MASKS IN THE SOUTHWEST

Were kachina masks used in the Pueblos prior to 1540, or were they introduced by the Spaniards? D r Elsie Clews Parsons has argued in support of the theory of Spanish introduction.’ D r R. L. Beals, in a communication to the AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST,^ has cited evidence in support of pre-Spanish use of masks: (1) a statement by Luxhn that Espejo’s party witnessed masked ceremonies among the Tigua in 1582-1583; and, (2) an explanation by Bandelier of why masked ceremonies were not mentioned by early Spanish explorers. D r Beals also cites several instances of mask-wearing in Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest, which lends support to the assumption that kachina masks were of Indian origin. I n consideration of this problem, the following notes may be of interest. Bandelier believed the kachinas to be aboriginal: The “cachinas” in the pueblos of the Rio Grande are for the most part strictly private; . . . I am convinced that, although neither Coronado nor Castafieda and Jamarillo mention the dances, they were still zealously performed in the winter of 154041 in the seven pueblos of Zufii?