Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-02-16
The Jagans Of Terre Del Fuego.

del Fuego, are those on the Jagan tribe,
which counts about 5000 individuals,
who iihabit portion of the southwest of
the country. With slight abrtdgment
the London Daily Netos gives the account
lin Lieutenant Bove's own words:
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 fiat 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 q 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 / 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, il q beauty, is
very advantageous to the men, who can
carry only one or two objects in their
hands ut the same time. They have
rough, lustreleSs black hair, which they
wear long and falling over face and
shoulders. Some bind it with 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 against
the terrible hurricanes, the SHOWS that
fall during the ten months in the wear,
and the torrential rains that daily visit
this miserable archipelago, the Fuegian
only wears 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 wi9wams 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 a larger part. The
women are looked upon as slaves, and
the greater part of the work falls to their
share. / have often seen the men sitting
quietly round a good fire while the poor
women were exposed in fragile skiffs to
the snow, wind and waves. fishing for
their idle and angry husbands. The
greater the number of wives or slaves o
man has, the easier for him it is to find
a liTing; hence the practice of pOlygamy
which is so rooted among the Fuegians
that in spite of the efforts of the mission
aries it is no rare thing to see a convert
suddenly break through restraint and
add two or more wives to the one al
lowed him by the new religion. But,
though Fuegian may marry as many
wives as he pleases, be 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
battles. and sometimes the prettiest OF
the wives pays with her life the prefer
cnce of her husband. Sometimes, how
ever, the wives all unite against their
common husband. Tie girls begin to
hunt for husbands at ten TO twelve wears
Of eye. The man marries at fourteen or
sixteen years of age. The marriages are
dictated by convenience, and are a mat
ter of sale and purchase rather than of
love or reciprocal sympathy. The father
chooses from among the suitors for his
laughter the one who is strongest, most
deXterous, and docile to his wishes, and
fixes the number of skins to be given and
days that his son-in-law has to work for
him. A canoe, spears and harpoons
form the dowry of the bride. When all
IL settled, the bride is informed, and
Whatever may be her sentiments. she
takes good care to show no resistance to
her father, and is taken away to her hus-
bands wigwam, But generally the
fSther's choice is also the daughter 5,
for nowhere do strength and dexterity
I. AXE greater impression than upon the
Fuegian girls, who 1y from a crooked
CT deformed man. as from an impure
Ting-a pariah, There is no feast or
wedding ceremony. The bride simply
goes to her husbands wigwam, or he es-
ttblishes himself in that of her father.
But some rules have to he observed. II
tie husband wishes TO continue TO eat the
fcsh of the guauaco. or seal. he must
tske purifying bath in the sea the morn
iTg after his wedding. Such a bath, es-
pecially in the depth Of the winter, is no
dOubt often the cause OF many of the
rnaladies TO which the young Fuegians
are subject. The children seldom all
survive their parents, for the mortality
between two to ten years of age is ex-
tSaOrdinary. The variable and frigid
climate, the want of nourishment, the
terrible heats, and bad treatment by the
parents, are the chief causes of the death
o! these miserable infants, yet unarmed
against the frightful struggle for exist
ence. The mothers love lasts, it NAV be
said. until the babe is weaned. after
which affection rapidly diminishes as
the child grows. and is completely gone
rs the latter 'attains the age of seven or
eight years. At this age the parents
have no more authority over the BOYS,
who 60 out and come as they like, and
are never asked what they are doing.
The only lasting love in the heart of
Fuegian is the love of self. How often
have L seer father devouring piece
of meat or bread, while his furnishing
wives and children silently watch him
with their hungry eyes timidly picking
up the crumbs that fell from his mouth
and darling ravenously upon the miser-
able remnants thrown TO them by the
ferocious head of the family. As there
are no family ties. the word authority
Is devoid Of meaning among the Fue-
gians. Every family enjoys the utmost
independence. and only the need of COM
mon defense induce few families to
form a small tribe. But no one has a