The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1895-06-21
gMptmorfat-Star
THE MOST PRIMITIVE PEOPLE
IN AMERICA.

IN AMERICA.
The Seris, a little tribe OF Indian
who dwell chiefly on the TiburoI
island, In The gulf OF California, ant
who are also to be found on a narrow
strip OF land on the coast OF Mexico
have from time to time given great
trouble to the Mexican authoritic.
says Public Opinion, England. The
Serbs are considered the most print.
tive people in America. Beyond sew.
eral expeditions which have been sent
out against them only two Europeans
have had any communication with
them, one Senior Encinas, the owner
OF a large ranch, and the other Prof.
McGec. Prof. MCGEE describes the
Serbs as "perhaps the most primitive
people In America, and it can be said
that they have not passed the stone
age. Most of their life Is out on a
desert, and few of their settlements
are In the shade of trees. Their houses
are built by brush to about the height
OF a mans head. So little contact
have they had with the outside world
that they have no useful arts at all,
with exception Of pottery and basket
making. The Serbs are a nation OF
runners, being built with long, thin,
sinewy legs and big chests, like grey
hounds. Instead of turning their at
tention towards the manufacture of
weapons Of the chase, they have given
1t more to the development Of speed,
agility and feetness Of foot. When
they 90 out hunting they are so quick
that they can catch antelopes with
their hands. They also catch jack
rabbits in this way, and the method
they have in these hunts shows more
of instinct than ingenuity. Three of
them walk out together until they
start a rabbit. A rabbit always be-
gins to run at an angle from the
course taken by its hunters. One Of
the Indians will start running rapidly
in a course behind and parallel to
that taken by the rabbit. Another
Indian will start running at an angle
Of 80 degrees, the third Indian stands
still. The first Indian, when the
time Is propitious, shows himself, and
the rabbit starts of at a right angle
towards the second man. The second
man then shows himself, and the rab-
bit is driven back. BY repeating this
performance the triangle is made
smaller, and finally, after the rabbit
is %bewildered and exhausted, he is
very easily captured. One could hard
ly believe some OF the stories of their
sHiftness Of foot unless one saw some
OF these chase after wild animals. In
their manners and habits they are as
nearly like beasts as it is possible for
men built in human form to be. They
are filthy beyond description, and
maintain an apparent indifference to
everything and everybody about them.
l could not ascertain the truth of the
report as to their c%annibalism, but it
is my belief that it is correct"
Mr.. Dinwinnie, the photographer
who accompanied Prof. MCGEE, had
considerable difficulty at times in get
ting the Indians to pose for his came
ra. The different processes Of sight
ing the instrument, moving the plates
putting the cap on and taking it off,
filled the aboriginal mind with vague
fears and dread. lie took a picture
OF n Of the Seris warriors, after
which the man fell i'll. When Mr..
Dinwinnic wanted him later to take
a larger picture the man asked If he
did not think it would kill HIM, be-
cause II so little a picture made him
i'll a big picture would make him
very much worse. They feared some
spell in the process OF photography,
and In almost all the photographs
taken Prof. MCGEE or some other one
OF the party was obliged to stand to
show that there was no danger to be
feared. So far as can be learned, the
Seris have no medicine man and no
religion, and if they fall i'll nothing is
done for them. With the children the
conditions are the same. Young
children are left lying around on the
sand of the desert, neal the village, in
the broiling sun, uncared for. The
cruelty OF the mothers is remarkable,
and sometimes they throw their chill
dren around about like blocks of