Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-17

eyelashes hinder their vision in the pursuit Of
bee hunting, sport of which they are very
fond. The hair of the head is cut short at the
top. but Is permitted to grow long at the sides.
When two boys quarrel one Of them commonly
Challenges the other not to fisticuffs. but to pull
hair. The combatants allow each other to
take fair grasp OF the long locks, and the
struggle begins, each trying to twist the head
Of his opponent 80 TO bring him TO the
ground The fight continues until one Yields
Music is the usual mode by which Araucanian
lovers express their feelings, the in
strument employed being nearly always
the jewsharp. In fact, the love-sick
swain Of this nation is never seen without his
jewsharp hanging from his neck. tied upon a
little block of wood to prevent IL from being
injured and decorated with strings of many
| colored beads. Furnished with this the lover
seats himself at little distance from the object
| OF his choice and produces a series of doleful
| sounds. his glances and gestures denoting the
individual for whom they are meant. When he
| thinks II Is time for marriage he, assisted by
hlH friends, makes pTetense Of carrying the
glrl away by force, but in reality he pays for
her with presents to her father given subse-
quently. A matter Of etiquette his mother
In-iaw IL obliged to pretend to be offended and
on that account she sometimes does not speak
TO him for years afterward.
| DREAD OF BOOKS.
Like many other savages tho Araucanians
have a great objection 20 allow a stranger to
know their names, thinking that by means of
such knowledge wizards may be able to prac-
| tee upon them. When brought In contact
| with white men and asked to tell their names
l they deny that they have any. They are much
puzzled and even alarmed by books. Nothing
/ Is more inexpticable To- one of these natives
| than to zee white man, evidently ignorant of
their language, refer to a book and bhen say the
| Araucanlan word which he wants In one case
native OF an inquIsitIve mind pointed to
| various objects III order to see whether his
white visitor could find ont their names By
looking at n book. Being convinced that the
| feat really was performed he peered into the
| book Vainiy trying tn detect some resemblance
between the word and the object which it sig-
| pificd. Sometimes in war the Araucanians
| sacrifice prisoner. The large bonos of the
arI.ls and legs of the victim are made into flutes
| and the skull is made into a drinking cup for
| use at feasts.
| IN THE GREAT FOREST.
To the east OF the Armenian territory lies
vast forest region called the Gran Chaco,
i which means great forest. 1t is about three
times as large ~ Great Britain and is inhab-
| tied by people >" 'o--nidable in war that the
Spaniards and POI aguese have desisted in
| their efforts to invade their country. In warm
| weather these savages of both sexes go very
| nearly naked wearing nothing more than a
little strip OF cloth, though when it is cold and
| stormy both men aud women protect them
| selves with cloaks of jugusr or otter skin. They
| are great horsemea. riding barebacked without
| saddle OF bit and with only bride OF plated
| hide. They carry both the bolas and the lasso
| though using the spear for war. This latter
| weapon is sometimes fifteen feet long and the
| warrior employs il also for leaping pole 10
mount his horse, yaulting upon the back of the
animal by its aid. The men often ride standing
erect ON their horses. and in making attack
on a village they set the houses on fire with
showers of arrows wound with blazing cotton
wool and discharged from bows so huge and
powerful that the narksman il obliged to use
both hands to draw the string. living on his
back and holding the bow with both feet. In
the midst of the confusion caused by the burn
ing OF the asssiled village the warriors leap on
their horses. dash in, kill all whom they can
reach, carry of much plumber rs possible
aud then gallop back to their own districts
where no ones darcs to follow. Retaliation is
never feared, as the savages Of the Gran Chaco
have no fixed habitations.
THE NuSDrRucrs.
| Not least remarkable Of the savage tribes in
South America are those of the upper waters oil
| the Amazon and its tributaries. the most war
Ike and largest Of which are the Mundurucus
who have been formerly described in The STAR.
They are famous for their beautiful feather
! garments ard may fairly DO called the best
! dressed people IN the world. adjoining them.
selves with TUNES and ornaments made Of the
feathers Q; the macaw. the toucan and other
native birds. Their feather sceptSrs are ad
mlrable specimens of art. about three feet in
length and made by fastening on . wooden rod
the white and yellow feathers from the breas,
OF the toucan. At the top the scepter expands
into . wide plume composed Of the long tai
; feathers Of macsws and rogonA To preserve