The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-04-05
A STRANGE RACE.
The Ancient Inhabitants of the Canary
Islands.

that city he says: Some persons have
for the last so years taken great inter-
est in the natives of the Canaries. .
Their curious manners, their heroic re-
sistance, their sudden disappearance
from the history of peoples after their
conquest, have created for them an al
ways increasing interest. They pre-
sent the rare example of population
which have developed themselves with
out intermediate agents, thanks to the
insular position and to their distance
from the centers of civilization.
The Canaries have been, however,
known from very early period. They
were renowned for the mildness of
their climate, and had been called the
Fortunate Islands. The Champs Ely
sees were tabled as being there, and
the poets were emulous in their cele-
bration of them. The name Canaries
is mentioned for the first time by
Pliny, who says that he learned it from
Juba, king of Mauritania. Although
lost to sight for several centuries, it
was nevertheless known that the Ca
naries were often the prey of corsairs
and adventurers who we're ravaging
the coasts and conveying the Gouan-
ches into slavery. In 1402 the Nor
man, Jean de Bethencourt, conquered
them in the name of Isabella, the Cath
olic. The avowed motive was to con-
vert the idolators to the true faith, and
under this pretext he committed the
greatest rapines and cruelties.
In comparatively short time, by
phenomenon of which history offers
but few examples, the Gouanches had
lost their nationality, their name, their
language. their customs and their tra-
ditions. The chroniclers of the cou-
quest have informed us in their long
accounts of the exploits of De Rethen-
court, and of his companions, but they
have given only incidentally details
concerning the unhappy inhabitants.
whom they consider as native barbar-
ians that were not worth the trouble
of studying.
Dr. Chill, of Las Palmas, has devoted
himself during the last 25 years TO the
task of reconstructing, scientifically,
the past of the Gouanches. lie has
examined all the writings pertaining
to them, made numerous excavations,
and, stimulated by his initiative, Il
scientific society has been formed in
that city, and a Canarien museum,
where are grouped their collections.
Here are some facts which were OBJ
tanned during a visit to DIR. Chill and
the Canarien Museum. The Gouan-
ches are large and robust. Their hair
| is brown and sometimes blonde; the
face is long. and likewise the skull,
with the chin prominent. They in
habit yet almost exclusively the noun
| tainS in the center of the seven Ca
naries. Before the contest and after
the fifteenth century they remained
absolutely in the age of stone. To
manufacture tools and arms they util-
| lied the volcanic rocks which form
the islands, principally the basalt, be-
cause of its Conference, and the obsid-
ian or glass of the volcanoes, which is
very sharp. Notwithstanding the in
tercourse necessarily frequent with the
navigators of all nations along their
coasts, and who had been possessed of
the metals for long time, they knew
neither of eir use nor the art OF pro-
| ducing en-, and were restricted to
the natural material of their islands.
The Canarien Museum possesses
some polished axes. of form and
Workmanship perfectly similar to
those of other parts of the globe. be-
side the usual instruments, knives.
pincers, etc. But at the side of these
characters of an inferior civilization
some institutions, customs and man.
ners appear which denote state much
more advanced. The Gouanches pos
sessed 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 hog. with which
they enveloped their mummies, are
perfectly preserved for centuries.
They were also very skilled at sewing
these skins, although their needles
were only bones of fishes and the
points of leaves of the palm tree. They
made with woven 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 are frequently OF
large dimensions, of elegant forms
and of red color, with designs in
bright red or in black. The handles
of some, says DR.. Chill, recall those
of the pottery of the ancient Egyp-
tians.
The Gouanches obtained fire by rub
bing Lard piece of wood against a
soft piece. They cultivated wheat,
and, above all, barley. They con-
sumed great quantity of figs and
dates, which are only little ca1neous,
and peculiar to the Canaries. The
vine to them was unknown. Although
warriors, and often engaged in civil
war, their arms were of tie most rud-
imentary kind. The stone axes were
exceptional. They did not even know
the use of the sling. They hurled
stones by the force of the arm, and this
method of attack was sometimes terri
BILE. The defensive arm was the stick,
which was redoubtable in their hands
Their breasts were protected by cui-
rasses of wood. 1t was with these ele-
mentary means that they for long
time resisted their Spanish conauerers,
and accomplished exploits which are
celebrated in the accounts of their
ehroniclers.
The Gouanches had neither chariots
nor carts. carrying everything on their
backs. They possessed neither boats
nor RATS, but were skillful swimmers.
AS the seven islands were too distant
to communicate in this way, their pop
ulatiOns remained isolated, and, al
though they had essentially the same
degree of civilization, yet in detail
their manner was different. In the
| islands of Fuerte Ventura the remains
of important structures are found,
which were called palicio by the con-
querers. They embalmed Il cir cadav-
ers with care, but the process has been
lost for preserving the flesh. The pre-
served body was surrounded with aro-
matte branches, and a number of the
tanned skins of the hog and goat. The
mummy was then placed in a cavern,
where it is preserved until our days,
or in the open, under some little tu-
mulus. With the Egyptians of the
time of the Pharaohs, and the Peru
vians of the Incas, the Gouanches
were the only people who practiced
mummification. They believed in a
supreme being who chastised vice
and recompensed virtue, particularly
valor.
Contrary, however, to that which
the chroniclers assert-to testify, with
out doubt, the cruelties of the Span
iards-they had no idols. Their re-
lipion waS varv advaocod Thav bod