Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-04-10
WORK IN NICARAGUA.
NATIVES OF THAT COUNTRY ARE
EXPERT ATT CARVING WOOD.
The Women Are Very Skillful in Cutting
Designs-The Men Weave Haminocks
and shawis-ConsiderabI Work Il Done

and, following a natural instinct, we de-
termined to make the most of our oppor-
tunities for ferreting out interesting native
work and antique remains of the aboiigines
of Nicaragua
OF half dozen cities of the country,
with populations ranging from 10 600 TO
5000, each has a distinct class of work.
and what you will find at one place il made
nowhere else. We started our hunt for
curiosities at Rivas, less than twenty miles
from the Pacific and west of the gree lake,
as are all the larger settlements of the
country. At an outlying town, 10 which
we are guided, we stop before the ba = that
form the only gateway TO the cactus hedge,
and, taking down the top ones, en- -er the
yard.
Our every step is contested by a couple
of dogs that bark, but retreat before u.s.
They are useful in bringing ont to the
doorway of the adobe house young girl
with Indian features, who calls of the ca
mines and s.lutes us with "buenos diasf'
This young-yirl and her sister are known
as the carvers of ''jicaras,' or chocolate
cups, in a manner that no others can equal
We enter the living room of the house,
walking on the hard clay floor, and INQUIRE
If she has any of her work on hani She
goes 10 an adjoining room and brings forth
a single sample, gourd beautifully carved
with forms Of birds amid n mechanical de-
sign encireling it, the piece being cut off at
one end to form a cup. We succeed in get
ting two or three jicaras, and If we want
more we must order them and wait for
weeks. The custom of working to order is
SO prevalent here that it IS almost impos-
sible to find anything ready made of any
kind.
II ~
but her work Is of a different style her de-
signs being made up of shields of ne vari-
Gus Central American countries, which
she copies from silver pieces Of money
They each do their work with the point Of
an old table knife, the latter carve being
surrounded by a brood of rather dir faced
Children, who play on the mud floor of her
cane house. \ third carver of fine work
we find here uses only the cocoanut as his
material. and this he adorns with b ris and
shields, afterward staining them black,
which gives the whole rich ebony appear
ance-
The jicara is the cup of the couu try for
the mass Of the people. and at near every
house II : common TO see q tree shaped
stand within doors on which they hang.
Every cup is carved in some fashion. but If
you want fine carving you Will be told to
send to Rivas. Ifyou give an orler and
have patience you can have any design I'M
itated by these carvers. whose work IS
quite handsome and artistic tt ere are
others who carve rings and ornan ents of
the coyOl nut used in making lewelry, each
workman combining himself to separate
branch.
But now we want hammock We can
find none where the cups are made though
the plant which gives the fiber needed for
its manufacture grows here as re ably as
anywhere in the country, and we are met
by the sight Of hedges of il on all sides.
We must go to Loon or Masaya. and there
probably not find single fine hammock
ready to be sold. We must order them and
wait for month or so until they re made
The Indians are the manufacturers Of these
hammOcks. the easy chairs and lounges Of
the country in which midday siestas are
taken.
On order any variety OF design Will be
worked, a hammock forming N American
flag being a favorite. Wishing to pur-
chase, we inquired from house TO house
where the weaving was in progress, but
could find no completed hammock The
Indians doing this work all live in cane
houses with mud floors, and a fire for cook
ing on the ground, in true wigwsm STYLE
The labor IS all done in the open air. What
do they do when it rains, They rest; but
then the dry season here lasts for six
months, and during that time seldom a
drop of rain falls and the Indians re never
interrupted IN their work
II we wish TO see the weaving OF shawls
which are finely embroidered in bright col
ors, we must go to Granada. WI ere only
lately heavy shocks of earthquake drove
the people from their homes aud where we
now find them busy repairing the cracked
walls and broken tile roofs We nd them
working with weaving machines of the
fashion we are accustomed to SEE in pict-
ures Of tools of past centuries The spin
dies are thrown from side to side by the
weaver's hands, and the woof is put in
with treading motion of the feet A lit
tie engine and approved machinery would
do the work of hundreds OF these relics Of
past generations. Shawls are marie of silk
and worsted. aud one has only to 60 to
church on Sunday morning TO see 4 display
of great variety Of them.
The most interesting of the industries
found here is the filigree work, turned out
chiefly at Leon, Chinandega and 3Ianagua
This Is done in gold and SILVER as the
metal comes from the mines, and is of
Venetian style. We have en;e erred the
shops OF these plateros or saversu iths, and
watched the delicate and rapid nlanipula-
ton OF the threads OF metal while being
formed into jewelry. Brooches weighing
from half an ounce to an ounce are made
with no hidden part Of base metal but all
OF gold as Il came from the mines in Chon-
tales. The coyol nut, inlaid W th gold.
and forming the setting OF brooch or ear
rings IS used with fine advantage and Is
often skillfully carved. This nut has the
appearance Of ebony, and from it rings are
also made, as they are of turtle shell,
which is very plentiful here on both the
Pacific and Atlantic coasts
The criticism first suggested is the pow
erty in the variety of designs in tie articles
manufactured. The capacity for doing
fine work is shown, but, while the workers
are able to copy satisfactorily, designs are
lacking. Mr.. Braida has sugges, ed that a
school Of design be started here to encour-
age such efforts, that the results Of native
labor may be suitable for expectation,
which might easily be done, fer labor is
cheap.