It naturally follows from the Zuni's philosophy of life, that his
worship, while directed to the more mysterious and remote powers of
nature, or, as he regards them, existences, should relate more
especially to the animals; that, in fact, the animals, as more nearly
related to himself than are these existences, more nearly related to
these existences than to himself, should be frequently made to serve as
mediators between them and him. We find this to be the case. It follows
likewise that in his inability to differentiate the objective from the
subjective, he should establish relationships between natural objects
which resemble animals and the animals themselves; that he should even
ultimately imitate these animals for the sake of establishing such
relationships, using such accidental resemblances as his _motives_, and
thus developing a conventionality in all art connected with his worship.
It follows that the special requirements of his life or of the life of
his ancestors should influence him to select as his favored mediators or
aids those animals which seemed best fitted, through peculiar
characteristics and powers, to meet these requirements. This, too, we
find to be the case, for, preeminently a man of war and the chase, like
all savages, the Zuni has chosen above all other animals those which
supply him with food and useful material, together with the animals
which prey on them, giving preference to the latter. Hence, while the
name of the former class is applied preferably as a _general_ term to
all animals and animal gods, as previously explained, the name of the
latter is used with equal preference as a term for all fetiches
(We-ma-we), whether of the prey animals themselves or of other animals
and beings. Of course it is equally natural, since they are connected
with man both in the scale of being and in the power to supply his
physical wants more nearly than are the higher gods, that the animals or
animal gods should greatly outnumber and even give character to all
others. We find that the Fetiches of the Zunis relate mostly to the
animal gods, and principally to the prey gods.