The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-10
A Nation of Slaves Who Seem Content
A People Who Have Feuds and
Fight Each other with Sings.
CHILD : SELLING IN BOLIVIA
SOMETHING ABOUT THE INDIAN
WOMEN AND THEIR LOVES.
Chichn, or Bolivian Beer, and How 1t
Alive to Make Brandy Bottles.
Copyright, 1898. by Frank G. Carpenter,

Copyright 1898. by Frank G. Carpenter)
LA PAZ, Bolivia, June 10.-Three-fourths
of all the people of Bolivia are Indians. The
country is more than one-sixth the size of
the United States without Alaska and these
Indians are scattered all over it. Some of
them are savage, but the bulk, comprising
a population approximating a million, be-
long to two civilized tribes known as the
Quichua (Keech-wah) and Aymara. The
Quichua claim to be the descendants of the
old Incas They are found about the north
eastern shores Of Lake Titicaca and in the
states to the south of La Paz. The Ayma-
ras inhabit this high plateau, and their viii
lagos of mud huts may be counted by the
thousands in this part of Bolivia They are
a people of themselves, with curious habits
queer customs and life and character Pc
cuiarly their own. If l should say that
slavery still prevails in Bolivia 1 suppose
the statement would be disputed 1t is true
nevertheless These Indians are to a great
extent slaves. This is feudal country
and the men and women are bought and
sold with the farms on which they live. The
fact that they could perhaps leave upon
paying their debts does not alter the mat
ter 1t is known that their attachment to
their homes is such that they will not leave
and the proprietor does not hesitate to
deliver his human goods with the property
The most of the lands here are owned by
Cholos or half breeds who have Spanish
and Indian blood in them, and by the
whites. who are the descendants of the
Spaniards who conquered the country. Upon
each farm there is a community of these
Indians who throughout the whole year
give three days of each week to their mas
tiers and are allowed the remaining days for
themselves. They receive no wages for
working for the owner of the plantation,
and are supposed to do the work in lieu of
| the ground rent for the spot on which they
have built their mud huts and for the little
| patches which they are allowed to farm for
themselves. If their master has use for them
| only a part of the time he has the right
| TO hire them out to others, and if they do
not obey him he can, within certaiR linn
its, infiict punishment upon them. They ex-
pect to be whipped. and l have heard it
said here that Indian servants grumble
when they are not punished for a long time,
because they consider it a sign that their
master has ceased to like them. An In
| dian here has in few things any right that
anyone else is bound to respect and 1T is
indeed not an uncommon thing to see one
struck to make him move faster or under
stand more quickly.
INDIAN FEUDS AND FIGHTS.
Notwithstanding their i'll treatment the
Indians seem to stick to their masters.
They are absolutely without ambition and
seem to be content with their lot. They
will work for their masters for nothing
rather than receive pay from foreigner,
and they will fight to the death the Indians
"a HON
they are angry or of whom they are jeal-
Gus. Feuds often exist between the In
clans of the farms of neighborhood, and
gun fights and sling fights are common.
The sling is the natural weapon of the Ay-
mara He has the skill of David, and is
never afraid to attack his Golah at such
times. He uses the sling to stone his sheep
from straying from the flock and from be-
hind his hut often watches for his enemy
and sends a rock crashing through his
brain. He considers his masters griev-
ances his own, and will engage in any bat
tie to which he may be instigated by him.
l heard of a case of this kind last night A
foreign merchant of La Paz had bought
small plantation with certain number Of
Indians, adjoining the estate of a rich Bo-
lvian. The Bolivian coveted the foreigners
property and wanted to force him to sell 1t
cheap. He fomented feud between his In
dams and those of the foreigner. The
crops of the foreigners Indians were pulled
from the ground, his men were stoned, and
at last they came to him and told him their
situation. He asked them what they were
going to do about it. They replied that if
he would allow them the key of the house
and church and give them forty pounds of
cocoa leaves and six gallons of alcohol
they would soon settle the difficulty.
They told him that the Bolivian was trying
to make him sick of the bargain, and that
he was doing this so that he would gladly
sell out the property for little or nothing.
But" said the foreigner to the chief of
the Indians, what can you do? You have
only forty men and the Bolivian has ESQ.,"
The chief said he would get the Indians of
other small farms near by to unite with
them. This they did. They concealed these
Indians in the church on the estate, and
when the marauding Indians came again
and began to pull UP the crops all sailed
forth. There was a pitched battle, and
about thirty of the Bolivian's Indians were
killed. The result was that the Bolivian
came day or so later to the foreigner and
asked him to sell him his place Said the
foreigner: Yes, will sell to you, but my
price ID HOW @Lu,VVJ OueIeQ you the
farm month ago for $4,000, but after
what you have done you cannot have it
for less than $4,000.
Il will take it," was the reply. IT have
had enough of you, and as 1 want the farm
I will pay what you ask" And he did,
THE PONGO.
All the dishwashing, fire making and
water carrying as we'll as the dirty work
of the household generally in La Paz is
done by men called Pongos. The Pongo of
most houses is changed every week and
many families have ffty-two different Pom
goes in a year. This is due to one Of the
customs which prevails here between the
Indians and their masters In addition TO
the three days a week without pay which
the Indians must give, they have to fur
nish also without pay so many men
week to do the dirty work about the house
On large farm five or six more such men
are furnished than are needed by the
family of the planter. and they are then
hired out 10 others. AS the Pongo works
only for week at time, the contract is
made to furnish one a year for from $50
TO 800 Bolivian or from SOS TO SS5 American.
d..