The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-09-14

power will excuse their poverty; but no
Indian is SO poor that he cannot spare
little coca.
A SECRET CEREMONY.
LII crossing any ridge they cast stone
upon the heap that is always to be found
there, and murmur few words, whose sig
MITIGATION no white man understands. These
cairns. called apachetas, are generally topped
by a huge cross, and may be found at the
summit Of every hill all over the land. Not
an Indian, drunk or sober, Will pass one
without uncovering his head and saying
prayer while making his offering; but the
Secret of it has never been disclosed.
even to inquisitive priests at the confessional.
There are other cairns still more ancient,
whose purport and history nobody knows.
They are SIT exactly on the apex of the hills
square mounds each about six feet high and
hollow inside-buit of stones. well set and
plastered over. Many of them have been
taken down by curious people in the hope OF
finding buried treasure inside, funeral relics,
or other traces of their original use, but moth
ing has ever been discovered.
Besides the gods of heaven, the ancient
South Americans seem to have had great
many terrestrial deities, all of whom re-
ceived sacrifices, and some were wOrshlped
in temples. The sea, too, comes in for
share of worship, and is piousy invoked by
those Indians who live near it, They be-
lieve not without reason that many of those
uLStd5cS W lltll diO Ill6 UtlncCu luC COdob
and the Sierras come out of the ocean on the
wings of mist and vapor, and they implore
Mama-Bocha. the sea god, to send them
health instead.
CROSSING A RIVER.
On the banks of rivers a ceremony is still
performed much like that called mayuchalla
in the Inca worship. None of the mountain
Indians can be coaXed or driven across a
stream, large or small, until they have first
taken a little water into the hollow of the
hand aud invoked the god of the river to
permit them TO pass in safety then, having
drank the water, they throw little corn or
coca into the stream. 1t must be remem-
bered that there are few bridges in the
country, and during portion OF every year
the rivers that are now easily forded be-
come dangerous torrents.
From time out of mind these tribes Of the
Southern continent have regarded coca with
extreme reverence, WOrShlping the shrub
itself, and using It's leaves III their religious
ceremonies. The Inca priests chewed it
during divine service, and it was believed
that unless those worthless were well sup
piled with coca the favor of the gods could
not be proptiated. During the $50 years
that have interviewed, Christianity has not
been able to eradicate this deep-rooted idol
airy To this day it is the general belief
that any business undertaken without the
benediction of coca leaves cannot prosper
The Indian workmen in all the mines still
throw coca cuds upon hard veins of metal to
soften the ore and tighten their labors. In
every ancient grave supply of coca leaves
is found with the mummy, and the Indians
of to-day put the same into the mouths of
their dead in order to secure for them
more favorable reception in the unknown
world. The belief in household gods re-
manned in full force long after the conquest,
and every poor hut had its lares and Pc
Mates,