Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-06-24
Sunday, June az, 1888.
PRIMITIVE PEOPLE.

leod Gazette with studies on the man
and custom of prehistoric races and u
portion of his latest and best produc-
ton is given below:
1.-The proper study of mankind is
man."
This is true as related to the know
ledge of human nature. and equally
so, as applied to the information re-
ceived concerning the physical and
mental characteristics ot the human
race. Deeply interesting is the study
of the ten thousand objects in the
Smithsonian Institution, illustrating
the life of prehistoric man in western
Europe. The Clipped stone imple-
ments Of the people who lived in the
dim past of the worlds history, and
The peculiarly shaped skulls, which
snthropoligists say belonged to q ace
lacking the power Of speech, or II pos
sessing this faculty, having few ideas
worthy of expression, excite our curl
osity and awaken interest. The
relics of the cave-dwellers and the
men Of succeeding generations reveal
the progressive development Of man,
and indicate the fact that the Divine
Intellect is educating the human race,
which shall receive its full compile
ment In the future, when the ideal
race shall be the result of q union Of
nstionalities speaking universal
language, and accepting q common
faith.
The shadow Of mystery hovers over
the races of mound-builders and cliff
jewellers, only TO pass away when we
read the history of the Indians of the
New World. In Europe and America
remnants OF primitive people still ex-
list, and the customs Of these and-ex
tinot races although savage and
strange, are deeply interesting and in
structive to the people Of the present
century. The intrepid traveller, Baron
Won Humboldt, states that the natives
of tropical countries show an irresisti-
BILE desire to eat earth. When the
women on the Msgdalens river were
fsshioning their earthen vessels, they
would take large pieces Of the clay aud
eat them. When descending the ORR
noco, he spent n day with an earth
eating tribe Of Indians called Otomacs.
The ancestors Of a tribe Of Indians
in Ecuador had a strange custom OF
preserving the heads of their dec. ased
friends. BY some strange process now
unknown, they removed the bony
substance from the skull, aud then
compressed the fleshy part to the
smallest possible dimensions, still re-
tanning the features to u remarkable
degree, although the head was not
larger than the bowl Of a piTe, Very
few Of these heads have be, l taken
away, a. the Indians preseI = them
sacredly. They have been D com.
pletely hardened and kept fro decay
that, although suppoaet to b three
hundred years old, tn are in an ex
cellent state Of preservation. The
cavities of the eyes, the cheeks, mouth
and ears are much suBken, and the
matted, coarse black hair remains.
Strange barbaric customs still exis,
among the Swans OF the Trsnscaucas-
ian valleys. The people ofthe province
Of Svanetia leave a piece OF waste land
between themselves and their neares'
neighbors, and the wanderer VIII,
treads this debsteable border is liabl,
10 be shot. In the villages are innu
merable towers with narrow Sits in.
s'esd AZ windows, arranged for de
fence. Among the Swans may be seeI
the cheftain supported by the gifts o
his people, and surrounded by a mot
ley band Of idle fellows as q body
guard, a transpositiou of the feuda
system. Cattle stealing lie TO them re.
fined sport, and occasionally they in.
dulge in a raid upon the n~eighDorln.
tribes to capture women for wives
When u female child is born in th,
community, any young man ma,
claim betrothal by simply hanging
figured bullet around its neck. Shout,
the parents or the girl refuse when sh
reaches manageable age, that she be
come his wife, the young man or hi
friends may engage In deadly comba
with the members OF the family.
The striking contrast between In,
bsrbsric civilization of primitive PEG
pie, and that Of the people ~enjoyin,
the benefits Of modern refinement
creates ideas Of increased responsible
ity and contentment with our lot
There Is continual evolution in the In
tellectual, moral and splrital nature
Of man. and we are made partakers o
the blessings resulting from the toll
and trials, successes and mistakes O
the men Of yore.