Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-05
WILD FOLKS OF PERU.
Blaine's Commissioner to the South
Brings Back Odd Stories.
NOVEL EXHIBIT FOR THE FAIR.
Dudes That Wear rants Made Of the
Gorgeous Wings Of Beetles
COSTUMES AND CUSTOMS OF sAvAGEs

COSTUMES AND CUSTOMS OF SAVAGES
| ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO TIE DTsPArcH.1
| WASHINGTON, June 4-One of Mr..
Blaine's ideas for making the people Of the
United States familiar with The South
American Republics, newly opened to Yam
kee commercial enterprise by his scheme Of
reciprocity, is to illustrate by exhibits at
the Columbian Exposition the various tribes
of savages in that part of the world. Most
interesting of these groups of little-known
aborigines are those found in Peru, from
which country the special commissioner
sent by the Department of State, Ensign W.
E. Stafford, of the Navy, has just returned
with a wonderful collection of costumes and
curiosities OF all sorts. He has also secured
many photographs of native types, though
with no small difficulty, the photographer
being wounded so severely in the side by a
warrior who threw his spear at the camera,
that he had to have part of one of his ribs
removed and is likely to die.
These remarkable wild people inhabit the
shores of the tributaries of the Upper Mara
| non. Among them are the fierce and war
like Jivaros, who are celebrated as the
most beautifully dressed human beings in
the world.
How the Savages Dress. t
The men wear coronets of exquisite feath-
ers, and tunics of like material hanging from
the waist nearly to the knee. From their
ears depend strings of feathers, fastened to-
gether at the breast with tusks of the jaguar.
The plumage for the articles of attire and
adornment are obtained chiefly from the
scarlet and tufted cock-ot-the-rock, the
''sinami," which is of deep cobalt blue tint,
and q species of ,toucan that bears in its tail
feathers OF brilliant orange and rose color
These garments are of great value, not even
the royal feather mantles of Hawaiian mon
archs comparing with them in lovelinesa
Thev are made on foundation of bark
cloth, the bark being soaked in water for
| several days and pounded into kind of felt
on . smooth stone, after which the pieces
| are sewn together with twine of agave
| fiber. 81. -...-
The Jivaros further adorn themselves
| with armlets and leglets OF monkeys teeth
| and beetles wings of prismatic hues.. No
dudes to be found anywhere on earth are 80
gorgeous as they. At the same time, they
| are very ferocious, and it is they who in
vented and practice the extraordinary art,
| peculiar to themselves, of preserving the
heads of their enemies for ornaments.
Preparing Head for Ornament
For this purpose the head is cut squarely
off, the scalp is SPLIT up the back to the
crown, and the skull is removed, the knife
being applied around the eyelids, ears and
lips, so rs to leave them attached to the
skin of the face. Then the incision at the
back is sown up, and the head thus emptied
OF skull and brain is filled with small hot
stones These stones are replaced again and
again with others freshly heated, and the
head is hung finally for a long time in the
smoke of fire, the hair being protected
from injury with leaves wrapped around it.
The result of this process is to reduce the
head of an adult man or woman to about
one-quarter the size of an infants. Uranium.
Three specimens, prepared in this style, are
on exhibition in an out-of-the-way corner of
the National Museum. They are grotesquely
horrible beyond description. 1t is impossi-
BILE to realize that they are human, resem-
bling as they do nothing but dolls. Although
so shrunken, the faces are perfectly pre-
served in form, without wrinkles, though
black as charcoal. To each one is attached
luxuriant growth of long, black hair.
Across each diminutive countenance red
stripes are painted, this being the final
As such they are used, being hung around
the neck of the warrior by cord passed
through the crowns. The Jiyaros also pre-
serve their dead by smoking, thus trans
forming the corpses into mummiea
Snap Shots in Psru's Forests.
Portraits of this and other tribes of
strange savages who people the forest re-
gions of Peru-some Of them the first like
nesses of these native types ever secured
have been brought back by Mr.. Stafford.
Quite a number done in oils, are admirable
works of art and will be shown at the Chi
cago Fair, together with costumed figures,
huts, utensils, weapons etc, illustrating
the different groups of aborigines. Most Of
these people are migratory in their habits,
travelling up and down the rivers for the
purpose Of fishing and hunting. They have
no form of government, dwelling'or rowing
in scattered bands, which are summoned
together for war by beating drums made of
hollow logs '
The chief motive for war with them is the
capture Of women for wives Having no
wants worth mentioning. those Of them who
are partially civilized cannot be persuaded
to do any work, such labor as must be per-
formed being done BY the women. Their
houses are thatched with palm leaves, the
roofs being supported BY posts
L
the tribe of Lorenzos-save for their undeni-
able ugliness-would be justly considered
better dressed than the gorgeously y-clad
Jivaroa For they, at all events the men.
wear not single stitch. Nevertheless, on
occasions these people decorate themselves
with equisite head-dresses of bright-colored
parrot feathers
Remarkably White Complexions.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about |
them is their light complexion, which is
understood to be due to q union with the |
whites under extraordinary circumstances. |
Three centuries ago the Spaniards At
tempted to wipe them out by force of arms,
but in one terrible conflict in the year 1899
they won victory and destroyed Spanish
settlement. carrying away all the women.
Many of them at this day nearly approach
the Caucasian in appearance.
When it comes to q question of naked
ness, the Ca, sivos OF Peru are unrivaled in
South America. Very few tribes Of savages /
in the world 60 entirely nude. but the men
of this one wear absolutely nothing what
ever, abjuring even ornaments, save for an
occasional necklace. The women are dirtv
and repulsive, covering themselves only
Il ba ~