The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-28
NATION THAT LIVES IN ARMoR-
A People in the Caucasian Noun
tains Who Wear Iron Mail.

[From the Literary Digest.l
Among the many diverse races that
occupy the Caucasus, the Danish traveller
Olof Lange describes the Chevsurians,
pagan people, who appear to be distinct
in religion and habits from the people of
the Caucasus generally, but of whom al
most nothing is known in Europe. We
condense somewhat his description, pub
lished in "Naturen og Mennesket" He
says:
The Caucasian mountains, Anatoris-
gele, Archot1S-tavi and TScha-Uchi rising
feet, inclose a BASH, the home of the
Chevsurians. who number about 5000
souls.
The Chevsurians are pagans, and one
may get a general idea of their civiliza-
ton, when it is related that their rniser-
able huts are lighted only by means of
pine torches.
They are people in arms The men
never lay aside their heavy iron armor
nor their weapons; even while ploughing
in the field they carry them. The mail
gives them medieval appearance, yet
the poor covering of the leg shows bar
barism. In a strap on the back every
man carries whip, heavy and strong
enough to break an arm. On the thumb
he wears an iron UNDERSTANDABLE a
rough surface, that he may leave an
everlasting mark in his enemy's face
when he strikes him with it.
Inc CQSVSUrld0S, Ike the OLD 1DerldQS,
the modern Basques and other peoples
who preserve traces of a matriarchal or
der of society, have perpetuated the
custom of the father "lying-in" on the
birth of a child, as evidence of paternal
parentage. The women are isolated at
pregnancy in special quarters, known as
the ''Satschechi," and can not return TO
their own residences until after a cere-
has his trials, too. He must live very
abstemiously for seven weeks, while
friends and relatives are treated with
liquor and beer in abundance. 1t is be-
lieved, or the belief is pretended. that the
fathers diet reacts on the child'S health.
The children's names are drawn directly
from nature. The boys are named after
animals, and the girls after sun, moon,
stars or flowers.
Public opinion among the Chevsurians
demands that no child be born till four
years after the marriage, and that after
that there must be three years, at least,
between births and no family ought TO
have more than three children. Thus the
Malthusian laws rule these poor people
as the "Code Napoleon" rules the French
peasants. who fear too great subdiTf-
SIGN of their farms.
The main work of the girls is to collect
| the cows excrements and to dry them
for fuel. The boys are traineG in elo-
quence and the use of arms. A hoy to
| 10 years old endeavors to initiate the
| grown man.
The vendetta takes peculiar form
i
murder is reported, all the relatives of
the deceased go to the village Of the
murderer and burn his house. The muir
derer's relatives dare not show Them
selves for year, lest they be killed. At
| the end of one year the murderer in
company of brother, arrives secretly at
the altar of his victim, to make an offer
of atonement and ask protection. Word
is sent to the family of the dead one
that the assassin wishes to pay the pen
atty for his deed. They all come rush
enter upon peace negotiations. It is
agreed that the slayer shall make a
memorial feast and pay AIS sheep, the
regular price for homicide. Every year
| the memory of the slain one. Only one
exception is made to the paying of that
great penalty. If one Of the family OF
the deceased is dangerously i'll. the
peacemaker announces that the sick one
| will die unles the murderer Is forgiven
This is done; the slayer pays a smaller
penalty, and, in this case. to the mater
nal side of the family. This custom OF
paving to the maternal side is undoubted-
! ly a survival from the matriarchical
| times
The Chevsurians have no money. The
| standards of value are the OK, the cow
the sheep and the horse. A stallion is
equal to four cows, a mare to six, COW
to four sheep. wound to the heaf
which exposes the brain is worth sixteer
cows: the same price is assessed for ar
injury to a leg or an arm. If one de-
stroys the use of thumb, he must pay
the sufferer five cows, four for the mex
finger, three for the next. two for thai
after, and one for the last. An eye cost:
thirty cows.
If A owes B one sheep and does no
pay, B may select G, who pays him tht
sheep, and requires two from A. If
does not pay, c may go to d to get hi:
two sheep. while d demands four from a
and thus ad infinitum-
Very prominent among the Chevsurian'
are the Kadagiens or soothsayers. Mex
in Importance are the Dasturiens, OF
sacrificial priests. Their religion is main
1y pagan. with few Christian and Mo
hammedan ceremonies. They are no
monotheists. Sacred groves and altar
everywhere to the gods of trees, etc.
prove that. The God of the east an!
west and the cuckoo" and Swallow,
are prominent deities. The cat is al
: accursed animal among them.
AS to the race afiinities of the Chevsu
rians. Olaf LANCE concludes that they ar
a mixture of Georgian. Circassian an
Ossets, with the first element predomin