Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-16

| ineir nau are the oldest, generally made OF
black velvet or blue flannel put on curtain
fashion over a wide platform Of pssteboard ex-
tending out from the head all around like an
umbrella
| HABITS AND pREss
There is considerable difference in the dress
and habits Of portions Of the same tribe who
dwell in different pusblos. For example, while
many Of them, both men and women. wear their
long hair carefully braided in many small str ands
which hang straight down the back, others
merely tie their locks together at the nape of
the neck without braiding; others cut the back
hair, but cultivate a heavy shock which falls
| over the eyes like bang" and others let it
grow as nature Wills, without the aid Of comb
or scissors. There IL an infinite variety of hats,
| too. all of most peculiar shape.
Though all these Indians are intensely
Roman Catholic in religion, many Of their Gus
| toms and superstitions show traces Of the
ancient faith Of their fathers: To cite few of
them: In the days Of the Incas, whenever Q
poor Indian had climbed hill. at the top Of 1t
he laid down his load, bowed low toward the
east, invoked the name OF Pachacamac one of
their principal deities. who WAS supposed to be
the judge of the human race, repeating three
| times the word Apachicta, the abbroviRtion of
q sentence sgnifying Il give thanks unto him
| who has enabled me to endure thus far +" at the
same time presenting to PachaoaInac an offer
ing consisting OF a hair pulled from the eye
LASH some chewed coca, and q small stone or
handful Of earth.
REMNANTS OF THE OLD FAITH.
To-day the traveller observes on all the roads
near the summit Of the cordilleras many
mounds Of stones or earth, the result Of these
offerings, and every modern Indian leaves
thereon similar tribute, though perhaps its
Specification may have changed or the deity to
| whom it il addressed may bear another NAME
| They also have q superstition that in order to
return by the same route in safety it is neces-
sary to smear any prominent rock which has
sheltered them with sabo, the tallow of tho
Hama, and to throw against it cuds of chcwed
| coca. II they have no tallow they mutter an
extra prayer or two, hoping that the mysterious
| power will excuse their poverty; but no Indian
| is 80 poor that he cannot spare a little coca
! Both Quichuas and Aymarses observe this Gus
| tom and the latter set up endwise pieces of
slate or small stones in every crevlce OF the
rocks on the road to prevent the exit Of evil
spirits.
| CASTING STONES.
In crossing any ridge they cast stone upon
the heap that is always to be found there, and
muir muir few words, whose Specification no
white man understands These cairns, called
| apachetas, are generally topped by huge
| cross. and may be found at the summit of every
| hill oil over the land. Not an Indian, drunk
| or sober, will pass one without uncovering his
head and saying prayer while making his Of
feri ing; but the secret Of it has never been dis
| fessional. There are other cairns still more
| ancient whose purport and history nobody
knows. They are set exactly Oh the apex of
| the hills-square mounds, each about six feet
| high and hollow inside built Of stones, we'll
| 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.
TERRESTRIAL DEIrIEs.
Besides the gods OF heaven the ancient South
Americans seem to have had great many ter
restrial deities, all Of whom received sacrifices
| and some were worshiped in temples. rem
nant OF the old faith may be found among the
Indians of today, who at harvest time offer to
the earth C'Mams-Pacha') an oblation of
| chicha and ground corn, implorng her to give
them an abundant yield. After field has been
planted a cairn or altar Of stones Is erected in
the middle, on top OF which is secured sheaf
Of wheat or shock Of corn.
The sea. also (''Mama-C ocha"), comes in for
a share Of worship, and is piousy invoked by
those Indians who dwell near it. They believe
not without reason, that many of those dis
| eases which are rife between the coast and
the sierras, come out Of the ocean on the wings
| OF mist and vapor, and they implore Mama
| Cocha to send them health instead.
On the banks of rivers u ceremony is still
performed much like that called may NC hslla in
tho Inca worship. None Of the mountain In
large or small, until they have first taken lit
tie water into the hollow Of the hand and in
voked 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 remembered that there are few
every year the rivers that are now easily forded
become dangerous torrents.
REVERENCE FOB COCA.
From time out Of mind these tribes Of the
| southern continent have regarded coca with
extreme reverence, worshiping the shrub itself
and using its leaves in their religious ceremo-
| MES. Inca priests chewed it during divine ser
vice, and it was believed that unless those
worthless were well supplied with coca the
favor OF the gods could not be propitiated
| During the $50 years that have interviewed
Christianity has not been able to eradicate this
| deep-rooted idolatry. To this day it Is the
| general belief that any business undertake n
! without the benediction OF coca leaves cannot
! prosper. The Indian workmen in all the mines
still throw coca suds upon hard veins Of metal
J to soften the ore and tighten their labors. In
every ancient grave a 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. Whenever
wandering Peruvian happens to fall in with a
| mummy. not uncommon occurrence, since
| the whole country Is one vast cemetery, he
| reverenty presents it with few coca leaves.
! believing that the soul which once inhabited
| the shrlveled body will report his generosity
to the lord Of the better country.
HoUsEHoLD GODS
The belief in household gods remained in
full force long after the conquest, and every
poor hut had its lares and penates. More than
200 years after the supposed conversion Of the
| Indians and the destruction of their idols the
Archbishop of Lima found il necessary to in
dite a pastoral letter to his priests in which he
recommended them to put the following ques-
| tons through the confessional TO all the In
| dams and to insist upon truthful answer
! thereto:
! What is the name of the principal huaca
| QdoD to which you pray in this placer"
| ITO what huaea do you pray for protection
to the crops?"
| "What hills, rocks, springs, lakes and rivers
do you Worship"
| What huaca do you supplicate before going
to work that the Spaniards may not ill-treat
your"
What dead bodies OF chuchus (twins) or
| chacpas (babies born feet first) do you retain
| in your houses. and where are they concealed?''
| at must also be inquired with tact and pru-
| dence how many children they have hidden
away SO that tho priests may not find and bap-
| TIE them" FANNIE B. WARD.
Why He Was Anxious.
From the jewelers. Circular.
| Mrs. Magnus Scott prepared to 60 OUT
"Does this gold necklace match the white lace