at the men's races, though on a smaller
scale. Instead of tossing the ball with their toes, they use a large
wooden fork, with two or three prongs, to pitch it forward. Sometimes
they have a ring of twisted strips of yucca leaves instead of the
ball, but more often two interlocked rings which they throw ahead
with a stick curved at the end. This game, which is called rowe-mala
(rowe signifies a ring), must be very ancient, for rings of this kind
have sometimes been found in ancient cliff-dwellings. It is certainly
a strange sight to see these sturdy amazons race heavily along with
astonishing perseverance, when creeks and water-holes come in their
way, simply lifting their skirts _a la Diane_ and making short work
of the crossing.

Chapter XVI

Religion--Mother Moon Becomes the Virgin Mary--Myths--The
Creation--The Deluge--Folk-lore--The Crow's Story to the
Parrot--Brother Coyote--Beliefs about Animals.

The pagans or _gentiles_ in the barrancas say that they have two gods,
but no devil. These gods are Father Sun (Nonorugami) and Mother Moon
(Yerugami). The Sun guards the men in the daytime; therefore the
Tarahumares do not transact business after sunset. He also makes the
animals sleep. The Moon watches at night, and is the special deity
of the women. In her nightly vigils she is assisted by her son, the
Morning Star, who commands all the other stars, because they are his
sons and they are Tarahumares. The Stars advise their brothers on
earth when thieves are entering their houses. When the Tarahumares
affirm anything solemnly, they say, "By those above!" meaning the Sun,
Moon, and the Stars.

But the greater part of the Tarahumares are nominally Christians,
though all that they know of Christianity are the words _Senor San
Jose_ and _Maria Santissima_. Moreover, they have adopted the words
_Tata_ (Father) _Dios_ (God) for their Father Sun; and the Virgin
Mary becomes with them a substitute for Mother Moon, and in natural
sequence the wife of Tata Dios. They celebrate in their own peculiar
way all the Christian feasts they know, with as much pleasure and as
elaborately as their own native ceremonies.

Next in importance is the Devil, whom they fear even more than their
own sorcerers. He is always represented with a big beard, such as the
Mexicans wear. He is old and has only one eye, and the shamans have
seen him often. He plays the guitar, but never the violin, because
the bow and the stri