National Republican., 1883-04-04
EXoRCIsING THE DEVIL.
How California Indians Drive the Evil
One Away.
San BerHurdino mdtr.

San BerTurdfn0 IndGr.
A correspondent AT San Luis Rey Indian
agency gives tho following description of the
manner in which tho savages drive tho evil
onSaway: "Tho Indians do not like to take
medicines, but they held, few days ago, q
fiesta for three successive nights for the pur-
pose of decoying the demon of sickness, and,
If possible, to catch and kill him. 1t was the
best / have yet seen in the many years of my
acquaintance with tho life and customs of
these mission Indians. After lot of bucks,
naked, but fixed up with paint and feathers,
had exhausted themselves by dancing and
stamping the ground about an hour around q
big fire and got hoarse from grunting and
bowling, an old gray buck, the 'chissero,'
stepped into the center of the ring and be-
gan, in low, mournful voice, to sing. He
was drcssed-or, rather, undressed--the same
as the others, with the exception that he had
a rattle made out of the tails of rattlesnakes
in his right hand, while on his head was a
tiara formed of three punches of plumes.
From time to time he went outside of the
ring upon the hillside, and, looking up in the
air in all directions, called in decOying voice
for the ghost. When he returned he ALWAYS
explained in few whispered words how diff
cult itwas and how dangerous il was for him,
and that he was very much afraid. At last
when he came back again from the hill, he
was seized with heavy commissions, which
brought him, under fearful means land SEEM
ingly he suffered terrible palms, to the ground
But he had still force enough left to pull out
the bundles of feathers from his head. With
these he rubbed his chest, and this releasing
him from the power of the demon, he jumped
up and with fearful yels everybody followed
him in wild tumult, men, women, and chill
dren crying Matarlo, Matarlo' (kill him,
kill him), and beating the ground with the
sticks they had ready for the occasion.
81 got out of the way then, for they
seemed to be a lot OF loose maniacs. When
they returned to the ring they all stood up
in u circle, the old 'chisero' dug little hole
in the center, and after some more singing
and stamping the ground, pulled one of the
bundles of feathers from his head, and giving
fearful yells the same wild beating of the
ground followed, in which even old Vicente
took part. This concluded the ceremonies
and everybody went home feeling satisfied
that he was the one who had hit or killed
the ghost, and no more sickness was going
to prevail in the village The whole made
u picturesque scene-the swarthy oil bucks
with their sweaty faces illuminated by ex-
citement and dancing; the huge fire burning
in the middle, of which once in awhile a
kick would send the flames and sparks away
up in tho tops Of the trees; the stern face
of the captain sitting on chair with n
long rod in his hand, and the audience with
eager expectation, sitting on the ground !;
tho fair SEX doing their part in singing
Then owls would fly overhead through the
branches of the dark, shadowing oaks, Join
ing in with their voices and adding to the
awe of the whole, while fair Luna's face rose,
shining in its soft splendOr above the noun
tains TO illuminate ii ALL"