Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-11-06

count or the Ndyr-Supals OF the Supal
canon. Some time ago he went to New
Mexico, settling at Albuquerque. Being
man of adventurous turn of mind he took
a trip up the canon and located the tribe
in the narrow valley-like enclosure be-
tween the mighty walls of the Supai
canon Supai is a name which Mr.. Supai
gave the canon himself after having made
trip to the region.
On reaching the canon he found the
Indians in the midst of marvelously fer
tile valley, diminutiye as 1t is. where all
sorts of grain and fruit grow in rank pro-
fusion, where there are splendid climatic
influences nearly the twelve months
through, and where all that tends to build
up physical powers is at hand He made in
vestigation, too, into their language. their
rites and ceremonies their legends, and
into all the phases of their present and
past history possible ana he is confirmed
in the belief that they are in no way al
lied to the Aztecs. He says, on the con
trary that as far as can be ascertained,
they are allied to the Wallapai.
The tribe is a most singular one. Their
valley home has on either side great
lodges of rocks running up in benches
thousands of feet. In the valley are groves
sc cottonwood trees, and a luxuriant yege-
tation is seen on all sides There are
about 245 or $50 in the tribe of the Supdi.
They live absolutely alone they do not
intermarry with other tribes, neither do
they mix with the scattering white people
of the regions round ABOUT. When they
are in need Of forage or food outside of
that which they can get IN their own rich
valley, they sally out, make their trades
or purchases and return home. They are
monogamists, every man having one wife
and no more. They do not live in com
munal form either, but preserve the fam
lily in its integrity The men are little
above the average height, they are strong
and active, and they are noted for their
skill in climbing the mountains, and in
bringing down the game they need. They
are very shy and suspicious of Indians
from other tribes, and it is only bv the
most careful and adroit means that a
white man can approach them and gain
any information as to their life. The
woman are smaller in stature, very fond
of ornament and given to fantastic deco
rations of their faces fhe Supai indians
appear to be far above many other tribes
in morals. They look with scorn upon
any one who asks them questions as to
their married relations, hold that this is
no ones business bat their own, and the
fact that the woman of the tribe who goes
wrong is subjected to the most pronounced
neglect, and generally is put out OF the
way, is pretty good proof that they are
possessed of a sort of simple, heroic virtue.
Mr.. Wittick found eleven of the men
totally blind. He believes this was due
to the splitting of the arrows when the
bows were stretched too taut. Some of
the women who would be seen sitting bare
footed in front of their thatched-ro roof
houses have the most peculiar big toes
that ever were seen on a human being.
The toes were not SO very large, but they
were of abnormal width at the ends. In
some cases the big toe would be an inch
and a half broad at the end and very fiat
and thin. When Mr.. Wittick and his
party entered the canon they found the
Supai very gentle and hospitable in their
aboriginal Way, but very reticent at the
same time. Proceeding down the canon
through the fertile valley, along which
was slender stream of neverfailing
water, the purest and sweetest IN the land,
they reached magnificent waterfall,
where the silver stream plunges over a
precipice 257 feet IN height and falling in a
stream of the rarest beauty down to the
pool below. Cottonwood trees were feled,
dashed together, and ladder made in sec
tions, the whole seventy-six feet long, and
down this the explorers climbed to their
exit from the home of these strangely in
teresting semi-sayage folk The beautiful
stream has been utilized by the Indians in
irrigating those portions of the valley that
were sterile, and it appears that for cel-
turtles they have known this method OF
aiding nature.