The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-27

Jureu, or, IL Iuat IS lmpOsSlole, TO pay tnelr
full value to the injured party. If the thief
is unable to pay, his friend must pay for
him; and if they will not or cannot do so,
then the friends of the loser may take it
out OF the culprit in deadly combat. He is
to fight the strongest man
among them; and if the thief should hap
pen to kill his adversary he is completely
His success being conclusive
evluence that he was not guilty and that a
had been made in accusing him;
and IL he seeks revenge by numbering the
eye-witnesses, nobody interferes with
him.
1t is lawful among all the Araucauians
Tor man to have as many wives as he likes;
and the established rule is that each day
every wife shall give her husband q dish OF
food, prepared at her own fire. Therefore,
the number of fires in each hut indicates
the number Of wives, and the polite way of
ascertaining the size Of
WARRIORS HAREM
is to ask him the number of fires in his hut.
a woman about to become mother is COM
PEELED to flee to some place where there is
water and strict seclusion, and there to en-
onre her time of trial entirely alone. When
she starts on this journey she filings stone
at the sun, if it is shining, or at the moon,
or bright star, if it be in the night time,
praying: MAY my child be as bright as
thou art, and may my suffering be as swift
as the flight of this stone" Soon as the
oaoy is born she battles it and herself in
the cold stream, no matter how inclement
the weather, and then returns to her home.
But even then her trials are hardly begun,
Tor instead of finding friends to receive and
care for her. the house is deserted-hus-
oand, mother, everybody, having gone else
where. Even the furniture, such as it is,
the cooking utensils, food-everything eX-
cept some skins for her to lie on and new
suit of clothes-have been removed. For
eight days she must remain there alone, to
live or die starve or feed herself, as best
she can, when her friends return. Then
there is great rejoicing, and the baby is
named with generally after
some bird, flower or animal-and period
of feasting ensues.
The ice-cold bath which the infant has
received in the stream upon whose banks
he was born, is an appropriate commence
ment to his career of hardships. He is
firmly bound to board, SO that he can con-
veniently be set up in corner, and his cold
bath continued daily, without fire and with
but scanty allowance of clothing. In or
der TO make him hardy, he is compelled
throughout babyhood to sleep out of doors
in all kinds of weather, and is never given
mouthful of meat-thoueh the dogs may
sneak into the fire and are generally well
fed. Should the lad become too fat on his
vegetable diet his friends at once take him
in hand. He is sent on very long errand,
on which he is required to be feet, and if
he does not run fast enough, he is pursued
by trained runners, who prick him with
sharp thorns and bits of bones, to let the
blood out so that he may run faster. He is
then denied salt, as his parents believe il is
that which makes him heavy. If the poor
child dies of exposure or this ordeal the
ra1ninn hot no hoc
a happy humble bee, which is infinitely
better than to have grown up a sickly
Araucanian.
1t is the survival of the fttest, and the
urchin who thrives under harsh treatment
land most of them do) soon commences his
education. The great school master is the
mischievous Cici. When the lad arrives at
the proper age, he is taken every day to
some dark recess, and there
THE EVIL ONE TEACHES HIM
the art of public speaking. This exercise
is kept up until he becomes man and has
learned how to appear well before an audi
ence-according to Araucanian ideas-and
to entertain the wise men with fine flow
Of language. The education of the majority
ends here; but if youth is particularly
bright, and can obtain the consent of the
council, he may also learn how to detect
and cure witchcraft. 1t is believed that all
sickness is due to witches and when an
Araucanian becomes proficient in detecting
the witch and the poison she has given to
the ailing individual, he is at once full
fiedged medicine man" and enjoys high
honors among the people.
When the medicine man is called to see
sick person he converses long time with
the evil one in loud, gruff voice, demand
ing to know how the illness may be cured
Sometimes he gets instructions to plant a
young tree Ia front of his patients house:
sometimes to hold religious services by rat
ting gourd containing some small stones
over the sick mans body; and sometimes.
when the afflicted is rich in sQuaws and
ponies, and the medicine man desires fat
Zee. he decides upon wonderful surgical
operation. 1t is attended with great deal
of ceremony. The physicians assistants
beat loudly upon drum-like instrument,
raise an internal din with gourds, tin pans
and cast-oh buckets, and sing in a fearful
monotone, to drive away any lingering
witches. Meanwhile the doctor, bending
over the patient-with blanket covering
them both and shielding them well from
view-proceeds to remove the sick mans
stomach, heart, lungs, liver and bowels, in
search of
THE POISON ADMINISTERED BY THE WITCH.
He always finds it after long search, and
w ouO pdllCu1 duu dSICQlSD6Q
friends lizards tail, which is considered
the most deadly poison, and which he claims
to have found secreted in one Of the vital
organs. Then he calls upon the friends to
witness the fact that, though he has lust cut
the man open and turned him In side out as
1t were, not trace of the wonderful opera
ton remains, so that the man is not only
free from poison, but perfectly healed and
as sound as before. The faith cure geuer-
ally works, assisted by universal belief :;
but if the patient dies, the doctor invaria-
bly, claims that another witch visited him
Just after the great operation and inserted
some more deadly poison. In that case the
medicine man is called upon to point out the
witch, whe is at once kllled-generally
some old woman who has incurred his dis
pleasure, or maiden who has discouraged
his advances, or the sweetheart of some
enemy upon whom he wishes to be re-
venged.
In Araucania the evil one teaches doctors
many skillful tricks in slight of hsnd-such
as changing noses with people, taking out
the eyes ana vital organs without pain, and
of thrusting sharpened stick clear through
the stomach OF any individual. The last
named trick is said to be performed in full
view of all the people, to their ur bounded
admiration, and the man who has learned
TO do it is complete graduate from Cicfs
college, and an honor to HE tribe and gen
GRAFTON.
FANNIE b. WARD.
TWO HOLD UPS.