The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-20
BABIES OF THE SOUTHWEST
Remarkable Little TOddleTS in ATi-
IONA and Southern California.

IONA and Southern California.
Boys Run Races at Years-How the
Mothers Garry Their Infants and
How They Give Them an Occasional
Bath-one squaw's Experience With
Soap.
From Kate Fields Washington.
If the watchful American mother, who
carefully guards her baby against the cold
and gives it daily bath in perfumed
water, could follow Moiave Indian child
through its infancy she would more than
once be horror-stricken at what she saw
The Mojaves are an indolent tribe who
live in the southern part of California
and the western part of Arizona The
men and women are alike stoutly averse
10 anything like manual labor, and they
gather about the towns and live in a
miserable way off the proceeds from the
sales of curious bits of pottery which they
fashion from red clay and beads The
Moiave women age rapidly. Their faces
wrinkle and wien before they are 50
years old, but in their extreme youth and
girlhood many of them are strikingly
1 handsome
The Mojave baby is a precocious Gre
ture. 1t comprehends great deal at
very early age. 1t is usually on its feet
at the age of months, and if a male, is
capable of running a smart foot-race at
years Almost without exception Mo
AVE babies are attractive Their dusky
faces are always plump their coal black
eyes shine like beads aud stare fearlesslv
at the stranger brimful of frank inquiry
and wonderment, The Indian baby never
smiles, but as soon as il is strong enough
TO raise its dimpled fists, it will clutch
| vigorously at the finger of person if
presented, and do its best to get 1t into its
| mouth
THE CHILDREN HEALTHY.
Notwithstanding the apparent careless
ness of the Nc. ave mother regarding the
diet of her offspring, her children are al
! ways healthy in appearance, and an in
! FAINT death rarely occurs The only
nOurishment offered the children is what
| they are able to draw from the maternal
! breast and upon this natural susteuance
| they thrive. The children are nursed I'M
! til they have cut all their teeth and
! many OF them are not weaned until they
! are upward of years old
! / remem Der on one occasion / was in the
| midst of a company of Moiaves at the
! Needles in Arizona. A dozen women were
| seated on the ground watching intently
! the proceedings of a trade that I was
/ making with the men for lot of clay
! curiOs. One of the closest observers in
! the company was black-eyed boy, whose
round head reached little above my knee
! as he stood and narrowly watched me
while / talked with the men He was a
| handsome little fellow, as straight as an
arrow and as 1.-the as willow branch.
| had no trouble in making a correct physi-
] gsaI AYr Of III g. Il l. K
| gray day and the raw wind came down
through the mountains with free ing
! touch in its fingers, the child appeared to
feel comfortable in the thin folds of
breech cloth.
The bargain was finally closed, and as if
| relieved of a great mental strain, the
young Mojave capered wildly around on
the sand and finally ran for the circle. of
| women and dancing along the line he
suddenly rushed up to his mother and
| thrustipg his hands into the folds of her
calico wrapper drew forth the fOunt of
| his special blessing and while he drank
at it, rolled his eyes around to me as if
fearful that | intended to rob him OF
the treas are.. As he stood dusky and
naked in the sand nursing, in many re.
spects he resembled fine bred Devon
calf Indifferent to his action on the
part of the STRIPPING, the mother crooned
to wee babe that she held in her arms.
| inquired the age of the boy, and to my
| establishment, learned that he was nearly
! years old.
40 SOAP IN THE EYES.
But little attention Is paid to the
cleanliness of the children. There are no
regular abOlutions, and it is very doubt
full whether such thing as soap was ever
! applied to the body of a Mo,ave infant
| A few years ago a woman. who was tray
| cling west by rail, saw a crowd of
| Motives at one of the Arizona stations.
and possibly with the idea of sowing a
! seed that would develop into great good.
! presented one of the Indian women with
cake of perfumed soap The article ad-
| dressed itself to the nostrils of the
woman favorably, and thinking it was a
| choice edible, she sunk her teeth into it,
! The effect was instantaneous aud pro-
| nounced. The squaw spit out the mouth
full that she had taken, and threw the re-
mainder of the cake at the woman who
| gave it to her.
Occasionally in hot weather the moth
! ers battle their children. The manner in
which they do IL is most amusing. They
| go TO body of water, strip the child. and
| placing strip of cloth under its arms
! hold the ends in hand and swing the
child over the water, sousing it vigor-
ously for two or three minutes OF course
| the child slrangles, coughs kicks and
]
cries. When the mother is satisfied that
the condition of the child is sufficiently
improved. she drops it on the ground and
allows it to roll around in the sun until
its skin is dry. This treatment is given
the child more with the view Of keeping
it comfortably cool than respectable
| clean.
HOW THEY ARE CARRIED.
The babies before they are able TO walk
are carried around in their mothers
arms, lying on boards. The boards are
about three feet long and eighteen inches
wide at the broad end. They taper to
narrow width at the opposite end. Over
these boards are loops of leather that are
there for the purpose of holding the child
on 10 the board rigidly. Wrapped in thin
cloth the child is laid on its back and
thrust under these loops. Another loop
or strap is fastened across its chest.
| Thus strapped down it sleeps and lies for
the most of the time when awake IL Is
never allowed to lie fat on the floor or
ground when out of the mothers arms.
The cradles are left standing at 4 sharp
angle against the side Of the house or a
rock or tree.
over the head OF this peculiar cradle is
covering. Several pieces Of pliable
wood are arched over the board and over
these bows a piece of bright colored
calico is thrown, with a curtain in front
that is always lowered when the child Ia