The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-14

| But it should be remembered that Father
Baegert lived near the Tropic of Cancer
where excessive heats are expected, an(
| that most of the missionary efforts in Cali
| fornia were confined to the dryest anC
hottest coasts.
Washington Irving states, but l do not
know upon what authority, that when the
missions were first established in Lower
California, the aborigOnies numbered about
thirty thousand. Baegert says: 'In q
country so sterile as this, the number of in
habitants cannot be great, for most of then
would die of hunger were it densely popu-
lated. Consequently there are few Cali,
fornians in proportion to the great extent
of territory-almost as few as If there were
none at all. One may travel in ten different
parts, four days or more, without seing q
single human being.n
4 popularity of the country to-day. Is
that one may travel scores of miles with
out finding the slightest trace of human
occupancy; or if, at rare intervals, he sees
an Indian family, they will be squatted
silently on bare hillside, with 10 shelter
but the sky. The missionaries were never
aole to induce the natives to abandon ''all
out doors" for an abiding place. They built
themselves
HOUSES, CHURCHES AND BARRACKS
of adobe, or stone, but the Indians con
tinued to spend their days in the sun and
their nights with the sky for counterpart.
Only during the season of cold winds could
they be persuaded to erect any sort of shell
ter. and then merely rude break-weather
of sage brush-about three feet high, in the
shape of alf-moon-behind which they
huddled. Baegert excuses their shift
lessness in this wise: ''If they had houses,
they would be compelled to carry them
about, like snails or turtles, for the nee
cessity of collecting food urges them to
wander constantly. They cannot start
every morning from the same place and
return thither in the evening, since single
tract of land cannot long provide for the
smallest tribe. To-day the water will fail :;
tomorrow they have to go long distance
to gather certain fruit or seed, then fit
for food. | am not mistaken in saying that
most Of them change their night quarters
at least hundred times year, hardly ever
sleeping three successive times in the same
part of the country
AS the blue sky rooted their habitation,
so, in the days of the missionaries, their
own brown skins were all the clothing they
cared for. The males and children peram-
bulated the earth, from birth to death, in a
state of perfect nudity, and so did most of
the women-eXcept few young bellies,
among whom the fashion existed of wear
ing, on festive occasions, sort of apron,
which the monk describes as 'about span
wide. of different length, generally reach
ing to the knee, leaving naked both sides
of the thighs" This regalia must resemble
Japanese portieres, in workmanship, being
merely strings of calties-fbr in which are
strung short sections of water reed, like
beads on rosary. J 4 number of these
strings, hitched close together on girdle
of rawhide, hang down before and behind.
The men, like the women, allow their hair
To grow long, and when it becomes too
TANGLED AND THICKLY POPULATED
to be longer endured (such a thing as a
comb or brush being unheard of, it is
chopped off with sharp flint and allowed
to grow again. Formerly the ears of all
male children were pierced with a pointed
stick, and into the aperture bones and bits
of wood were inserted, often charging the
lobes to such Il degree that they actually
hung down upon the shoulders, when the
person has grown TO mans estate. On
gala days they further enhanced their
natural beauty by daubing different parts
of the body with streaks of red ana yellow,
the colors being obtained from berries, or
by burning certain minerals. Though the
native Californian differs totally from his
brother Mexican in language and habits,
he has the same Glove colored hide, varying
born babies are white as Anglo-Saxons;
but soon the darker blood begins to show
itself The straight course hair is black
as pitch, and seldom grows gray, even on
extreme old age. All are beardless, the
eye brows but slightly defined, and the
teeth whittier than pearls, though never
cleaned. As rule they are taller than the
other Indians of Mexico, and remarkably
supple, one of their favorite amusements
a.,
the toes of the other foot lift stones.
bones and sticks from the ground to their
mouths.
Before the coming of the Spaniards, the
Californians believed that their country
the whole world, and that they
themselves were its sole inhabitants.
Though small numerically, they were
divided into great many tribes, each tribe
speaking different tongue. The mission
aries complained that in the space of $50
leagues they had TO learn nineteen dialects.
In reality, there were but three distinct
languages among the peninsular tribes,
the Mooui, Pericu and Cachimi Father
Baegert says that though mission con
tanned but thousand souls, it might en-
brace as many little nations among its
as Switzerland counts cantons
and allies. His own mission barely enum-
Grated 500, yet consisted of eleven distinct
tribes, each speaking separate language.
In order that you may imagine how easy
those dialects were to learn, will mention
the names of some of the tribes-Teengua-
bebes, Utshipuges, Observation-Disclosures.
and Mitshirikutaaua-
acres.
J 1t is not to be expected that people in so
Low STATE OF DEVELOPMENT
should have used many implements. Their
entire outfit for all occasions III life con
sisted of a bow and arrows, flint instead
of knife, and bone or a piece of wood
for digging roots. A big turtle-shell served
for a basket, cradle, shovel and soup
tureen; bladder for carrying water, and
the skin of wildcat, or net of cactus
fibre, answered for Saratoga" in which
to transport the whole business. They
were. and still are. skillful archers; and
their bows, made out of the roots of wild
willows, were more than six feet long.
strung with the iutestines of animals The
shafts of their arrow were common reeds,
Strengthened by fire, each decorated with
four feathers at one end and a piece Of
pointed wood at the other or a flint of
triangular shape, indented like the edge Of
a saw. AS they never made war, and there
were no powerful animals to kill, no need
of self-defense, these primitive farms"
answered their purpose as well as more
modern weapons.
Father Baegert says that when the
found them they lived in utter
without shame or fear, and
that the feelings Of love and jealousy were
unknown among them. Each man took as
many wives as he liked, and if there were
several sisters in the family, he espoused
them all at once. But for some time the
son-in-la was not allowed to look upon
the face of his mOther-in-law, or any of the
female relatives of his numerous wives,
and must step aside and hide himself when
ever they were present. They had no
regard for consanguinity, and the mission
aries found many cases where a man