding it, in which case she approaches the task
of applying the paint without hesitation. How­ever,
if she has not already planned the design
she may take the vessel in her hands and hold
it for a few minutes while she studies its possi­bilities.
The design is never sketched on with a
pencil or other tool. The potter may turn the jar
about and visualize the spacing of her designs,
but the spacing is never established with any
sort of instrument.
The are-a to be decorated is usually bordered
or circumscribed by several parallel lines or
bands. Then the area is divided into two or more
units and next the larger design elements are ap­plied.
Areas which are to become selid masses of
color are first outlined and then filled in. Thus
the design progresses from the larger simpler
masses and lines to the more intricate details.
Firing Critical Process
Firing is the mest critical period in the manu­facture
of all pottery. Many otherwise beautiful
pieces may be spoiled by cracking and smudging
caused by adverse weather cenditiO'ns. When a
batch of pottery is to' be fired, an air of excite­ment
pervades the Hopi household, because of the
many hazards and heavy losses involved in the
prO'cess.
Firing is always done out of doors. The first
step is to' select a suitable site where a circular
area is cleared. When this is done, cedar wood,
some chips and cedar bark are made ready. A
fire is made in the middle O'f the circular area. and
cakes of sheep manure and native coal are placed
nearby. Seme cakes of sheep manure are added
to the fire which soon forms a blazing pile. The
jars to be fired are placed in a circle around the
fire to' pre-heat thoroughly. In an hour or so
when the fire is reduced to coals, the heated pots
are set aside and the potter commences the con­struction
of the final fire. Chips of wood are
placed on the coals, then a pavement of sheep
manure blocks with chips and Jumps of coal
placed in the cracks between. This begins to
burn and is roughly covered with large flat pieces
of broken pottery, sandstone slaps, and sometimes
layers of tin. The pottery is carefully arranged
upside down on this platform, the smaller pieces
first, then the larger bowls and jars inverted over
the top O'f the pile. The fuel beneath catches fire
and smoke pours out, while the potter rapidly
covers the whole pile with a protective layer of
large pJeces of broken pottery or sheet tin. Around
the base of the pile, she stands on edge a row of
sheep manure slabs. and rapidly proceeds to cover
the whole structure with overlapping' layers of
these slabs, together with lumps of coal here and
there, until the whole mass forms a dome-like
(Continued.on Next Page)
L
This little fellow is enjoying a bottle of ice
cold pop, while his corncob-smoking father
be,ams.
(Continued From Previous Page)
oven two or three feet in height. Extra fuel is
usually heaped on top of the pile which is now
burning fiercely.
After the fire is burning well, no further fuel
is added and the pile is allowed to burn down
to a heap of ashes. The pots may be removed in
eight or nine hours but are usually left in the
ashes over night or until quite cool. As the ashes
are brushed away, and the sandstone slabs and
pieces of tin are removed, breathless excitement
prevades the air while the potter anxiously re­moves
one piece of pottery at a time and care­fully
wipes each off with a cloth, examining it to
(Continued On Next Page)
I
I
This old fellow, a Navajo, sits on the fence,
enjoys a bottle of pop, and watches the rodeo
performance.
Dobrinski's
Richfield Service
Washing - Lubrication - Tires - Batteries
Phone 308 FLAGSTAFF 306 E. Santa Fe
Richfield Oil Corp.
H. A. FRANCE, Agent
FLAGSTAFF
313 E. Santa Fe Phone 185
Brown's Credit Jewelers
"A Little Down Is Enough for Brown"
19 E. Aspen-FLAGSTAFF 121 .W. MAIN, FARMINGTON, N. M. 108 N. Cortez-PRESCOTT
FLAGSTAFF
HOLBROOK
CLARKDALE Budweiser
I'~""" .. IIC"""""".," •.
Northern Arizona
Gas Service
Appliances, Sales, In stallations & Service
For
Liquified and Natural Gas
Serving Flagstaff-Williams-Ash Fork-Seligman
"Gas is Our Business Not A Side-Line"
14 W. Aspen Phone 745
COMPLETE SERVICE
ON ALL CARS
Body and Fender
Glass Cut and Installed
Engine Repair
Auto Painting
Wheel Aligning and Straightening
Martin Outboard Motor Distributors
"Save With Safety Service"
Flagstaff Safety-Seryi~e Nash Garage
II N. Beaver Fla gstaff Phone II
Medicine Men Important
Every eighth man anlong the Navajos is a
medicine man, which is ·the equivalent of saying
that, among the whites, every eighth man belongs
to some lodge or secret society.
All of" the important men among the Dineh
belong to some lodge, and they wear in their hair
a turquoise bead or shell for every lodge. They
know the songs and prayers to protect them from
bad luck.
A good Navajo medicine man is at once a
doctor, a religious leader and a historian. In the
chants and myths he sings there is preserved the
history of his people. The fear of devils, or chinde,
as the Navajos call them is the basis for the
power of the medicine man. Whether these
chinde are virulent germs or merely bad dreams
or bad luck it is his business to drive them out.
He gives the patient emetics and purges, he
makes him take a sweat bath, and kneads his
relaxed muscles like a well-trained osteopath.
Then he sings over him and prays; paints his
body from the feet to drive the devils out of his
mouth and makes a series of sand paintings to
summon the spirits of the gods. If the sand
painting is made exactly right they are pleased
and remain. If a mistake has been made they
are offended and go away and the patient does
not get well. When the perfect picture is com­pleted
the patient is seated in the center and the
medicine man invokes the spirits of the gods
present to forgive the sick man and cease to
trouble him.
This devil chasing is the real Stone Age reli­gion
and is of Asiatic origin. From Asia too
comes the unreasoning fear of the dead which
haunts the Navajos at every turn. Even to dream
of the dead calls for the purification ceremony,
and scattered about the reservation are chinde
hogans, deserted houses in which some one has
died.
Whether the body is buried in the hut or not,
no Navajo ever will enter its door again or use
any of the property left inside. A log is torn
from the north or west wall for the removal of
the body and it is abandoned to the ghosts of the
dead.
This superstition is not without its good points,
for when an epidemic sweeps the land the N ava­jos
usually escape its fury.
Hopi Pottery
(Continued F1~om Previous Page)
see if it is whole, cracked or smudged. It is
a rare potter who does not lose at least one
piece in every firing.
You are invited to visit the Hopi Crafts­man
exhibit at the Museum of Northern Ari­zona,
at Flagstaff, between July 1 thru 4,
where Sadie Adams of Tewa, one of the f in­est
potters of the present day, is demonstrat­ing
the making of Hopi pottery, and where
you can see all the processes herein described
being carried out most expertly.
(Compiled by Katharine Bartlett, Mu­seum
of Northern Arizona.)
Complete Tourist Lod ge and Dining Room
Dini ng Room Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Din ner
AT THE UNDERPASS FLAGSTAFF
Where There's a SEAHORSE There's FUN
MOTOR SUPPLY' COMPANY
13 N. Agassiz Flagstaff, Arizona
F4~~~F+P~CY
FLAGST A FF ~ AR IZONA
P HO N E e 4
'BR ANDIt\GlRdN'~ L~
These are scenes in the huge Indian camp.
You'll find the camp is one of the most in­teresting
parts of the Pow-Wow celebration.
Igj "';,,, ~O flMH""f, /lIl'2.~Y<'
WESTERN WEAR
SADDLE BLAN KETS
GIFTS
Campers' Suppl ies
Housewares
YAN COURT'S GARAGE
Expert Car and Truck SERVICE
For Studebaker and Other Makes
FLAGSTAFF PHONE 55
Center of Town Location
122 West Santa Fe Phone 750
Flagstaff, Arizona
T~ ,
•
)1...'.) $··t '' ' . SWitzer'S:E!~: 11. The HOWIe of COIOT
17 N. San Francisco Phone 94 a ® 6 Tools
Sporti ng Goods
On The Beam Of A Song
Our modern hero, the aviator, guides his plane
by a beam, gets his signals by carefully managed
radio sounds, and strikes terror into the heart of
the enemy by noise. For decades the Navajo
Indians have used sound in actual and supernatu­ral
warfare. They did not invent aeroplanes, but
they did find them nothing new. Did not their
mythical heroes travel on lightning, sunbeams
and rainbows? These needed only a puff of
breath, of the right kind of breath to be sure, to
move them over long distances. No central sig­nal
station was necessary to regulate the beam
for each pilot used a song. These songs the gods
gave to man.
The Navajo thinks that sound starts from a
small opening and increases in width as it travels
exactly like a beam of light, so he uses the same
word for a beam of light and for a beam of sound.
He keeps up morale in peace as in war. Without
a song he could not live, for he believes that song
will get him practically anything he wants. To
him song is medicine and religion, it is so im- '
portant that he calls a ceremony a "sing."
Legend has it that song originated in crying.
Crying came out of loneliness. At the very be­ginning
the world was large and people were few.
From the magical creation of two women the
Navajo population grew to its present size. These
women were strange and they did not even know
how to feed themselves except by picking a few
wild berries. They separated and one of them
was so overcome by loneliness that she wept and
from her crying came a song. The song gave her
strength to go on and it brought her also a visit
from a god who instructed her how to prepare
food. From that time on numerous songs came
into existence, each with some power to help man.
A young man of legend got lost for some days.
He stood upon a hill from which he could see the
peaks and forested slopes of the mountains to the
north. Clouds hung over them and light showers
of rain fell. Contemplation of the landscape so
overwhelmed the young man that he became
homesick and cried, and his crying turned into a
song about the beauty of the land. It brought
a deity to his side and from then on he was under
supernatural protection.
Anyone who has traveled' over the "over-popu­lated"
Navajo reservation will easily understand
how such legends originated. Perhaps he can
even imagine why the Navajo consider a song a
protection especially at night. The night is huge
and dark. In every direction there is silence, a
silence in which many pleasures might be re­membered,
but in which only dangers are felt.
Those feared most by Navajos, are ghosts, not
white, haunting and chain-rattling, but shapeless
invisible things whose cloak is darkness. Coyote
is a menace who hunts by night. He would not
attack a man on horseback, but from a distance
he, like a ghost, can send evil, that is, disease into
a person's body. Coyote ghosts and other fears
can be driven away by sound. Words are strong
but they are more powerful if set to music, the
sound of both spreads around the lonely rider
(Continued On Next Page)
"Helping Build A Greater Northern Arizona"
SOUTHWEST LUMBER MILLS, INC.
McNARY FLAGSTAFF OVERGAARD
This Navajo woman proudly wears some
magnificent jewelry. Note the size of the
conchos on the belt, the heavy bracelets, and
necklace.
(Continued From Previous Page)
a charm which all the evils fear. They scatter,
they spread indefinitely, leaving a little safety
cone around the singer. A song is therefore a
cover, a minature blanket within the canopy of
threat.
The sound of the ritual, the "sing," or "chant"
is well known, but there are many .kinds of song
seldom heard by white men. Black Moustache
sings a song for good fortune in trading before
he brings in his work. A mother sings a lullaby
to her baby, and if it be a boy, she teaches him
war songs too. She knows songs for making corn
and watermelons grow, for increasing the number
(Continued On Next Page)
ACME CLEANERS
Quality Cleaning Has No Substitute
III N. Leroux FLAGSTAFF Phone 9
M,ORROW MOTORS
CADILLAC - OLDSMOBILE - GMC TRUCKS
Phone 95 FLAGSTAFF 322 W. Santa Fe
TONY'S STEAK HOUSE
FOR FINE FOOD AND FOUNTAIN SERViCE
218 S. Sitgreaves on Highway 66
Doug Jackson's Texaco Service
24 HOURS SERVICE ® WASHING X
LUBRICATION •••.•
SERVICE CALLS
Phone 784·W
FREE PICKUP
and Delivery
NEXT TO TONY'S STEAK HOUSE
Wayne Loving's
RICHFIELD SERVICE
On Highways 66 and 89
At Entrance to Arizona State College
Phone 894-W Flagstaff 222 S. Sitgreaves
PROCHNO'W'S NEWS STAND
Aromatic Tobaccos - Newspapers - Magazines
6 N. San Francisco - Phone 770
BANK OF FLAGSTAFF
_ . ';fal and Su,.plus
$250.000.00
Complete Bank;ng
Services
....... Clt 'EOERAL Cr:POSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
ARIZONA STOCKMANS LOAN CO.
Financing Arizona's Livestockmen
105 E. Birch Flagstaff Phone 526
Signal Oil Products
LEE Tires - Tubes - Batteries
Guy Householder - Distributor
Free Parking Lot Steam Heated
The WESTERNER Hote,1
By the Underpass on Highway 66
224 W. Santa Fe FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA
Sales - Service
Phone 108
121 E. Aspen
Phone 990
Flagstaff
Featuring Chinese and American Foods
GRAND CANYO'N CAFE
FLAGSTA.FF'S NEWEST EATING PLACE
On The Beam Of A Song
(Continued From Previous Page)
of sheep, for protection of the home.
Songs most often heard by Navajo and whites
alike are those of the War Dance (Squaw Dance),
a lusty survival from the days when the Navajo
fought enemies on every side. Songs for babies,
for flocks, for luck in trading, and safety in
traveling are gentle in words and music, for you
get what you say you want. In war you wish the
worst for your enemies and you say so in words
as tough as you can think of, in sounds as pene­trating
and disconcerting as you can make. War­riors
spread confusion and terror with blood­curdling
yells and songs of reviling. There was
no act so low that an enemy was not accused of it;
the worst was failing to protect his wife. Shrieks
and songs took the place of propaganda, of noise
bombs, and after the fight, of atrocity stories, and
the Indian warrior boasted that he himself had
performed the atrocity. This is the reason many
of the songs of the War Dance are obscene, and
the boys laugh rather than translate them.
It is the reason, too, that they are sung in fal­setto,
for it is believed that such sounds, though
they may spread confusion among the enemy, will
revive a per~on who has fainted or lost conscious­ness.
The theory is that what will kill will cure,
so if you happen, as you well might, to see parts
of the War Dance other than the Squaw Dance,
you probably see a group of young men apparent­ly
singing their heads off. You may have to
search for a patient for he is being treated in
private. The sharp sounds made by the chorus
at a distance are as important to his cure as the
painting oJ} his body or the medicine he drinks.
While the young Navajo men are fighting for us
abroad the old men at home will be singing for
their protection, for the increase of crops and
flocks, for the growth and success of the children
and for the victory of the nation. They will keep
in mind the ancient admonition of their chief
goddess in which they sincerely believe: "Do not
forget the songs I have taught you. The day you
forget them will be the last, there will be no other
days."
Stone Ball Courts
At Wupatki and Casa Grande National Monu­ments,
oval enclosures are surrounded by wide­sloping
walls. They contain regular features
which are reminiscent of the large stone ball
courts of the ancient Mayas of Southern Mexico
and Guatemala.
TRAILERS ON DISPLAY REAL ESTATE
One or two bedroom size with complete bath.
Easy terms. Good L:sed trailers for as little
as $100 down . . . Ideal for vacation or
permo nent home.
66 BRADLEY 66
1 Mile East on Highway 66
Box 468 - Flagstaff, Arizona
SEDONA - OAK CREEK
Creek, Business, Sub-Division
BRADLEY REALTY
Phone Sedona 16
P. O. Box 34 - Sedona, Arizona
...
The Indians enjoy getting dressed up and
taking part in the pa1"ades and various other
events, as these views will witness.
GAS
Ranges
Heat€:rs
WILSON - COFFIN
Plumbing - Heating - Appliances
112 E. ASPEN PHONE 118
Flagstaff AUTO SU PPL Y Co.
COURTESY - SERVICE - QUALITY
EVINRUDE MOTORS - LONE STAR BOATS
12 N. Beaver Phone 625
WOO'S CAFE
AMERICAN and CHINESE DISHES
I 15 E. Aspen Flagstaff
YOUR FRIENDLY HOME FURNISHING DEALER
HARPER FURNITURE CO.
Over 30 Years in Flagstaff
15 N. Beaver Phone 473
L MOTEL
NEW, CLEAN and MODERN
ON HIGHWAY 66
121 S. Sitgreaves Phone 995-W Flagstaff
EL PATIO
Cafe and Cocktail Lounge
"Where the Best in Food and Drinks Are Served"
SEE US
tor
Water Heaters
Servel Refrigerators A$ AND APPLIt4NCE CO. GAS SERVICE
The Indians come to the Pow-Wow to visit and swap and baTgain and see the sights. At right, old
friends exchange stories . Left, N ew Mexico Pueblo Indians ready for the parade.
Four Zuni Vi.ll'oges
In the middle of the sixteenth century, the
Spaniards found in the Zuni Val~er seven ~own~;
which they named the "Seven CIbes of CIbola.
These as well as ten other sites identified in
recent years as Zuni pueblos, are now in ruins.
There are at present four villages in the Z~ni
region; the main pueblo of Zuni, and the farmIng
villages of Nutria, Pescado, and Ojo Caliente,
from which most of the people return to Zuni
for the winter. ' Zuni lies forty miles south of
Gallup, on the north bank of the Zuni River. The
river at this point is perennial. East and south­east
of the pueblo are the Zuni Mountains. To
" A Haven I n The Pines"
8 miles south of Flagstaff
Trai ler Park
Lig hts - Water - Showers
CABINS - CAFE - BAR - STORE
the south rises a high plateau, with Thunder
Mountain to the foreground.
Zuni is built around three plazas, one of which
incloses the ruined mission church and adjacent
graveyard. There is a fourth plaza on the west
side of the town. The oldest section is that of the
northwest court, which overlies the ruins of an
older pueblo.
Moqui- Camp
At The South Entrance
to
Gran·d Canyon N'ation,al Park
Cabins - Cafe - Curios
Mobil Gas Station
Owned and Operated
by
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Greening
GOOD As the Best .. . BETTER Than the Rest ...
SAVE 5c A GALLON O'N G·AS
CITY OIL COMPANY
Just West of t he Col lege on Highway 66 DENVER MERRICK, Mgr.
7448
The Center of EVERYTHING in Northern Arizona
FLAGSTAFF Elevation 7,000 feet - "On The Ladder To The Sky"
See and Enjoy 10 ,000 Ind ians at POW -WOW
Time, in their Colorful and Brilliant Dances and
Ceremon ia ls.
Make FLAGSTAFF your headquarters for the
most thrilling Vacation of a lifetime to National
Monuments, Indian Villages, Nevajoland, 0 a k
Creek Canyon , the breath-taking splendor of Grand
Canyon, or the more distant outposts of Marble
Canyon and Monument Valley.
You will find in Flagstaff, accomodations In
keeping with your budget requirements.
W hatever your requirements, write, wire or phone -
FLAGSTAFF CHAMBER of COMMERCE
P. O. Box 1240
Zuni Squash Blossom Necklace
Phone 90
Browsers Welcome Here!
You are always welcome 10 come in and browse around our
Curio Store. Watch our Silversmith at work. Feast your eyes
on the large selection of genuine Indian-made merchandise
like the Squash Blossom necklace at the left.
Visit our All-Indian Cur­io
Store. where you will
find selected rugs woven
by the finest weavers on
the Navajo Reservation.
Make Babbitts ' your shopping headquarters while in Flagstaff~
We handle everything Western for Cattlemen, Lumbermen.
Indians and for vacationists and visitors.
Lorenzo
SAN
MAIN OFFICE
WINSLOW. ARIZONA
FROM
FLAGSTAFF PUBLIC LIB.
H 111I111111I1~!~~III~ljl~~III~ll~IIII~~~III~111I111111
ubbell Co.
WHOLESALE & RETAIL
NAVAJO RUGS - BASKETS
POTTERY - SILVER
Place
5c Stamp
Here
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