The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-29

TIZWlN, THE INDIAN DRINK.
Known TO thetAztecs Long Before Colum.
bus Came to America.

bus Came to America.
The name of the intoxicant produced
and used blythe Indians of Arizona i
Irwin. It lis manufactured from thu
fruit Of the sahuara or giant cactus
and its use or abuse is common to al
the Arizona tribes. The Indians sey
chat its mode of manufacture and use
nave been handed down through usl
mum beved generations of their ances
tors. and so it was known to the pre-
historic races. The sahuara (Cereus
iiganteus) is the largest and most re
marka BILE of the cactus family, and is
peculiar to Arizona. 1t blossoms il
May or June. having large starlike
flowers of pure white with golden
center. In July or August the frui,
is ripe. 1t is pear-shaped. being at
tached to the limb at its pointed
end. and when mature turns q
brilliant red and splits open at the TOP
and sides like chestnut burr. expos
ing to view a luscious red morsel OF
pulp filled 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-j jays,
which are eXtravagantiy fond of it.,
and frequently indulge to such an ex-
tent as TO become Supplied and una bic
70 fly for 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 dashed at the ends. with which
they pull down the fruit. The gathered
fruit is deposited day by day at com
mon center, where it is pressed and the
Juice collected into large earthen ollas
where = lRVdicun OF water is added
These oliss are stored in closed dark
room where slow Are is kept UP for
several days until the liquid begins to
show foam on top. q sign that 1t is
fermentinGA II 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
sA hands Enoca< off various .s!ler kinds
of loafing and hasten to the tizwin
camp TO put in their time around ahe
unprovised bar-raDm. stppefvins4. them
selves with frequent draughts of the
Iqnor and dancing or lighting between
drinks. The squawa and children. who
are never allowed to join in the rerelry.
manage to get their fun cut of the
a MAR by climbing ia the low roofs Of
the wicrsiupS and viewing the drunken
revels of their lord and masters. Thus
the orgy CONT nues night and day until
the supply is exhausted. and bv this
time the; pass ions of TIE Indians, natur-
a lily fierce and cruel, having been in
famed q hundredf01d. some one in the
crowd utters 4 war-wh hoop, and they
leap on their ponies aud are off on a
raid against the whites. The Apache
at best is hut devil, but when his
blood is heated with Irwin the father
of evil himself is a refined gentleman
in comparison. As sahuara fruit ripens
only once a year it is a whole twelve
m onth between drinks with the In
dams, and all their worst outbreaks |
have occurred in the tizwist season. (
San Francisco Examiner