Original subtitles

ANNOUNCER: And now,Death Valley Days.

♪♪ [ trumpet ]

Hyah! Yah!

Yah! Yah!

Howdy, folks. I'’m the Old Ranger,

and I have another interesting true story for you

about the historic Death Valley country.

Most of the bitter disputes in the history of our West

have been over land or gold.

But the famous feud I'’m going to tell you about tonight,

between two Indian pueblos, was over a picture.

It'’s called...

This is the pueblo of Acoma,

the oldest continually occupied settlement

in the United States,

built atop a giant rock rising nearly 400 feet

from the Great Plains of New Mexico.

It was to Acoma that the portrait of Saint Joseph

was presented back in 1629

by King Charles II of Spain,

and for two centuries hung here in the mission church

in a place of reverence in the dim sanctuary,

two centuries during which the Acomans enjoyed peace,

health, and prosperity,

while at the neighboring pueblo of Laguna, 20 miles away,

famine stalks the land,

and the medicine men invoke the gods for rain.

♪♪ [ drums ]

It'’s no use.

For three days now, the dance of the rainmaker goes on,

and still not a drop falls.

Yet Acoma has rain.

Acoma always has rain,

even when the rest of the country is dry.

If only we know the secret of their great medicine.

We do, Mother. It is because of the picture.A picture?

The holy painting of Saint Joseph that hangs in their church.

It came to them many years ago from across the sea--

a gift of a great king--

and it has the power to perform miracles.

When they need rain, they take it from their church on the rock

and place it on the field below during the day to bless their labor.

Not once since it was given to them many years ago have they lost a crop.

But of what use is all this talk to us?

We have no holy painting.

Perhaps we could get one,Father.

From a great king across the sea?

No, no. From Acoma.

If their pueblo stood on the plains like ours,

that might be possible.

But on the high rock with only narrows there by which to reach them...

I did not mean fight them for the picture, Father.

I meant, ask them for it.

It would be a fool'’s request and only bring laughter.

If we explained to them that we face starvation.

The chief of the Lagunas a beggar?

No. Then I will go and speak for the pueblo.

Where is the rock stairs that lead to the top?

On the side where the sun sets.

CHIEF'’S SON: The great rock of Acoma.

It is even more forbidding at close range.

You men stay here.

I will climb to the pueblo and arrange for a council.

Alone? Unprotected?

No, Felipe. The Acomas do not welcome strangers.

They'’re even known to hurl them from the rock.

Why then risk all our lives?

Who are you?

Felipe, son of the chief of the Lagunas.

What brings you here?

Famine dwells in my pueblo.

Starvation is at every door.

I come to ask a favor of Acoma.

A gift of food?

No. The picture of Saint Joseph.

The picture of Saint Joseph?

You would ask for our patron saint?

Only for a little while,

so the rains may come and bless our crops as he blesses yours.

Even to ask for its use would be asking for death.

Our chief would have you stoned and hurled from the rock.

Have you ever seen the eyes of children who are hungry?

Heard them crying for food that isn'’t there?

Watch their mothers trying to comfort them?

I will not turn back.

You have more courage than any brave I ever met.

Wait. There is one who may be able to help you.

Father Mariano.

Your priest?Yes.

He has great influence with our leaders.

With him at your side, you at least will be allowed to plead your cause.

Follow me. I will take you to him.

It is asking too much, Father.

Not once in 200 years has the painting of Saint Joseph left our hands.

It is our protection.

If we let it go, who knows?

It will only be for a little while.

Not even for a little while.

Just long enough to bring rain so our crops will grow and bear fruit.

Is the son of the Laguna chief so deaf he has not heard my answer?

Is the heart of the Acoma'’s leader so cold

that he would let women and children starve?

If your people starve, it is no fault of mine.

Silent, my children.

Angry words are the voice of the devil

and lead only to ill feelings and violence.

Miguel, is it not so

that I have given you and your people good counsel?

It is so, Father.

Then I beg of you now,

instead of deciding this matter yourself,

leave the decision to a higher power

by drawing lots.

It will be as you wish, Father.

Sabita.

There are 12 present--

six representing the pueblo of Laguna,

and six the pueblo of Acoma.

I have prepared 12 slips of paper.

Eleven are blank.

On the 12th, there'’s a likeness of Saint Joseph.

Whoever draws the slip

bearing the likeness of the saint,

his pueblo wins.

God, I feel sure, will direct the result.

Miguel, as leader of the Acomas,

you draw first.

Wish your men luck, Sabita.

A blank.

Felipe, leader of the Lagunas.

Also a blank.

Esteban of Acoma next.

Antonio of Laguna.

Hold it up so we can see.

There is nothing to see.

Number five, Luis of Acoma.

Saint Joseph, guide my hand to Thy likeness.

Saint Joseph. He has drawn the winning slip.

[ chattering ]

Acoma wins.

God has willed that the holy picture

remain where it is.

♪♪ [ drums ] [ Indians whooping, chanting ]

Felipe.

Why are you not celebrating Acoma'’s victory with the others?

I wanted to bid you good-bye

and tell you I am sorry you are leaving empty-handed.

I prayed you would draw the winning slip

for the sake of your children.

Not my children,

the children of the pueblo.

I am not married.

No? The son of the chief?

I was not willing

until I found a mate that I truly loved.

Sabita...

MIGUEL: Sabita? Sabita, where are you?

I must go. Miguel is looking for me.

You and Miguel?

Yes. We are pledged.

Good-bye, Sabita.

May Laguna find a way out of its trouble.

Sabita!

Good-bye.

♪♪ [ drums continue ] [ whooping, chanting continue ]

Felipe, I have been looking for you.

I have a plan.

While the Acomas are celebrating,

let us slip into the church and take the saint'’s picture.

Steal it?We will give it back

after it'’s done its work for us.

The church and the stairway are unguarded,

and the men are waiting with the horses.

We can be well on our way before they even miss the picture.

To take it would be wrong.

You would rather go back and face your people,

tell them you have failed?

They look on you as their future chief, Felipe.

Return empty-handed, and you will never have their trust again.

[ whooping, chanting continue ] ♪♪ [ drums continue ]

Someday soon, Sabita,

we will be kneeling here in the holy ceremony of marriage

May Saint Joseph bless us with many sons.

Miguel!

The picture of Saint Joseph-- it is gone!

SABITA: Father. Father Mariano.

What is it, my child?

Father, the saint'’s picture has disappeared from the church.

Disappeared? Miguel swears the Lagunas took it.

He has called a council of war to plan vengeance. ♪♪ [ drums ]

There! Hear the war drums?

They will be leaving soon. You must stop them, Father.

Before we are through, the Laguna dog will learn

what it means to steal our holy picture of Saint Joseph.

[ all exclaim ]

We will not only get it back,

but we will write the name of Acoma on the walls of their pueblo

with their own blood![ all exclaim ]

No, my children. War is not the way.

It will accomplish nothing.

You would let them keep our picture?

What they did was born of desperation.

After he has blessed their crops, they will return it.

No one gives back what they have stolen, unless made to do so.

You only bring death to your men.

The Lagunas outnumber you many times.

Step aside, Father.

"Love one another," sayeth the Lord.

Be generous to your neighbors, Miguel.

You can afford to be.

For the last time, step aside, Father.

♪♪ [ drums continue ]

No, Miguel, no!

You must not strike the holy father.

Let the drums stop.

There.

I have placed him so he can watch everybody.

From now on, our field will be protected by the presence of a saint,

and the new crops we are planting cannot fail.

Why have the people not gone down to the fields, Miguel?

And why are you not there supervising their labor?

The sun is already high.

The sun can set for all I care.

You'’re not going to work?

What'’s the use of working without Saint Joseph to bless our crops?

A curse upon the Lagunas.

May they be stricken with smallpox.

You must not say such things,

and you must not lose faith.

For with faith, all things are possible.

Saint Joseph was our faith.

Without his protection, there will be no rain.

And the dust storms will sweep our fields,

choking and smothering our crops.

Our women will have no grain to grind.

Our water holes will turn poison and kill our horses.

Even the dogs will know that Acoma is poor.

[ wind whooshing ]

Everything I said would happen has come to pass.

I was a fool to let those Laguna dogs keep our saint.

They will return the picture, Miguel. Have patience.

Patience?

How can I be patient when even our marriage must be put off

'’cause I'm too poor to take a wife?

Well, I'’m not gonna wait any longer.

I'’m going after the picture with a war party,

as I should'’ve done in the first place.

Miguel, no. Remember what Father Mariano said.

Father Mariano! I should not have listened to him.

His tongue is too smooth.

Then let him go instead

and talk the Lagunas into giving Saint Joseph back.

It is better than shedding blood.

Send one man?

A holy man on a holy errand.

Father Mariano'’s not the only one with a smooth tongue.

I see the saint has done his work.

He has performed a miracle, Father,

just like I knew he would.

I am glad for everyone'’s sake.

Now you can return the picture.

Return it?

The time has come to give it back.

No.

May God forgive you for your attitude.

Sabita.Felipe!

I have waited here since dawn, hoping you would come.

You are mad.

If they find you here, they will kill you.

Your life will be worth nothing.

My life is worth nothing without you, Sabita.

Knowing you'’re suffering, I brought you a gift.

Some grain.

You think I will eat when the rest of my people are hungry?

There is only one gift that Acoma wants--

our saint'’s portrait.

I would return it if I could, believe me.

Believe you? Why should I believe you,

a man who steals, lies?

When have I ever lied?

That night on the rock when we said good-bye.

You pretended that you cared for me.

I was not pretending any more than you were.

From the moment we met, it was love between us.

How can you speak so? Take your grain.

I want none of it, or of you.

Sabita.

I hate you.

I hate all of your tribe!

There'’s only one way to get the picture back--

steal it, the way they did from us.

At night.

When it is brought back from the field after the day'’s work.

What if it is guarded?

We will surprise their guards and silence them,

and be gone before the Lagunas ever wake up.

Once back here on the rock, our saint will be safe forever.

When do we start?This evening.

Just the three of us. Say nothing to anyone else.

You two wait here.

I'’ll go see where the picture is kept and whether it is guarded.

You can thank Saint Joseph for saving your life.

Now go, before I forget that he watches.

You should not have tried to steal the picture, Miguel.

It was wrong.

So it was wrong for me to try to steal back that

which is ours?

But it was not wrong for Felipe to steal it from us?

I did not say that.

But that is the way you feel.

Lagunas were starving.

And now it'’s the Acomas who starve.

Because you had Father Mariano stop us from going on a warpath.

I did not wish to see you killed.

You did not wish to see Felipe killed.

You think I'’m blind, that I have not been aware of the change in you

since the first day he came to Acoma?

You are imagining things, Miguel.

Do you deny that your thoughts dwell on him often?

I have not been unfaithful to our pledge.

So you say. I would not even be surprised if you overheard

our plans to steal the picture back and warn him.

You believe I would betray my own people?

A woman has no honor where her heart commands.

If that is how little you trust me,

the man I'’m going to marry--

was going to marry-- it is well I know it now.

Sabita!

One thing we know, the Lagunas will never return our Saint back now.

So I say, let us start fighting like braves,

not sit here like squaws while Acoma slowly sinks to ruin.

[ crowd approval ]

Then start the drums and light the torch of war

for the honor of Acoma and our picture of Saint Joseph.

[ crowd cheers ]

Miguel!You can speak, Father,

but this time we will not hear you.

This time we take the only path left to us.

No, my son. There is still another path.

This country we live in is now a part of the United States,

the territory of New Mexico.

We will take your case to the American judges.

They will see that you get justice.

Will they see that we get our holy picture back?

I am sure of it because right is on your side.

What do the Lagunas care about right?

Did not God decide who should keep the picture?

And yet they stole it from us?[ crowd agrees ]

And now, God has made it possible to get it back

without bloodshed.

The Americanos are wise and just.

They act swiftly. Take your troubles to them.

They will not fail you.

Very well, Father. We will go to the Americanos.

But for your sake, you had better pray that what you said is true.

OLD RANGER: And so the case of the pueblo of Acoma

versus the pueblo of Laguna was taken to court.

And Father Marino'’s prediction came true.

But the Laguna Indians took it to a higher court.

And in 1857, the United States Supreme Court

rendered a decision upholding the lower court and ordering

the pueblo of Laguna to surrender immediately

the painting of Saint Joseph to the pueblo of Acoma.

They'’re coming with the picture.

As Chief of Lagunas, I'’m obeying the order of the Chief of the American law.

Welcome home, Saint Joseph.

At least this ends the feud between our people, Felipe.

And Laguna, again, faces hunger and famine.

Did it ever occur to you that crops depend as much

upon the work of human hands as upon the blessings of a saint?

When the holy painting was first brought to Laguna,

it changed our fortunes.

We carry the picture right into our fields with us.

And worked harder than you had ever worked before

because he was watching you.

While at Acoma they became discouraged with no saint to inspire them.

It serves as an inspiration. A reminder of the protection

and loving kindness of our Heavenly Father.

The holy picture help you to help yourselves.

Go back to Laguna and keep working as if the Saint were still in your midst.

And I know that when harvest time comes around,

your storehouses will be full,

and the pueblo will celebrate

your marriage with feasts and plenty.

What is a squaw compared to a saint?

If you are fortunate enough someday to visit the pueblo of Acoma,

look in the sanctuary of the mission,

and there you'’ll see this famous painting,

the subject of a lawsuit unique in the annals of United States law.