New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-28

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REMAIN
ABLE RACE AND THE CoUN-
TRY THEY INHAsIT.
rsY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSEl
Washington Nov. 21.-The news recently SEM
by the United States Consul at Nogales MeAIoo'
that a party Of Americans hailing from CO..
Diego. Cal, had been murdered on Tlpuroh 49,
and, in the Gulf OF California, by the 0e'' Inv
ians-a tribe noted for its peculiar lsoIa'oN an
savagery Of life-has drawn attention 10 SUM-
OF the remarkable characteristics Oh t'''
powerful but now almost extinct inu'""
According to the press dispatches Coho"' t'o"e
at Nogales describes the Serbs as tiioV "a Va
usual Size activity and Dlooo'hiie"97'
adds that they preserve their Vlsor aS
be, dastrovIne in infancy all children VINO are
- -. ornear TO be lacking In intel
1,cence The same authority is quoted as assert
80, ~. or,one the Serbs no man or woman Is
-, 80 live beyond the age Of seventy. ana
49,. o,bor unusual and primitive methods are
-.os IN IN maintain the physical STANDARDS
OF the tribe
1-ntu recent years little has been known OF
the life and history Of the Serbs who Tor several
centuries have maintained themselves IN eH'"e
,so,ation not only from other Indian tribes OUT
49,, all Tho Influences Of Caucasian civilization;
and probably no other Indian group on TINS
continent exhibits so many primitive aboriginal
traits and tendencies. The island OF lipuroh'
where the American explorers were murdered
lost September. has rarely been visited by Whlte
men. and until 1895 no accurate knowledge hau
hssn obtained OF the character Of its inhaoi-
tants.
WHAT IS KNOWN OF SERlLAND.
In that year. however scientihc exped'tioh
,ooded by Professor w j. MCGEE, Of the United
,,g On Tiburon and making some surveys and
eynlorations. without, however, being abe 10
on,er into communication Of any sort with the
.;os Professor MCGEE in a series OF papers
Witch have appeared in various scientific jour
ro,s has given a lucid account OF this trip ana
summarized what knowledge is now possessed
os the Serbs and their peculiar MODE OF me
Two OF these papers, which appeared IN Inc
American Anthropologist" for March 1870 ana
IN science" for April. 1896. are especially iru'
On, IN details about Serand and its savage ana
truculent possessors.
ceriland in Professor McGees view, is an
stbnio end archeologic unit. II comprises liou-
ron (about five hundred square miles, Alca'i3@
Oo.o than one square mile) and several smaller
islands situated about mid-length OF the uu'i
or California, together with more extensive
urea (some $500 square mies) OF the aoJdoen'
mainland in the State OF Sonora MEXICO. A"e
entire tract &c mountainous Ilouroh ls'a"u
embraces half a dozen ranges with PEAKS vi
? ooo 70 600 feet; most of Alcatraz Island is
q rocky butte rising over ooo ieet aooNe VI"
,,,a,or. NJ ,ts base. and the eliminating peak or
-. t,,a,d ranges Is about 5000 feet in
.,,,tude. The province is extremely aria. Ihere
90 +our nermanent watar-holes on the main
80 sect,on in two OF which the water Is quite
"a IN a third somewhat brackish; AlcaTaz 10
%y,tbout fresh water: Tiburon there is one
email stream too feeble to reach the coast De-
Sides a few small tinajas and springs, OF "hiCh
only one was found
Despite the dearth OF fresh water there Is
a meagre fora OF the ordinary subdeser' cn".
acter and a fairly rich fauna. while the uuH
waters abound In marine life Inc Pio''hOe
Is barred from the body OF Sonora oE ION" ,
~ saline flats and sand dunes appareh'S
homologous with the Mojave Desert OF Caiiioi
MIA the lower portions of which apparently TIC
he,ow sea level. this desert forming d i'u'"
more effective boundary than the narrow s'"'
eenarating Tiburon Island from the ihaiii'a"u
Within seriland there are no peop'e ou' Nv
ger,s no ancient works save smell ihouhuS anu
stone heaps such as the Seris now accuiiiu'a'e'
no traces Of culture except the esseh'ialiS ."
d,genous culture Of the Seri tribe FROM INC
historical records OF over three centuries II 10
known that the Seris have claimed ana SUCCEEDS
fully defended this territory against all coi"ei o.
and that although they have sometimes pu'"eu
beyond their natural boundary IN preua.oi
raids or for more persistent occupancy their
hold on contiguous territory has never beeh hrii
or long maintained.
CHARACTERISTIC OF THE RACE.
The ger Indians are Of fine physque-tall,
broad-chested and full-oined, with slender arms
and legs though the hands, and especially the
feet are large; their skin 10 notably DARK ana
their hair which IS worn long Ia luxurlant ana
black or tawny The men, and In only less de-
gree the women, are noted for strength. celerlty
and endurance-indeed II is commonly through
the possession Of these qualities. rather thah
the aid Of mental operations. that they capture
game. They speak a language OF limited vocab-
ulary. Their habitatons are rude temporary
structures Of bushes and turtle shells. designed
for protection only against sun and wind; their
ordinary clothing lie short skirt OF pelican
skin, dressed with feathers on. fastened about
the waist with neatly twisted cord OF thelf
own hair or Of mesquite root fibre. and for FUR
Their protection against Indictment weather and
for bedding they robes each made OF four
six or eight pelican skins sewed together with
sinew Their chief weapons are the bow anc
arrow, with clubs and stones, while their hered
itary enemies dread their teeth and nails no les'
than their artificial weapons. They say tina
they poison their arrows. and this claim Is sup
ported by considerable body of evidence. II
recent years they have acquired a few guns By
capture and theft. Their arrows were origl
naIly tipped with charred hardwood, and late
with Clipped stone though in recent years the,
ba
hsht metal winch they use for this purpose ant
for knives. the primitive kind being a bit O
cane or sharp-edged shell. They manufactur