Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-01-26
TIE GIANT GoUANCHEs.
They Live in the Mountains of the Seven CO.
naries
- Erar IS. sl.,a., g,1.


uaries
San Francisco Chronicle
The Gouanohes are large and robust
Their hair is brown and sometimes
blonde, the face long, and likewise the
skull, With the chin prominent. They in
habit yet, almost exclusively, the noun
tains in the center of the seven Canaries.
Before the conquest ard until the IF
teenth century they remained absolutely
in the age of stone. To manufacture
tools and arms they utilized the volean-
ic rocks which form the islands, prinoi-
pally the basslt, because of it's conference,
and the obsidiau or glass of the volca-
noes, which isvery sharp. Notwithstand-
ing the Intercourse necessarily frequent
with the navigators OF all nations along
their coasts, and who had been possess
ed OF the metals fol long time, they
know neither their use nor toe art OF pro.
duoing them and were restricted TO the
natural materials OF their islands.
The Cauarien museum possesses some
polished axes, of form and workman
ship perfectly similar to those of other
parts of the globe, besides the usual in.
struments, knives, pincers, etc. But at
tho side of these characters of an infer
and manners appear which denote state
much more advanced. Tho Gouanches
possessed domestic animals, IA the goat
the hog and the dog, but not, as was
thought, the camel. They tanned the
skins With art TO the point that the skins
of the goat and the hog, with which they
then developed their mummies, are per
fectly preserved FOR centuries. The.
Al L. ~ 81
skins although their needles were only
bones OF fishes and the points of leaves
of the palm trees. They made with wo
ven rushes real tissues, resembling coarse
cloth Although they might not know OF
the wheel, their skill was great IN the
potter's art. Their vases ara frequently
of large dimensions, of elegant forms,
and of red color, with designs in bright
red or in black. The hanCles of some,
says DIR. Chill, recall those OF pottery of
the ancient Egyptians.
The Gouanches obtained fire by rub
bling hard piece OF wood against soft
piece. They cultivated wheat aud abs-e
all barley. They consumed great guam
tity of figs and dates, which are only a
little catneous and peculiar TO the Cana
ries. The vine TO them was unknowa,
Although warriors and often ongaged.in
civil war, their arms we've OF the most
rudimentary kind, Thc stone axes were
exceptional. They did not even know
the use of the sling. They hurled stones
by force OF the arm, which was sometimes
terrible Their arm was the stick, which
was redoubtable in their hands. Their
breasts were protected with cuirasses of
wood. II was was with these elementary
means tina. they for a long time resisted
their Spanish conquerors and accom-
plished exploits which are in the &C
counts of their ohroniclers.
The G0uanches had neither ohariots nor
carts, carrying everything On their backs
They POSSESSED neither boats nor RATS,
but we're skilful swimmers. As the sew
on islands were too distant for them to
communicate in this way, their popula-
ton remained isolated, and although they
had essentially the same degree OF ciyili-
cation, yet in detail their manners were
different. In the islands Puerto Ventura
the remains of important structures are
found, which are called palaoio by the
oonquorors. They enbalmed their oada-
vers with care but the process has been
lost for preserving the flesh. The pre-
served body was surrounded with nromat-
10 branches and number of tanned
skins OF the hog and and the goat. The
mummy was then placed in a cavern,
where it is preserved until our day, or in
the open under some little tumulus.