Mosaics of Sand.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 220, 16 September 1893, Page 4 (Supplement)

Mosaics of Sand.

Two Specimens of Moki Indian Art Now on View at Washington. '

Probably the Moki Indians are tho only people who understand the arb of making mosaics oub of sand. Two painbings of this kind, copied accurately aftor tho original., have been placed on exhibition at tho National Museum. Tbey are done in send of six different colours on a flab, horizontal surface. Thocoloursarered, yallow, green, whito, black and a mixture. Such pictures are made by Mold priests and prieatosse3 on the floors of their subterranean chambers. The six colours stand for the cardinal points. Yellow is bho north, green is the wesb, red ia Ihe south, whibe is tho easb, black is bhe region above and all colours signify tho region below.

One of bho two sand paintings is said to be a copy of the kind of picture made for the annual ceremonial of bhe Moki woman's festival to the germ god, which takes placo in September. The work ot arb is oxecuted during bho progress of bho secreb rites. Ib roprosents two figures in an elaborate frame of different colours. On the lefb is a likeness of La-kone-ma-na, the patroness of tho affair She is clad in a white blanket. On bhe righb is a portrait of one of the twin gods of war, who carries a zigzag of lightning in hia hands.

Tho other picture is a fac-similo of the ono mado by the chief of the Fraternity of Antelopes at the festival of tho snakedanco. Ib is highly conventional in its character. Rain clouds are represented by somicirclos. Parallel lines show the rain falling. Four odd-looking zigzag figures stand for tho lightning snakos, which arerospoctively red, greon, whito and yellow. The greon and white snakes are female and the yellow and red snakes aro male. Around this sand mosaic are performed bho weird rites of the antelope priests, who sing songs embodying tho mythological drama of tho ' Snake Hero.'— ' Washington Star,'