The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-10-02
LIFE In THE LAND OF FIRE.
ISLAND OF TERRA DEL FUEao AND
ITS Pc oPLE.
Indians with Faces TINT would Scare
"A Muic-Ihcir strange Life and
Habits a Curious pOstoSficc.

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The glaciers of Switzerland and Nor
way are insignificant beside those which
can be seen from ships passing the straits
of Magellan Mountains of green and
blue ice, with crests of the purcst snow,
stretch fifteen and twenty miles along
the channel in some parts of the straits.
They arc by no means so lofty as those
of Europe, but appear more grand,
rising as they do from the surface of the
water in a land where winter always
fingers, and the sun sets at 8 o'clock in
| the afternoon. The line of perpetual
snow begins here at an elevation of only
1000 feet, and at night water always
freezes, even in the summer time. The
highest mountains in Terra del Fuego
&c supposed to reach an altitude of 1000
or 5000 feet; but the eye of man has
seldom seen them, covered as they arc
with an almost perpetual haze or mist,
and presenting difficulties which the
most ardent and experienced climber
cannot surmount. The highest noun
tain known in this region is Mount Sar-
mcnto, one of the most imposing of the
Andcan peaks, which rears cone of
spotless snow nearly 1000 feet almost
abruptly from the water at its feet
The Terro del Fuego Indians, the ugli-
est mortals that ever breathed, are always
on the lookout for passing vessels, and
come out in canoes to beg and to trade
skins for tobacco. The Fuegians, or
Canoe Indians" as they arc commonly
called, to distinguish them from the Pat
agonians, who dislike the water, and pre-
fer to navigate on horseback, have no
settled habitation. They are simple
people, with dirty and bloated appear
ance, and faces that would scare mule.
They have broad features, low foreheads.
over which the hair hangs in tangled
Jumps, high check bones, flat noses,
enormous chins and jaws, and mouths
like crocodile, with teeth that add to
their responsiveness. Their skin is said
to be of copper color. They consider
1t unhealthful to battle. They are short
in stature, round -shouldered, souatty
and bloated, a physical deformity said to
be due to the fact that most of their lives
are spent in canoes. Their women arc
even more repulsive in their appearance
than the men, and the children, which
are uncommonly numerous look like
young balloons. 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 Of the very lowest order of the
human kind many degrees below the
Digger Indians.
Although these people live in per-
petual winter, where it freezes every
night and always SHOWS when the clouds
shed moisture, they 60 almost stark
naked! The skin of the otter and guam
AGO are used for blankets, which are
worn about the shoulders and afford
some protection; but under these neither
women nor men wear anything whatever,
except shoes and leggings made of the
same material, which protect the feet
from the rocks. There is some little at
tempt at adornment made by both sexes.
IN the way of necklaces, bracelets and
earrings made of fish bones and sea shells.
which are often ingcniously Joined to-
gether The women will sell the skin
blankets that cover their backs for to-
bacco.
Their food consists Of mussels, fish. sea
animals, and flesh of similar sorts, which
they catch with the rudcst sort of nipple
ments. 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 en-
trails of animals and the latter being
long, slender poles, with tips of sharp.
ened bone. They also use sings with
great dexterity, which are made of woven
grass, and are said to bring down ami
mails at long range
During the day they are always on the
water, IN canoes or dugouts made of the
trnn ,f lo Ill
together, and usually consisting of man,
two or three wives, and as many urchins
as can be crowded into the boat.
When night falls they go ashore
and build fire upon the rocks to temper
the frigid atmosphere. Around this
they cuddle in most atfectionate way
The name Of the islands upon which they
live came from these fires. The early
navigators, when passing through the
straits, were amazed to see these fires
spring up as if by magic all over the
islands every night at shutdown, and so
they called them Terra del Fuego. or the
Land of Fire, The English shorten the
appellation, and thus the place is known
as Fireland.
No one has ever been able to ascertain
whether they possess any sort of re-
nglous Dcllet or nave religious cerc-
monies. Across the straits the Pata-
gonians, or horse Indians, are of higher
order of creation, and perform sacred
rites to propitiate the evil and good
spirits, in which, like the North Ameri-
can savages, they believe, but the Fuc.
gians are too degraded to contemplate
anything but the necessity of ministering
to their passions and appetites. They cat
fish and flesh unlocked, and appreciate
as dainties the least attractive morsels.
Their language is an irregular and mean
ingless jargon, apparently derived from
the Patagonians, with whom they were,
sometime in the distant past. connected
Bishop Sterling of the Church of Eng.
land, devoted and energetic man, who
has charge of missionary work in South
America, with headquarters on the Falk
land islands, has made some attempt to
benefit these creatures, but with no
ureat succpSs He has a littlo ocb,onor