Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-24

tated by these carvers, whose work il ouite
handsome and artistic. There are others who
carve rings and ornaments of the ceyol nut,
used in making jewelry. each workman confin,
ing himself to a separate branch of the work
MAKING HAMMOCK.
But now We want hammock We can find
none where the cups are made, though the
plant which gives the fiber needed for its manu-
facture grows here readily as anywhere in
the country. and we are met by the sight of
hedges OF it on all sides. We must 90 to Leon
or to Masaya and there probably not find a
single fine hammock ready to be sold We
must order them and wait for q month or SO
until they are made. The Indians are the
manufacturers OF these hammocks. the easy
chairs and lounges of the country in which
midday slestas are taken. Visiting the neigh
borhood where they are made our attention il
attracted by couple of Indian girls and a man
backing across the road from one of the wards
OF the houses. each with bundle of fiber in
hand and gradually frightening, a cord being
twisted from the other end. As we approach
we notice an old Indian several hundred wards
from the others turning great wooden wheel,
which gives to the strands the rotary motion,
allowing the makers to feed the fiber to the
end, thus twisting it into longer and longer
pieces. 1t is kept from the ground by pronged
sticks on which it rests. Starting ut the great
wheel those feeding the fiber retreat hundreds
OF yards in any direction in which thew can 90
single threads so made two of them are
twisted together for greater strength, and with
this material in another portion of the ward.
which is well shaded by mango, tamarind
plantain and other varieties of trees we can
see mer or women weaving a net not unlike a
seine, striped blue, red. yellow and white. which
forms the body Of the hammock Two poles
are placed perpendicularly in the ground and
the weaving is done with a large wooden
needle from bottom to TOP On order anv
WI hQ bod ho~,
forming an American flag being a favorite.
When the body is knit the cords for suspend
ing it, with a fringe of tassels. are
added Wishing to purchase we inquired from
house to house where the weaving was In
progress, but could find no completed ham
mock. The Indians doing this work all live in
cane houses with mud floors and fire for
cooking on the ground, in true wigwam 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 dur
ing that time seldom u drop Of rain falls and
the Indians are never interrupted in their
work.
THE WEAVING OF sHAwLs.
II we wish to see the weaving of shawls,
which are finely embroidered in bright colors.
we must go to Granada. where only lately heavy
shocks of earthquake drove the people from
their homes and where they are now busy re-
pairing the cracked walls and broken tile roofs
Working with weaving machines, fashioned in
the manner we are accustomed to see in
pictures OF the tools of past centuries, we find
them. The spindles are thrown from side to
side by the weaver's hands and the wool is put
In with a treading motion of the feet. A little
engine and few machines of approved pattern
would do the work of hundreds Of these relics
of past generations. Shawls are made of silk
and worsted and one has only to go to church
on Sunday morning to see display of them of
great variety.
FILIoREE WORK.
The most interesting Of the industries found
here is the filigree work that is turned out
chiefly at Leon, Chinandega and Managua
This is done in gold and silver, il of Venetian
style and the metal is Of the same purity with
which 1t came from the mines. We have en-
tered the shops of these plateros, or silver
smiths, and We watched the delicate and rapid
manipulation of the threads of metal while
being formed into jewelry. Brooches weighing
from half ounce to an ounce of gold are made
with no hidden part Of base metal. The coyol
nut. inlaid with gold and forming the setting
vantage and often skillfully carved. This nut
has the appearance of ebony and from it rings
are also made, as they are Of turtle SHE'LL which
is very plentiful here on both the Pacific and
Atlantic coasts. The criticism OF the work
that is at first suggested is the poverty in the
variety Of designs in the articles msnufact-
Ired. The capacity for doing fine work il
satisfactorily designs are lacking. II has been
suggested that school Of design be started |
here to encourage such efforts that the results
OF native labor may be suitable for expectation.
which might be done, for labor is cheap. Fill
gree work u turned out in great quantities. and |
one has only to walk through the streets Of any
OF the cities to zee who the patrons Of this In