The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1878-06-15
Yuma Indians.
(CONCLUDED.)

is vested in two classes of chiefs
orcapitanes; one head chief, whose
counsel and authority is respected
by numerous sub-chiefs, each of
whom presides over his respective
band. Questions that affect the
welfare of the band are decided
by the sub-chief; those affecting
that of the whole tribe are refer
red to the head chief. Chieftain-
ship was formerly hereditary, but
Pascual, the present head, was
appointed by Heintzelman in 1852,
but, although it involved the deg
radiation of two others, Santiago
and Caballo-en-Pelo, as we'll as the
overcoming a natural undercur-
rent of sympathy for them, the
appointment has been entirely ac-
quiesced in. -
This tribe has been at peace since
1867. Their weapons Of war con-
list of bows made of cottonwood,
strengthened by strips of animal
membrane, the bow-string is made
from the tendon of the horse;
their arrows are made either of
the slender stems of the arrow
bush or of cane, tipped with small
heads of ebert, Obsidian, old bot
tie glass or iron; the tips are poi
soned by thrusting them into the
liver of a dead horse, prepared in
various manners, one of which
used to be the shutting up scor-
pions, tarantulas and rattlesnakes
with a piece of liver, irritating
them, and when filled with their
venom, using the liver as stated
above; sometimes the arrows were
dipped in the blood of a corpse;
clubs, about two feet long straight
or curved, and the hunting knife.
Few have fire arms, and these are
not skillful in the use of them.
Marriage takes place early in
life. 1t is preceded by compact
to live together as long as they
can agree and they are at liberty
to separate at any time. Conju-
gal jealousy scarcely exists. Plu-
rality of wives is tolerated, pro-
vided the man is able to furnish
them support. Marriage among
blood relations, even of first cous-
ins, is strictly prohibited; in this
respect their religion is physiolo-
gically in advance of the Roman
Catholic, which through dispen-
sation from the Pope, sanctions
marriage not only of cousins but
of uncles and nieces. The Off
spring of intercourse with whites
or MeXicans used to be destroyed
at birth, and to a great extent still
is, occasionally one escapes owing
to q doubt OF its purity of blood.
A reason given for this opposition
to a mixture of races is a fear that
the offspring, being superior to
the parents, will at length over
rule them. The crime of adultery
is often punished by death. Their
cradles are not unlike a snow-shoe,
are we'll padded with the finest of
willow bark. The babe of one
year is often seen with one or
more strings of small beads dam
Cling from it's ears. The perfora-
tiOns are made not only ON the
lobe of the ear, but in one or two
other places on the helix. The
septum of the nose is often pierc-
ed in male children, but all do not
wear an ornament therein. Both
sexes are fond of and wear white
and colored beads, blue being
favorite color; finger rings are
made of them, and their necks,
arms, wrists and ankles are often
loaded down with them.
The mode of fighting is pecu-
liar. Instead of striking out from
the shoulder with their fists, each
combatant makes grab for the
others hair, and having drawn
their opponents head as near the
earth as possible, resting on one