The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-08
CRUDE INTOXICANTS.
THE MANUFACTURE OF sTlmuLANTs
BY A6oRlGlNES.
Fermented and Distilled Liquors With
Which the Uncivilized Natives of Differ
ent Parts of the World Produce Drunk"
Learning From the White Man.


1t is remarkable fact that up to the
time of the coming of the whites the
North American Indians generally had
no knowledge of intoxicants. AS for to-
bacco, they did not smoke it as we do
apparently. but merely for ceremonial
purposes Going southwark into Mexico
in those days. however, the traveller
might have found alcoholic stimulants
in common use. Even at the present
time the natives in that part of the
world make an odd sort of beer out of |
corn. They wet wooden blanket, lay it |
in the sun and spread whole grains Of |
maize upon il. The grains terminate, |
sprouting and sending out rootlets |
through the texture of the blanket, |
which is kept moist. They are then
parched and ground to coarse meal
To this meal little yeast, made by
chewing some corn and allowing II 10
ferment, is added. Then the stuff is
mixed with water and put away in jars.
Fermentation follows, and as it dimin-
ishes the liquor becomes as clear as yell
low amber, in which condition 1t Is
drunk. 1t is quite intoxicating.
Several varieties of grasses, herbs and
flowers, the roots of sundry plants, the
juices of the sugar cane and aloe, and
even beets, are used by various tribes
and peoples as basis of drinks. In
earlier times spruce trees, FIR trees,
birch trees and ash trees were tapped for
their sap, which was fermented to make
stimulating beverages. The willow,
! poplar, sycamore and walnut ARE said 10
Weld palatable drinks. The Japanese OBJ
tain Intoxicating beverages from plums
and from the flowers of the motherwort
and peach. The Chinese actually pro-
duce an alcoholic drink from mutton.
The Abnaki Indians of New England
used to manufacture a kind of liquor
from the tops of fir trees, which they
boiled and put into casks with molasses.
The contents of the casks were allowed
to ferment for three days.
The Eskimos were entirely unacquaint-
ed with the art of getting drunk unit!
they came into contact with the whites
Travellers have observed that they drink
extraordinary quantities of water when
they can procure it. That is not always
so EASY in latitude where the normal
condition of water is that of solid. In
winter one of the most important occu-
pations Of the women is the tbawlng OF
snow TO get water. The snow is cut IN
to very thin slices as preparation foI
the thawipg process, and it is fetched tc
| 10 or
order that it may be perfectly clean
The Eskimo greatly dislikes water thai
is many degrees above the freezing
point. A..
The Chilcat Indians of southern Alas
ka distill fearful beverage called
: "hootchenoo. The process adopted wa
probably suggested to them by Unlte'
States soldiers originally. Molasses o
vegetables of any sort, made into
: mash" are employed as raw ma
Q terial. The mash is put into large III
e can. which is connected with anothe
g tin can by a tube of the hollow stem 9
:. the giant kelp. This tube is buried i
: snow. A fire is built under the can ina
g contains the mash, and the alcohol passe
q over into the other vessel. The hquc
h TINS distilled is drunk fresh and pre-
z duces temporary insanity.
:, The abor;gines of Mexico and 1artn'
e IN the south were acquainted only Wit
e fermeuted intoxicants mp to the TIN
n when they learned from the whites u
l. principle of the still. AT present, how
II ever. this continuance OF clvlllzatlon
N in general use among savages on th
g continent. The Apaches OF southel
e. Arizona make whisky from the sap OF
E small species of cactus. They cut o.
IN the hearts of the plants, resembling IL
N tie cabbages, and in the cup shaped I
ut ceptacles left behind the sap accum
he Iates. From this sap they distill u
TO lannon's "mescal," which drives tho
re who drink it to sheer madness. MAJ
spirituous drinks are made from q
banana. Banana wine Is obtained
messing the fruit through sieve, AFT
st which it is made into cakes dried
or the sun and dissolved in water WI
=. wanted for use. :, =,
Ii On the west coast Of Africa 1t IL
tie common thing to see bare legged wol
a AN climbing up q gigantic palm tr'
o with calabash Of immense size hu
on round her neck. When she has reacn
n the top branch, she taps the tree and
is. San begins to flow. Then she hangs
IL calabash beneath the stream OF sap a
in descends. Twelve hours later she Gin
oh the tree again and takes down the Ca
ice hash. which by that time is full OF pa
Tor beer. 1t resembles mead somewhat, ou
nst small quantity Of it stupefies the drii
is or. African natives universally KIN
7as how to prepare drunk producing hqu
&C. from such simple materials as the u
of broom corn, sugar cane juice ana
All over eastern Asia is consumes
rd. drink known as "arrack. Inc pest
ca il is distilled from the unexpan'
the flowers of certain varieties OF palm.
er. vile kind Of arrack is made from imp
viii molasses that is left over as reiuse
be the manufacture of raw sugar. IL ma
the the drinker crazy, and under the ID