The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-11

! the solution for sprinkling on the corn
| fields or for medicine. The potency of
/ the inscription is supposed 10 be retained
! and TO serve as a charm.
/ The tribes of Northern Mexico now
/ draw photographs with a stick and some
times tint them cOlored with earths. For
| example, they will operate in behalf of
! SICK man by outlining figure represent
ing him on the ground, putting in the
| place of the heart piece of the giant va
1 rlety OF cactus already described. The
/ latter IS supposed to typify life. The
| plant is also pounded by these same peo-
| pie and thrown into water to stupefy
! fishes.
This method of making fishes drunk,
thus rendering their capture easy, is
much practiced in some parts of the
| southern Rocky mountains. Certain
tribes In Arizona employ the common
| yucca for the purpose. But the Lunis
never do this, because they worship
| fishes. Everything pertaining to water
Is sacred to them, by reason of the value
| OF the fluid in that arid region. They
look with horror on tish-eater as god
eater-worse than a cannibal.
VARIOUS NACoTIGs AND sTTMULANTs.
The abOrigines of this country have
long been familiar with the immense
number of narcotics and stimulants. The
| Hoopahs and other Indians in California
| smoke wild hemp. One or two full inhal-
| atlons of IL induce stupOr, which is fol-
| lowed by ecstasy. The Majaves, Yumas
| and other tribes of Colorado and Arizona
| chew the dried leaves of a plant re-
| sembling the eastern limson weed, which
| has flower like a huge sweet-scented
morning glory. The frenzy induced by
| it is useful in religious dances.
More than fifty species of plants possess
| ing more or less of the narcotic properties
of tobacco, to which several of them are
| related, are used by the Indians of Cali
| fornia and the southwest. The Zunis
| vary the effects of their tobacco by add
ing to it different vegetable substances.
| To lessen its strength, they utilize the
middle bark of the pine tree. To make II
| stronger, they put with IL wild carrot
seed or coriander seed. To render IL
| sweeter, they employ anise seed.
They crush the anse seed and mix it
with the tobacco. 1t makes the latter
very sweet so that it leaves a pleasant
taste in the mouth. One may get fair
notion of the effect produced with this
| ingredient by getting little oil of anise,
moistening the tip of a finger with 1t and
drawing the latter along cigar from
one end to the other. The change thus
made in the flavor of the herb nicotian is
really astonishing.
IN OTHER ooUNTRIEs.f
Many South American tribes make an
l intoxicating hIluk ny SOdhluS NOIh uhbAA
| it is soft, then chewing it, and eXpectora-
ting into bowl. The liquor thus OBJ
tanned is permitted to ferment over
night, when 1t is ready for use. This is
| nr'ciselv the method employed by the
| Polynesians in the preparation of the so
called "kava." There are very few saw
ages in the world who do not know how to
get drunk, though distillation is a process
of modern civilizen invention. Neverthe-
less, no less an authority than Capt.
| Bourke, u. S. A, thinks that the ancient
Mexicans knew the still before the Span
| ish conquest.
On the other hand, the making OF fer
| mented drinks has been understood by
the most primitive people from prehis-
toric times all over the world. African
natives universally know how to prepare
drunk producing liquors from such simple
materials as the tops of broom corn,
| sugar cane juice and cOcoanut milk The
Eskimo did not know how to get drunk
until the whalers and fur traders from
| Europe furnished them with rum. When
Columbus landed no Indians were &C
quainted with alcoholic beverages north
Of Mexico Some tribes refused TO par
take of them when tempted to do so by
the whites, because they were afraid of
what took away their senses.
Up to that period no tribes north of the
latitude mentioned had any knowledge
| eVCu OF Dc6FS, lHOuEn buey uHueTSJOOu
| how to make teas or infusions of various
herbs. Some Indians of Northern Mexico
| manufacture beer from maize in rather
curious fashion. They take thick wooden
blanket, wet il, lay 1t in the sun and spread
whole grains of corn over it. The grains
rapidly terminate, sprouting and sending
out rootlets through the texture of the
blanket, which is kept moist. They are
then parched, to prevent further germi-
nation, and are ground 70 a coarse meal.
To this meal a little yeast, made by
chewing some corn and allowing it to fer
ment, is added. Then the stuff is mixed
with water and put away in Jars So &C
lively does it ferment that it fairly boils
in the vessels AS fermentation dimin-
ishes the liquor becomes as clear as vel
low amber, in which condition it is
drank. 1t is quite intoxicating, and at
same time very nutritious so that those
who partake of it get fat on il. The Zunis
make the same preparation, but throw
away the beer, eating the lees, which they
regard as great delicacy.
INDIANS AS DIsTILLERs..
Sayages have readily adopted the pro.
cess of distillation for producing alcohol
The Apaches of Southern Arizona, who
are the most murderous and untamable OF
all North American aborigines, make a
terrific whisky from the sap of small
species of cactus They cut out the hearts
of the plants, resembling little cabbages,
and in the cup-shaped receptacles left be-
hind the sap accumulates. From this
they distil the famous ''mescal," which
drives those who d. ink it TO sheer mad
ness Probably the most primitive method
of distilling is practiced by the Indians OF
Alaska, whose apparatus for the purpose
consists of nothing more elaborate than
two tin cans and a tube of the kind of
seaweed known as giant kelp." The tube
is buried in snow TO keep IL cool. Molasses
furnishes the raw material.
Leaves of the coca plant, which, as has
been said somewhat resembles in its
properties the cactus of the southern
prairie Indians, are always found
buried with the ancient mummies of
Peru. 1t is supposed to give comfort and
strength to the dead. Many accounts
have been written of the usefulness Of
this herb to the men who carry great
weights of freight over the Andes. By
chewing a few morsels of it they are en-
abled to get along for days without rest
or food. It is only very lately that coca
has been known to the civilized world as
medicinal agent Of great value for a
multitude Of purposes.
AMONG THE KIowAs.
It is supposed that the Kiowas got their