Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-03
From the Stars Travelling Commissioners.

L
ers, we were honored by an invitation to attend
q house raising on the morrow-which in Arau-
cania is made the occasion of prolonged fessiv-
| tiles and many ceremonies We were informed
that grand feast would be the especial feature
OF. each days doings, and that every guest WAS
expected to contribute thereto something ed
ihle or drinkable. What do you suppose was
| our contribution? In this case necessity was
the mother Of invention, and we sacrificed to
the emergency our last sack of elf-raisng -four
baked into large griddle cakes. These when
cold. were spread with thin coating of canned
| peach jam. and were piled one above another
in huge heaps. 1t kept the cook busy all the
| rest Of the day, assisted by the ladies of tho
party; but the impromptu dish vas a pro-
| nounced success, and we afterward learned that
| the Indians looked upon it as the white man
staple article of food.
Early the next morning the great chief came
| to escort us III person to the distant clearing
| where the new dwelling was to be erected and
as mark of especial condescension we
'squaws' were permitted to follow in the rear
So gorgeously WAS his greasy highness gotten
up for the occasion that it may truly be said
| even Solomon in all his glory was never SO ar
rayed. He wore the yellow leggins and double
crimson bed blanket lately presented to him by
our leader. with my silver soap case hung
around his neck by blue ribbon. where it
ratified against triple necklace OF teeth
human and animal, while his bushy hair, in
which stripes of red flannel were braided. was
crowned by a tiara of brilliant feathers and
hung with long strings of birds bones. Far in
the respectful distance trotted his several wives
bearing his beloved pipe, guanaco robes for him
to SIT upon and his choicest heritage. the time
worn skulls that serve for drinking vessels
without which no feast would be complete.
THE GUESTS ASSEMBLED.
Arrived lat - = l..
layers already assembled, and every dusky face
wore look of the most perfect happiness I
ever beheld on human countenances. At one
side, where the sauaws were mostly collected,
we noticed several young sheep, yet living,
lying bound among scores Of chicha pots and
bags OF green corn. and new guests arrived
additions were constantly made to the store.
whenever donation was handed in the fol-
lowing dialogue invariably took place between
the donors and those appointed to superintend
the feast: Il beg You to accept mere trife
an Offering to this great OCCASION" How very
generous! Nothing OF the kind WAC expected
and you ought not to have brought so much"
1T is bot poor tritie not worthy grand
feast but pray that you will not disdain it."
Presently some squaws began digging holes
in the ground close by; two young women
seized one of the bound sheep, stretched it
across log and while one held it the other
turned over its head and ran n knife into the
large vein behind itsea 1t soon bled to death,
and all the blood was carefully saved for pud-
ding.
BY the way, is it not strange that among these
Indians the blood of a lamb is considered an
emblem of safety? Whenever they go to war
lamb is killed and its blood sprinkled upon the
arms OF the warriors, as a sign that vengeance
shall not overtake them. When they make
treaty Of peace the slain lamb is again brought
into requisition. Each Of the covenanting
parties drinks little of the blood and eats a
bit of the raw flesh to prove that what has been
sealed by the blood Of innocence cannot be
broken.
THE WOMEN DID The WORK.
The mems part of the days labor consisted
entirely in eating, drinking and giving orders.
When the squaws had dug the holes and
sprinkled in each few drops Of the sleeps
blood, chicha pots were circulated and all drank
freely. An hour afterward-chicha ad libi-
tum In the interval-some posts, tall enough to
form the four corners of the house. were planted
by the women in the holes. After another hour
or more of home-chewed chicha and cheerful
conversation. cross-pieces were firmly bound to
the posts with thongs of rawhide: and the rails
ing for that day was completed. The interpre-
ter told US that it would require not less than
week to finish the house. The next day they
would weave in the smaller poles for the walls
On another day put up the rafters. and so on,
nursing the job ns long as possibie-becouse
time, being made for slaves" is no object to
these independent Araucanians. We witnessed
only one dav of it, the following morning
We started anew for Valdivia-but that brief
glimpse was sufficient.
THE BANQUET READY
Promptly at high noon the squaws announced
that the banquet was ready. The green sward
served for ''festive board" and the men
seated themselves contentediy upon it IN a wide
circle under the shadow OF the trees, while the
women who were not engaged in waiting upon
hoy, .a1 at1kif rrfix
partake, hours later. Of whatever crumbs and
bits their lords might leave for the dogs an
them First, some raw clans were brought in
huge wooden troughs, and on the top OF each
trough was placed one big red pepper. Every
Indian. In turn, took two or three CLANS. and
then the pepper was passed from lip to lip,
each one sucking it and handing it on to
his neighbor. This preliminary ceremony We
we're told, was in token OF lasting friendship
and very warm such love must be, judging
from the tears that sprang to every eye. When
the Glands had been devOured, the chich;l jars
circulated freely. passed from mouth to mouth
In the most confidential manner. Then came
| kettles of cooked corn, steaming hot; then
more chichn. Then Quantities Of raw mutton.
cut III small chunks and piled on wooden trays.
Then ears of roasted corn; and last. but BY no
| means least, our own contribution of cold. Jam
besmcared pan cakes, whose sticky swee tness
so pleased the CHIEF that he at once opeied
negotiations with our leader with a view To
mako them.
Between every course chicha flowed freeiv
The braves gobbied raw sheep aud corn till full
| to bursting, and after u shor. rest they re-
| turned to the charge anu ate and drank, and
drank and ate, again and again. till nature
could endure no more and all sank into
heavy sleep. This the hungry squaws
opportunity, and SO well they improved il that
the remaining store OF provislC Ito, which in the
morning We had thought sufficient to las. the
whole community week. disappeared like dew
before the sun.
GAME OF BALL.
About sunset most of the younger men hav-
| ing overcome their giuttonous stupor besti,red
themselves for game Of ball The ball was
! made OF strips Of rawhile. covered with many
| pieces of wooden cloth that its force might
| not injure the moccasined foot. There APP
| peared to be no rules regulating the game its
whole purpose being to see how often and how
far each warrior could kick the ball They
| laughed and yelled and jostled one another in
| the good-natured scramble like q lot Of noisy
school boys
The moon being at the full, it was determined
to keep up the fun till midnight. But first sup
per must be had and the delightful news soon
| spread that an extra treat dish OF nachi
! would be served. What under the moon was
| ''nachi?" Even the half Indian interpreter
| could not tell US, SO we resolved to wait and
| see. 1t was not the first time that we have had
| cause to regret the curiosity that hasled women
| into unpleasant situations from the days 81
| greatgyandmother Eve down to her latest de-