The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-02
pisAPPotSryp ~ LOVE

and expired in great agony.
~pisAPPorSrEp ~ LOVE
Space IL lacking for q recital Of other deeds 0
El-lal. but the end Of the myth Illustrate
Tehuelche habit Of thought 80 well that Il mus
be given. El-lal fell in love with the dsuRhte
Of the sun and the moon. The old folks no
wishing TO give him their daughter. sent = ser
want girl disguised as the daughter instead A
first El.lal did not recognize the deceit bu
when he did he was so disguised that he turnet
himself into a little bird. jumped on the back o.
a swan. and was carried away over the sea t6
the islands that exist among the vapors In tbs
east where no man can ever go.
Here are two Tehuelche fables:
THE PATE or THE BoAsrER-
A fox challenged a stone TO run . race Tbs
stone begged 10 be excused.
Let US run down the slope Of this hill. in.
sisted the fox.
am very sorry. but you had better keep out
OF my way"
"You think to overtake met what foolish.
ness! run like the wind"
I'VE will rum said the stone.
The fox darted away like an arrow. The stone
began to roll. and then to Jump and TO jump. I'M
til 1t woundcd to death its rival Just as he was
arriving at the foot Of the hill
THE REWARD OF A DESIRE ron vAu DIsPLAY.
A panther met a fox wearing . crown tuft-
What a beautiful ornament you weari How
did you make II 2" said the panther.
Very easily" replied the fox. II cut open
the head with a flint and then introduced into
the wound the beautiful plumes Of an ostrich"
How admirable! I wish 10 go through the
same process. Would you take the trouble to
do it for me ?"
with n thousand pleasures.r
And the fox rasped the head OF the panther
till the skull got thin. and then broke IL In with
one stroke Of the flint.
So the panther died.
PRovERBs.
The dog follows the fox and kills II, but then
comes the panther and kills the dog.
Nothing spurious can be good.
The little feather flies more swiftly than the
great one.
TEHrELCHE RELIGION.
In his religious beliefs the Tehuelche Is a. in
~teresting as in other matters. There is one good
god and from him all good things come. He is
80 good and kind that he is never offended. He
does not require worship from the Indians. but
according TO the gauchos they have q ceremony
Of thanksgiving peculiarly interesting. In the
early summer. when the young of the guanaco
and the ostrich are numerous and easy to take,
ostrich eggs still to be had and pasture is at its
best, the Tehuelche cacique gathers his
clan and DEGREES an Offering to the
good god. Thereat a young mae is las
seed, brought TO a convenient spot and
there thrown down and secured on her back
50 that she cannot thrash around with her hoofs-
Then all the people gather around while the man
who is handiest with n knife draws his keenest
blade. slashes open the breast of the mare. cuts
out the heart, and holds II, still quivering. up in
the presence OF all, that 1t may become the offer
ing by all Of a living heart to the god to whom
they give thanks.
There are evil spirits Of course. and medicine
men and medicine women-even medicine
girls-who make sacrifices to these spirits in
time OF distress, sickness or disaster. but on the
the religion of fear Is said to have no very
great influence on the Tehuelches. They believe
a divine duty TO have a good time continually |
and that IL is foolish to worry about anything.
religious ceremony includes q feast of
horsefesh. The home of the soul after death Is
In the sky-somewhere in the blue vault they see
by day. and the road TO 1t lies by the way Of the
glories OF the west at sunset. or old they used
TO burn all the effects Of the deceased that he
might have them In the other world. but now q
mall outfit of horses and dogs Is sufficient
THERE WAS NO rEHUELcHE sALEx.
With them. as with the Pilgrim fathers. the
witch and the sorcerer are stern realities, but
he Tehuelches never torture their supposed
witches to death. The desert air never trembles
With the means of old women whose misfortune
I Is TO be sullen or insane. But when one cuts
ais hair or trims his finger nails the clippings
IRE carefully burned. So, too. are all effects left
'ehind when moving the wigwams. The witch
s supposed to obtain a devilish power over any
me when she can get hold Of any such part of
i'm In dreams" when the heart sleeps. the
mind sees a glimmer of the things to come"
THEY SING nj DANCE
In music the Tehuelche is not much of an
rtist. The skin OF a guanaco stretched over q
Ioop or bowl makes a drum. The bone OF an
strich leg. with holes cut into II. makes q sort
Z flute, which In turn is used TO make the
inew cord of a bow to vibrate with a tum-tum
oise. In short in such matters as singing and
ancinR they arc practically like North Ameri-
an Indians. The music Is always for an &C
impairment to dancing.
DIVIDING TINE.
The Tehuelche year begins in September. and
be lapse OF 1t is noted by the position Of Orion.
he four seasons are known as the fat time or
ne fall; the cold time. the season Of new grass,
nd the season OF ostrich eggs. The moon meas
res the months, and one word serves for the
anne Of the day and the sun.
In his astronomy the Tehuelche has named
he southern Cross the track Of the ostrich.
nd therein has shown himself superior to the
mites In at least one matter. The milky way
the path OF the guanaco. and the clouds of
Iagellan are the guanaco wallowing places
lille Mars is the caranche. a conspicuous,
vulture common on the desert.
THE CHIEFS.
Following the tendencies OF the age. the
have become republicans. There -.
re chiefs now, but in the old days the chief