The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1869-01-09

arise between them. The houses are
very large, except those Of the very poor,
which are as cramped as those of New
York, only not quite so squalid and
filthy The large houses are presided
over by the owner, and he is called the
chief. They are divided into numerous
small rooms, which, altogether, contain
very often as many as fifty people, or ten
families In the middle Of the house is a
large square, paved with gravel and
stone. This is the place where the com-
mon fire is kept and the cooking for all
the hungry mouths goes on. II Is always
burning, night and day, and the men,
women and children lie down, or sit most
ly round il, squatting on their hams,
which is their usual position. There is
only one room in the house, and 1t is di-
vided, as we have seen, into larger or
smaller rooms, according to the aggregate
number of the household.
There are steps to ascend before reach
ing the hole Of three feet in dimensions,
which constitute the only place of ingress
or egresS The descent to the. room be-
low is in proportion to the number OF
steps in'the ascent to the hole or door, The
inside rooms just spoken of are not more
than five or six feet square, and into
these dimensions the whole family is
thrust-father, mother, brothers and sis
ters. * rA4 kgfE
This singular people burn their dead
and collect the ashes in boxes into their
sacred places The Captain tried to get
a skull, but found it impossible. On ex-
pressing his regret to one Of the chiefs,
he said "Oh, never mind will kill a
slave for you, and you shall have his
skull r. This the Captain declined, how
ever. s A @IE&$
The people are divided into chiefs, war.
riors, and slaves, the latter being prison
ers taken In war They are aVerse to
marrying more than one wife although
there is no reason why they should not,
according to their system Of morals. The
Captain only knew OF heard Of three in
stances Of Mormonism during his resi-
dence there. Drunkenness is entangled
with their superstition, 80 thatit is extolled
as divine condition, and the spirituous
deliria are set down as spiritual manifesto
tions, and the drunken man is allowed to
go where lie pleases and do as he likes.
The owners Of houses are called chiefs,
but they have no special influence The
head has died out with the traditions of
the ancient race. It is curious that they
have no legends nor memorials Of any
kind of their progenitors And yet they
possess heirlooms Of their workmanship
that are centuries old. These have been
preserved in their families, but Captain
Fast found IL very difficult at first to OBJ.
| tain them. he succeeded at last, through
, the influence of the medicine men, He
, bought them to his service, as he bought
J list Of between three and four thousand
native words of the Russian American
Fur Company, which the priests had been
+ accumulating for fifty years. Before he
/ had been in the country nine months he
: had caused all the rich graves to be ran
t sacked of their treasures, and had bought
. up all the chief family relics, as well as a
!, large family collection of Curiosities from
= the aforesaid company. These he has in
t his possession, and they are an unique col
/. lection, There Is nothing Ike them in
4 the world, and they, ought not to be suf-
J, fered to leave the country, althodgh it is
T worth while to examine the graves Of some
= other Islands and see with what results.
o The curiosities consist of several hun
q dred specimens of minerals household
{. treasures, heirlooms, a large collection OF
e fossils, Impressions of fossil leaves, ETC.
10 150 specimens in ALL A cabinet of shells,
8. several hundred; a large collection ol
e, Indian antiquities found in old graves
Is two war hatchets (for iron and copper
10 abound, and the surface soil is often strewr
10 over with them); 16 wooden masks, fol
Is war purposes, with copper " "tixings" {
y good deal decayed; one large, ife-sizeC
lr idol; several charms, stone and woOC
n smoking g-pipes, the latter eiaborately
ID carved. The war apparatus consists o
es wooden helmets; swords two feet long
to made of iron, handles finely carved suit
a of wooden armor, jointed, with woodel
d. helmet and visor, the latter in one piec
g. and tied to the head by leather strings
OF battle-axes, spears, lances. There are ,.-
i'd the fishing apparatus; the medicine men
es charms full dress suits Of ancient clOtf
of ing made of skins of animals, and Other
i'd Of skins OF birds with the feathers on
p- charms, doll. babies, necklaces of walru
of teeth, ETC.
Ii. A remarkable necklace, made of man
Dy large Jumps of amber, interspersed wit
rst walrus teeth, is much priced. There is n
as amber in Alaska. It must have come fror
ne the East, and is very ancient. The car
le, ing on the horn spoons, however, and tn
ed Jaw bones of extinct animals, is beaut
ie. fully executed, although the design is nc
er equal to it, There are figures of Easter
We gods, and Phallio emblems, and man
ry Phallic and symbolical figures pointin
IT. to India and Egypt. The gods are drea,
us full images, although there is the symbo
an ism of an old faith running through the
in all-Nel0 York Sun. -...-