The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-09
Az OCCASIONAL SMALL WHALE,

certainly De reneO up0ns auu al IneSe
that the Fuegoans are neither smaller in
tature nor more ignorant and degraded
than Indians usually are, and that they
ever were cannibals and never lived in
holes in the ground entered by an inclined
tunnel" 1t has always been their custom
10 build brush-wood fires by which to keep
themselves warm during the long cold
nights, and II was the number to these little
fires springing up suddenly at twilight all
over the islands that caused the first ex-
plorers TO name the archipelago TERRA del
FuegO-
''LAND OF FIRE.
ut the Indians had no sort of abodes. ex-
ept low, basket-uke, skeleton structures,
made by sticking both ends of poles into
the ground, TO be covered with skins when
n use; but the majority were content with
r simple break-veather Of brush-wood,
:, lied the way of the wind in semi-circular
hGpe. The Fuegoans of to-day who live
near the mission stations have decent hutS
of logs or timber, and some Of them culti-
vate the soil little and raise few cattle.
/ hope to tell you more of them later on
from personal observation, as we are going
over 10 the islands in q day or two, having
accepted invitations TO visit the various
mission stations.
AS YOU may imagine, that which most
interests us Just now in Punta Arenas are
the Patagonian Indians, parties of whom
the year to exchange their guanaco furs
and ostrich feathers for provisions and the
worthless trinkets that delight their souls.
THE "GIANTs'' SEEM TO BE ALL DEAD
and the race far gone in its decadence. 1t
is the old geographically true wherever
the red man has adopted the white on
peaceable terms as his near neighbor-that
whisky and disease soon make sad havoc
among the former. The once sturdy Pats-
gonian, like his cousins in North America,
seem TO have acquired all the vices of civil
lization and have omitted its virtues, his
highest ambition now being to get enough
10 eat, drink and smoke with the least pos
sible labor He hangs around the ranches,
10 pick up what is thrown TO himself and
the dogs in the line of food, and depends
upon stealing and begging for whisky and
tobacco. Il should be embered, how
ever, that there are several distinct nations
of Pstagonians-not counting the Arauca-
mans on the north nor the tire-landers on
the southland that each nation has dis
tinguishing characteristics. Those above
referred to are the southern Tehueloches,
who SLOUGH about the country between
Santa Cruz and Punts Arenas.
THE "eIANTs,"
if there ever were any Patagouians deserv-
ing the name, were found among this tribe
who are much taller aud more slender than
any OF their neighbors, and have different
complexion, being red like the North Amer
lean Indians, rather than muddy brown,
like the South American. They are excess
sively dirty, lazy and treacheruus fond of
personal adornments made out of bones,
shells, beads and silver gold, strangely
enough, they do not like), and are ready at
any time to barter all their earthly posses
sions-wives, horses, even the few gar
ments that cover their nakedness-for q
little ''fire-water The "Pampas Pata-
gones''--so called because they inhabit the
vast pampas, or plains of the north--are
subdivided into four tribes, known respec-
lively as Puelches, or eastern people" (the
word Puel meaning east, che people;) the
Picunches (plcun meaning north;) the
Pechuenches, or ''people of the pines''
lpechun meaning pine tree;) and the Ran
oueles, or those who dwell among the
thistle beds, from rsnqUel, thistle.
Though
NOT QUITE so DEGRADED
as their southern brothers, perhaps because
further removed from civilization, they are
treacherous, quarrelsome and cowardly to
degree. But they are not beggRrs-they
live by the chase and by plumber, bartering
the product of the former to INSCRIPTIONS
white traders for rum and trlnkets Then
there are the Cinema Patagoues, who in
habit the higher attitudes, who differ both
In language and physical aspect from the
other tribes, and are less lazy and cratic
They are sometimes called Manzaneros. be-
cause their headquarters are at a place
named Las ManZanas (the apples) where
the Jesuits formerly had mission aud
planted great many apple trees. They
own sheep, cattle and horses in the shelter
ed valleys OF the Cordilleras and make
very good cider from the apples that the
old t'riars planted. They also brew an in
toXicating drink from the beans of the Al
aw--.N,u IA .na se
country. OF course, the term "Patsgonian"
Is entirely
UNKNOWN AMONG THE INDIANS.
Their true name collectively and indiyidu-
ally, is Tsonecas, and by it all the tribes
call themselves. The word Pata-coues
meaning "duck-footed men, refers to their
peculiar foot-gear. The lower limbs are
encased in boots without soles, or rather
long CATERS, made of guaneco- skins, with
the beautiful yellowish fur turned outward
The leg is covered all around from below
the knee, tbs FUR passing over the top Of
The loot and around the heel. leaving the
toes sticking out This trifing circum-
stance obtained the appellation by which
vast territory and all the people who in
habit it are known TO the civilized world
The flaps or uppers Of the CATERS, extend
Ing loosely across the top of their feet. ex-
aggerated in breadth by the long hair on
OF having paws, or patas. When Maeel-
lan's men first saw these Indians, they
were unable TO account for the peculiar
appearance of their feet and the bright
yellow fur upon their legs, and
CALLED THEM duck FoorRp.n
The southern Tsonecas--as Yet 1 have seen
no others--dress in the rudest fashion
large, square rug Of guanaco hides sewed
together is fastened (fur side outward)
around the body under the arms and ex-
tends about to the knees. Another rug
with slit in the middle through which 10
pass the head, falls over the Shoulders
The long, stiff, unkempt hair is partially
held IN place by strips of cloth, which are
often large enough to form kind OF cap.
or Iurban. Low down in the scale of I'M
manity as they look, it appears that thew
hvae some redeeming qualities For i'm
stance, they do not practice polygamy like
most indians, and they believe in the iInmor
tality Of the soul. Did you ever notice that
the character Of man, whether his skin be
white, BLACK, red or yellow, can be pretty
accurately told by the sort Of Cod he wor-
shlps, or rather by the attributes with
which his own imagination invests a SUI
preme being.
THE TEHUELCHE DEITY
10 not IAN eternal spider weaving webs IN
catch the souls of men, nor a revenpeful
beir g who intends to torment any of his
creatures, HIS name is Coche, and he is OF
very tender. loving and forgiyinP dispo-
sition. He is waiting for his children in
happy hunting grounds beyond the farther
est rim of hills, where he has prepared all
good things necessary 20 their happiness
The ''good things" means plentiful sun
ply OF food and furs, unlimited wine (of
which beverage they are Unfortunately fond
4 akoao esVf1 Il