Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-05-12
TIZWIN, THE INDIAN DRINK.
Known to the Aztecs Long Before Colum-
bus Came to America.

Known to the Aztecs Long Before Colum-
bus Came to America.
The name of the iptoxicant produced
and used by the Indians Of Arizona is
tizwin. 1t is manufactured from the
fruit of the sahuara or giant cactus,
and its use or abuse is common to all
the Arizona tribes. The Indians say
that its mode of manufacture and use
have been handed down through I'M
numbered generations of their ances-
tors, and SO it was known to the pre-
historic races. The sahuara (Cereus
Giganteus) is the largest and most re-
markable of the cactus family, and is
peculiar to Arizona. 1t blossoms in
May or June, having large starlike
flowers Of pure white with a golden
center. In July or August the fruit
is ripe. 1t is pear-shaped, being at
tached to the limb at its pointed
end, and when mature turns
brilliant red and splits open at the top
and sides like a chestnut burr, expos
ing to view a luscious red morsel of
pulp filed with minute black seeds. It
resembles strawberry jam. In taste it
is slightly like the raspberry, though
not SO sweet. AS soon as the fruit
ripens the squaws and children travel
miles over mountain and plain to gather
it in large baskets, which they carry on
their heads AS these giant .cacti are
from ten to fifty feet in height, much of
the fruit Is out of their reach and is left
for the woodpeckers and blue-jays,
which are extravagantly fond of it,
and frequently indulge to such an ex-
tent as to become Supplied and unable
to fly for a time. The .squaws, how
ever, easily gather as much as
they want from the smaller plants by
means of long, thin poles with wooden
hooks lashed at the ends, with which
they pull down the fruit The gathered
fruit Is deposited day by day at COM
mon center, where 1t is pressed and the
juice collected into large earthen ollas
where modicum of water is added.
These ollas are stored in a closed dark
room where slow fire is kept up for
several days until the liquid begins to
show a foam on top. a sign that it Is
fermenting. 1t has then attained the
desired Intoxicating power, and word
passes from mouth to mouth and from
village to village.
AS soon as the welcome news arrives
all hands knock off various other kinds
~ dAA AAhSOC4 " NAAG W." LII
camp to put in their time around the
improvised bar-room, Supplying them
selves with frequent draughts of the
liquor and dancing or fighting between
drinks The squaws and children, who
are never allowed to join in the revelry,
manage to get their fun out of the
affair by climbing to the low roofs of
the wickiups and viewing the drunken
revels of their lord and masters. Thus
the orgy continues night and day until
' the supply is exhausted, and by this
time the passions of the Indians, natur-
ally fierce and cruel, having been in
famed a hundredfold, some one in the
crowd uttere a war-whoop, and they
leap on their ponies and are OFF on a
raid against the whites. The Apache
at best is but devil, but when his
blood is heated with Irwin the father
Of evil himself Is q refined gentleman
in comparison. AS sahuara fruit ripens
only once = year it is whole twelve
month between drinks with the In
lians, and all their worst outbreaks
lave occurred in the Irwin season.-
San Francisco Examiner. ="