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

discovery and adaptation rather than the more
advanced stage Of invention and designed
manufacture. They appear to have A crude
mythology, in which the ancient pelican,
magical bird of melodious song, is assigned the
the first formed land. and fetches are in con-
slant use The bodies Of the dead are dressed
and adorned. f1exed into small compass. laid on
the left side in shallow graves. provided with
food and water. well as fetiches and favorite
articles. and buried under earth and stones
TREACHEROUs AND BLOODTHIRsTY.
The social organization of the Serbs appears
to be Indefinite perhaps in consequence OF long
continued warfare and diminution in numbers;
the ch!eftainship Is secured by Individual
prowess or shrewdness and tribal consent. and
the tenure depends on continued success or
popular whim. Originally the people appear 10
have been homogeneous, and some OF them pro-
fess that condition at present. though actually
polygamy prevails. the women much outnumDer-
ing the men. They are strictly, indeed neTcey'
endogamous, alien connection being the oach-
est crime in their calendar and invarlaDly pun
ished by death They are treacherous ana saw
age in war, which they conduct by ambush vi
raid being cowardly in open battle; they aPPseaa
10 thirst for alien blood. and as they profess
and their conduct proclaims, never ran 10 NH
people OF other kin save when deterrtu Wy .hn,.
So firmly implanted is the martial haoll th"' M
avoid watering places. even temporary camp
is located q mile two from the unaJa WIN
the permanent rancherias are usualiy MY v,
.
fresh water rancheria may contain IIo..'
one TO a dozen or even a score Oh svp1i 90 "
habitatons, each accommodating d in1,,,,;' I hut
the places of abode are not peTHIdh.eiitttt' -
changed from day to day as the conultIoh u
food supply caprice suggests, ..o. tho
From historical records IT Is Known thdt wv
caris hovn haen engaged in practically contlnu-
Gus warfare against all other peoples Ioi w" "a
or three centuries, and thelr M stnrSs ind
some Of their characteristics anu ,soinhhorirv
cate that they have been ininiical to neisnootins
trihes for many centuries. BY their MeNIcah
and Indian neighbors they are Coli'invit' a..
Ueved to be anthrOpophasous. put u"s -
consistently DENY The earliest estimates pace
tbnir number AZ 1000 but their population mas
bcen progressively reduced by warfare until now
they number only about three hundred ana my
including some fifty or Sky warriors anu WI" WE
as MANY adult women. the remainder being
children. 49,, .u, .,,,-
acterstIcs DR. MCGEE says: The Seri Indians
disnIsv several more or less distinctive charac-
terjsti,s both biotic or individual and denote
or collective. Individually the! are OF superb
,,hvsinua able TO run down fleet game ana
cantura balr-wild Mexican horses without ropes
or projectiles: able TO run across the sand dunes
OF their bounding desert waterless and ioooless'
so raDidlv as to escape pursuing horsemen' able
to abstain from food and water for days; ape
habi.ualy to pass barefoot through cactus thlck-
cts and over Jagged rocky slopes without thougnt
Of discomfort; able to gorge carrlon ana swirl
the rocking filth Of shrunken tnajas without
injury: typcally they trained athletes.
strengthened against exercise. haDltualel
against abstinence. hardened against PAIN ana
Injured against poison, all at the same time ana
all in remarkable degree. They speak a
distinct language apparently representing
distinct stock; so far as can DE aso S
| q few simple arts that seem to have been
! acquired through imitation, their culture is
| primitive protolithic as TO stone, nascent only
| as TO customary and house building, UNBORN
as 10 agriculture and we'll balanced only in
! connection with their reed balsas and the cords
! Of vegetable fibre or human hair used In making
them; their grade OF cooperation or order Of
| solidarity is below that Of the farmer ant, be
| low that OF the yucca moles, not even on par
| with that Of the eed-scattering bird that has
aided in giving character TO fora, for except
| that they have domesticated dogs they merely
| destroy and never propagate or otherwise aid
| associated organisms; collectively they are BIT
| terly inimcal TO men. animals and plants
| and are parasitic on a peculiarly conditioned
tract. to which they have adjusted physique and
tribal customs"
| FAMILY TIES AND MARRIAGE CUSTOMS
| Considered as a group composed OF interrelat-
| ed individuals and subgToups the Characters
tics Of the Seri Indians include strong family
ties. manifested especially in maternal affection
| and In their little understood knship system;
| firm conjugal bonds despite modern polyEamy
due to repeated defamation Of the WARRIORS, dis
| played ir their endoFamy and In singular
| marriage custom fixed tribal union despite
| internal dissension in the intervals Of external
| connicU. revealed in community OF property
| and interests especially in relation 10 allen
| peoples: and rigid adherence to custom AS cX-
emplifled in the crudeness OF their arts In their
| habit OF locating camps and habltatlons FAR from
| fresh water. in their amor patrig, and In many
other ways, T. O., their intcrribal characteristics,
| like their physical attributes, are strongly in
| dvdualzed and tend toward tribal integrity,
independence and isolation. History and arch
! zoology indicate that the characteristics Of the
| Serbs have persisted long, for three and a half
| centuries they have been known as fierce and
| powerful warriors. tumultuOus in battle and
| swift in retreat; reputed users Of poisoned
| arrows and perpetrators OF repulsivc atrocities
| In their endless and relentless warfare; re-
| garded as IshmGlites harbOring in the fastncSs
| OF desert island Gor the insular and cont
| mental portions Of Serlland have never been
| clearly Disseminated by nelghboring peoples),
whose bestiality placed them all but beyond
! the pale Of human kind"