The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-02-09


ting the screws on the mercury and
bringing it down tight occasionally
Worttington advance.
The Jagans Of Terre Del Fuego.
Among the most interesting observa-
tons made by Lieutenant Bove in Terre
del Fuego, are those on the Jagan tribe,
which counts about 5000 individuals,
who inhabit portion of the southwest Of
the country. With slight abrtdgment
the London Daily Ne,cs gives TIE account
in Lieutenant Boye's own woris:
The Jagans impress one as poor race.
In general the men are scarcely more
than of medium stature, while the women
rarely reach it. The faces of this race
are round, large and fiat, with high cheek
bones, low foreheads and large flat noses,
very black and restless eyes, wide apart,
large, timid lips, and strong jaws fur
nished with beautiful teeth. The head
and chest are disproportionately large
compared to the extreme slenderness of
arms and legs, and it is a marvel how
the latter can support the well-developed
trunk and head. In spite of this strange
formation, both men and women have
uncommon strength. and l have seen
them carry weights that would have
taxed the robustest of our sailors. No
less surprising is the smallness of their
hands and feet, which, if q beauty, is
very advantageous to the men, who can
carry only one or two objects in their
hands at the same time. They have
rough, lustreless black hair, which they
wear long and falling over face and
shoulders. Some bind it with 81 leather
strap, but most let it grow to such
an extent that they look more like
furies than human beings. The men
have very little beard and that little they
pluck out. They do not tattoo, but use
all kinds of paint. Two or three hues of
color on the face and few necklaces of
shells of birds bones is the usual dress
of the Fuegian. For protection agains.
the terrible hurricanes, the SHOWS that
fall during the ten months in the year,
and the torrential rains that daily visit
this miserable archipelago, the Fuegian
only wears a small mantle of seal or
guanaco skin over his shoulders. The
wigwams are only made of intertwined
branches fixed in some sheltered spot.
but they are too weak to keep out snow
and rain. These wigwams are used by
the Fuegians who dwell near the few
residents of Usciumata or round the
mission. The other natives scarcely
ever remain more than one OF
two days in the same place;
they lead a vagrant life in their small
canoes among the complicated canals
Of this broken up country, fishing and |
hunting for their subsistence, of which |
the sea furnishes larger part. The |
are looked upon as slaves, and |
the greater part of the work falls to their
share. 1 have often seen the men sitting |
quietly round good fire while the poor
women were exposed in fragile skiffs to /
he snow, wind and waves, fishing for |
her idle aud angry husbands. The
greater the number of wives or slaves a
naa has, the easier for him it is to find
. liTing; hence the practice of polygamy
which is so rooted among the Fuegians
hat in spite of the efforts of the mission
lries it is no rare thing to see convert
break through restraint and
ldd two or more wives to the one al
owed him by the new religion. But,
though Fuegian may marry as many
wives as he pleases, he seldom takes
more than four. and even with that small
number il is difficult to preserve domestic
peace. The wigwam is the scene of daily
,attles, and sometimes the prettiest OF
he wives pays with her life the prefer
nee of her husband. Sometimes, how
yer, the wives all unite against their
COMMON husband. Tie girls begin to
lurt for husbands at ten to twelve wears
If age. The man marries at fourteen or
iXteen years of age. The marriages are
licfated by convenience, and are mat
er of sale and purchase rather than of
owe or reciprocal sympathy. The father
.hooses from among the suitors for his
laughter the one who is strongest, most
and docile to his wishes, and
;yes the number of skins to be given and
laws that his son-in-law has to work for
iin. A canoe, spears and harpoon:
orm the dowry of the bride. When all
= settled. the bride is informed, and
whatever may be her sentiments, she
axes good care to show no resistance to
er father, and is taken away to her hus-
slnd's wigwam. But generally the
stker's choice is also the daughters,
r nowhere do strength and dexterity
' axe a greater impression than upon the
'uegian girls, who fly from a crooked
J deformed man, as from an impure
ting-a pariah. There is no feast or
Tedding ceremony. The bride simply
',es to her husbands wigwam, or he es-
:blishes himself in that of her father.
'tt some rules have to be observed. II
re husband wishes to continue to eat the :
esh of the guanaco, or seal, he must
IKE purifying bath in the sea the morn
g after his wedding. Such bath, es-
acially in the depth of the winter, is no
oubt often the cause of many of the
ialadies to which the young Fuegians
lie subject The children seldom all {
Trvive their parents, for the mortality
ctween two to ten years of age is ex- {
The variable and frigid {
innate, the want of nourishment, the |
rrible heats, and bad treatment by the |
arents. are the chief causes of The death ;
these miserable infants, yet unarmed t
sainst the frightful struggle for exist '
ice. The mothers love lasts, it may be
i'd, until the babe is weaned, after
hich affection rapidly diminishes as
lie child grows. and is completely gone
J the latter attains the age of seven or
pht xaorc Az fbiS orc tho noraptp