Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-09-22
IrHE SWEET REWARDS OF ARSON.
People In Guatemala Encourage tho Burn
ing of Houses

!, People In Guatemala Encourage the Burn
| ing Of Houses.
| New York Times.]
It is town regulation that, when
ever a mans house burns down, the
whole population must turn out and
help him rebuild it, and for many years
this ordinance was conscientiously OBJ
served, but with the increase of knowl-
edge and the fruitfulness of quiet
thought an Indian might regard his
house as in poor condition, or not fit TO,
him to live in, so he would commit
arson and force his townsmen to build
him new house to replace the old one.
Fires increased with great rapidity, and
very soon the entire population became
no more than community of builders.
without the power to strike. The wise
old men got together, and now I under
stand that an investigating committee is
always appointed to determine the
! origin of fires, and, as consequence,
the fire rate has greatly decreased.
Many of the Indians are weavers and
pottery-makers. The cloths they pro-
duce are very pretty, bright-colored
fabrics, beautifully embroidered in cot
ton or silks as the wearer may desire.
Z he shirt of their costume is made Ike
a square bag, with hole for the head,
and holes for the arms, and when the
skirt is fastened around the waist with
their pretty belts the lower part of the
skirt becomes a petticoat. Dress a
prettily-shaped and well-washed Indian
girl in this costume, give her bright
turban, and let her balance the earthen
water-iar gracefully On her head, and
you have a picture not soon to be for
gotten; and yet they. seem to be IN
aware how picturesque they look.
In the "Semana Santa" or IDLY
week, these Indians will not work, and
during this time they eat nothing but
bread and honey, not as q penance, but
because they like it. The city OF
Quezaltenango, about twelve leagues
distant, is where they buy their bread
for this week. They can buy just as
good bread, and just as cheap, in
Ratalhulen, only five miles away, but
they cannot be persuaded to buy else
where than in Quezaltenango. Each
Bilt1 VI SOiI, 1llJOiSo, seii'
banana and plantain trees, and truly as
class they need not work unless they
are so inclined. They are experts in
managing banana trees. A tree once
started its roots spread in every direc-
ton, and the roots are said to have
hijos (sons), because from many differ
ent points ON the original root will
spring up little banana trees. These
the Indian carefully detaches from the
main root, and the son." being traus
planted in some favorable spot, soon be-
comes the father of many more, etc. A
banana tree from the time it appears re.
quires twelve months to produce 8
bunch of fruit, and it bears but once.
When the bunch, which appears at the
very top of the tree, is fully developed.
the Indian, using a shirp-poipted stick.
gradually cuts through the trunk and
heart OF the tree until the weight of the
bunch of bananas draws the summit
near enough to the ground to permit
gathering; this done the tree is allowed
to rot on the ground. Cutting through
the tree with pointed stick is a slow
process, but an Indian will never cut
down banana tree with his machete,
or long steel knife, for superstition
exists that steel coming in contact with
the sap of the tree ruins the flavor of the
fruit to be gathered.