The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-11-20
A DISTANT PEOPLE.
Strange Characteristics Of the Terre del
Fuego Indian-The Woman's Love for


Inc Ierre del Fuego Indians, the
ugliest mortals that ever breathed, are
always on the lookout for passing ves-
sells, and come out in canoes to beg
and to trade skins for tobacco, writes
correspondent to The Neoo York San.
The Fuegians, or ''Canoe Indians as
they are commonly called, to distin-
guish them from the Patagonians, who
dislike the water and prefer to navi-
gate on horseback, have no settled
habitation. They are simple people,
with dirty and bloated appearance
and faces that would scare mule.
They have broad features, low fore
heads over which the hair hangs in
tangled Jumps, high cheek-bones, fat
noses, enormous chins and jaws, and
mouths like a crocodile, with teeth
that add to their responsiveness. Their
skin is said to be of a copper color.
They are short in stature, round shoul-
dered, squatty, and bloated, a physical
deformity said to be due to the fact
that most of their lives are spent in
canoes. The women are even more re-
pulsive IN their appearance than the
men, and the children, which are un-
commonly numerous, look like young
'baboons. Their intelligence seems to
be confined to a knowledge of boating
and fishing, and they exercise great
skill in both pursuits. Scientists who
have investigated them say that they
are the very lowest order of human
kind, many degrees below the Digger
Indians.
Although these people live In a per-
petual winter, where 1t freezes every
night and always SHOWS when the
clouds shed moisture, they go almost
stark naked! The skin of the otter
and guanaco are used for blankets,
which are worn about the shoulders
and afford some projections; but under
these neither women nor men wear
anything whatever, except shoes and
aeggings made of the same material,
which protect the feet from the rocks.
There is some little attempt at adorn-
ment made by both sexes in the way of
necklaces, bracelets, and earrings
made of fish bones and sea shells,
which are often ingeniously joined to-
gether. The women will sell the skin
blankets that cover their back for to-
bacco, standing, meantime, as nude as
statue of Venus!
Their food consists of mussels, fish,
sea animals, and flesh of similar sorts,
which they catch with the rudest sort
Of implements. Their fishing lines are
made of grass and their hooks of fish
bones. For weapons they have bows
and spears, the former having strings
made of the entrails of animals, and
the latter being long, slender poles,
with tips of sharpened bone. They
also use sings with great dexterity,
which are made of woven grass, and
are said to bring down ANIMALS at long
range.
During the day they are always on
the water, in canoes or dugouts made
Of the trunks of trees, the VIII ole fam
ly going together, and usually con-
sisting of man, two or three wives,
and as many urchins as can be crowd
I'd into the boat. When night falls
.hey 90 ashore and build fire upon
she rocks to temper the frigid atmos-
phere. Around this they cuddle in a
most affectionate way. The name of
;he islands upon which they live came
rom these fires. The early naviga-
.ors when passing through the straits,
up as if by magic all over the islands
every night at sundown, and SO they
called them Terra del Fuego, or the
and of fire. The English shorten the
ippellation, and thus the place is
Known as Fireland.
No one has ever been able to ascer-
lain whether they possess any sort OF
religious belief or have religious cere-
monies. Across the straits the Pata.
gonians, or horse Indians, are of a
higher order of creation and perform
sacred rites to propitiate the evil and
good spirits, in which, like the North
American savages, they believe, but
;he Fuegians are too degraded to con
template anything but the necessity
,f ministering to their passions and
ippetites. They eat fish and flesh un'
cooked, and appreciate as dainties the
east attractive morsels. Their Ian
guage is an irregular and meaningless
argon, apparently derived from the
Patagonians, with whom they were
.ome time in the distant past, con
nected. Bishop Sterling, of the
Church of England, a devoted and
energetic man, who has charge o.
missionary work in South America
with headquarters on the Falkland
Stands, has made some attempt tt
oenefit these creatures, but with NJ