Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-01-26
THE GIANT GoUANCHES.
They Live in the Mountains of the Seven &c

They Live in the Mountains of the Seven Co.
San Francisco Chronicle.
The Gouanches 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 CanRries.
Before the conquest a, until the fiji
teenth century they remained absolutely
in the sge of stone. To manufacture
tools and arms they utilized the volcan-
ic rocks which form the islands, princi-
pally the basalt, because Of its conference,
and the obsidian or glass of the volca-
noes, which is very sharp. Notwithstand
ing the intercourse necessarily frequent
with the navigabors of all nations along
their coasts, and Who had been possess
ed of the metals foI long time, they
knew neither their use nor toe art of pro-
ducing them, and were restricted TO the
natural materials of their islands.
The Canarien 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
the side of these characters of an infer
ior civilization some institutions, customs
and manners appear which denote state
much more advanced. The Gouanches
possessed domestic animals, as 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 enveloped their mummies, are per
fectly preserved for centuries. The,
al SE aH
skins although their needles were only
bones of fishes and the points of IeaveS
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 IL the
potter's art, Their vases are frequeI thy
of large dimensions, of elegant forms,
and of red color, with designs in bright
red or IL black. The hanCles of some,
says DR.. Chill, recall those of pottery of
the ancient Egyptians.
The Gouanches obtained fire by ruo-
bling hard piece of wood against soft
piece. They cultivated wheat, and absve
all barley. They consumed great guam
tity of figs and dates, which are only a
little carneOus and peculiar to the Cana
ries. The vine to them was unknown.
Although warriors and often engaged in
civil war, their arms were of the most
rudimentary kind. fhe 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. 1t was was with these elementary
means that they for long time resisted
their Spanish conquerors and accom-
plished exploits which are in the ac-
counts of their chronicers.
The Gouanches had neither chariots nor
carts, carrying verything On their backs
| They possessed neither boats nor RATS,
but were sk1llful swimmers. AS the sew
en- islands were too distant for them to
communicate in this way, their popula-
ton remained isolated, and although they
had essentially the same deg rec of civil
cation, yet in detail their manners were
different. In the islands Puerto Ventura
| the remains of important structures are
found, which are called palacio by the
conquerOrs. They enbalmed their cada-
vers with care, but the process has been
lost for preserving the flesh. The pre-
served body was surrounded with aromat-
ic 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.