Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-23

LA fAZ, BOLIVIA, July 1.
"A . ANY Of the Indians Of Peru and Bolivia
e.: /: :; :: II Z:
>| contented. Their beserting sin, how
ever, Is a weakness for more alcohol and coca
than their means allow, whereby they involve
themselves deeper and deeper into debt with
| the white race, which in the long run means
but one thing to the debtor-loss Of all he pos
sesses, even personal liberty, and peonism,
amounting TO slavery.
The great Andean plateau, which stretches
between Sorrato and Illimani, at an elevation
of $4,000 feet, several hundred miles long and
level as a board floor, is like vast but stray
Cling Indian village, covered with their adobe
huts and poor little farms The only crops that
| will growat this height are barley and potatoes,
and the former never comes to a head, but is
left till dry and yellow and then cut, stalks and
all. for fodder. good many sheep also find a
living among the rocks and ilamas abound
The wonder ls that anything can be raised on
| this cold and breezy plateau. not only on ac-
count OF its elevation, but because of the deep
layer OF small, round stones that literally cover
the face of the earth and must be removed be-
fore soil Is visible As stone walls not in
fashion here there is way of dIsposing of
this debris of nature but to pile 1t up III heaps
| and so about half of the best cultivated portion
| OF the plateau is occupied by huge mounds of
stones.
CHARACTER OF THE INDIANS.
The Indians up here have different look
from those who inhabit the lower valleys these
being even more silent and reserved. generally
| at work and never convivial Their emotionless
| faces bear striking resemblance to those on
the ancient hudCos, or water Jars, as we see
| them patiently tilling the fields driving their
llamao or stopping to rest under the shelter Of
n rock, with sad eyes fixed upon vacancy and
not a glance to bestow upon the passer-by
| The women engage in the same pursuits as the
men. planting. piowing, reaping and digging
| or trotting barefooted over the stones keeping
| pace all day long with their llamas and mules
Seed time and harvest occur here whenever it
suits the convenience of the cultivatOr. and one
sees in the same field women doubled over like
| jack knives scratching up potatoes with hoes
that have handles hardly a foot long, followed
| by Others who scatter seed in the burrows thus
made.
PURPOsELY FROZEN.
In this part of the world potatoes are not
considered fl to eat until after thsy have been
frozen This is purposely done during the
coolest months, May. June, July and August,
when they are spread out ON the ground in the
| higher attitudes till well frosted Potatoes
hereabout seldom attain more than the size Of
hickory nut, but ii any have grown larger
| they are cut in two. After one nights freezing
they are soaked in water for twenty -four hours
then spread again on the ground. softly
stamped by bare feet to squeeze out the sur
plus moisture and frozen another night or two
When this performance is completed they are
hard as bones and will keep" forever. In or
der to cook them properly. according to the
notions of the people. they must first be soaked
in warm water and then ground or beaten be-
tween the stones. They are seldom used ex-
cept IN combination that is put into the chupe
or soup, or stewed with bits of dried sheep
III first ground fine and then cooked solus they
make poultice-llke mess similar to the
mashed potato" of more civilized lands, but
infinitely naster.
THE INDIANS DRIED MUTTON.
About the only meat the Indian INDUCES in
| is chalona or dried mutton, which is prepared
IN this way: When sheep has been killed ii is
laid out flat, frozen, soaked in water and frozen
again; after which it Is hung up and dried and
Is then so hard and tough that decay is impos-
sibie and no vermIn will modest it. 10 render
chalona edible II must be cut into small bits
and boiled very long time; and in its best es-
tate Is about as tender and juicy rs sole leather
Bolivian Indians rarely eat fresh meat of any
KIND and have no fOndness for the picantar and
peppers so priced by the Spanards and Cholos
Their greatest delicacy i'll the line OF food is
frozen llama flesh; while coca is considered
the first essential of life, and alcohol or its
equivalent far more necessary than water.
THE PROSPEROUS IxDIAN FARMER
owns few llamas and perhaps mule or two,
worth about $40 apiece, while he is a very ma
bob who possesses also a COW or flock of sheep
Besides potatoes and barley he has generally
little patch OF racacha. a vegetable resembling
a parsnlD, but sweeter, and field of some
thing that grows up In beautiful reddish-yellow
flowers. whose tall feathery spikes bear small
seeds which taste like rolled oats when cooked
His one-room casa of upholstered adobe has
no windows, no floor but the bare earth and
very scanty furnishings; but its matched roof
is sure to be topped by a cross and inside is
some figure or picture of a saint or angel which
answers for devotional purposes and is the
much cherished lares and penates OF the home
The family may be too poor to afford candles
for their own use, but one is burned before the
shrine on all testd days amid votive offerings
of fruit and flowers. Chairs are Injuries for
which the inmates have no use, all preferring
to sit on the floor. The bed is a pile OF dried
grass i'll the corner the entire wardrobe of the
family is carried their backs; cook ing is done
over "a handful of sticks outside, and if a table
is used (but rarely it is a big fat stone the
stump of tree, or at best few boards nailed
together.
THEIR ONLY WEAPON.
Whenever a man, woman or child Of Indian
blood starts out to drive a llama, sheep or
other animal lie she does not look for a
stick, but carries a small sling Of woven wool
sole weapon of otfense and defense jogging
along at a slow trot behind the flock or herd
an Indian will keep every member of it straight
in the path and up to time without uttering a
sound or changing his pace. If one of the
animals loiters by the wayside or shows a dis
position to go astray. small stone SHE'D from
the sling with unerring accuracy hits him a
clip on the OF ear and reminds him that bust
ness must be attended to- 1t sometimes hap
pens that the Aymaras and Quichuas have reg
ular pitched battles between one another and
| always the only weapons used are stones pro-
PEELED by sings. Such row occurred in La
Paz during the last carnival time. The rival
tribes repaired to the outskirts Of the CITY.
where they occupied two adjacent hill tops and
waged war tiercely that a number were
killed on both sides. TO this day none of the
white race know what was the cause of the dis
tui bance. AT last the government sent out
| company Of soldiers to dispense them but with
blank cartridges only. Learning this, the In
dians surrounded the soldiers and held them
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