The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-08-22
THEY ARE BIRDS.
Canary Females Wear Moustaches
and Smoke

| e1lQ 0llOAC.
Commercial Tribune: Now that Uncle
Sam is in an annexing mood. who
knows but that the tabled Atlantis OF
Plato. the Garden of HesDerides and
st. Brandon's Fairy Isle, all known to
modern geographers as the Canary
islands. may not soon become a part or
the United States? Certainly no SPOT
on earth offers a more curious illuStra-
| ton of primitive women.
When the Canaries were conquered
| by Jean de Bethencourt, a Norman
baron, in 1902, in the name of Juan II
of CASTLE, they were peopled by two
races, which had emigrated from the
mainland. Each race had different
laws. habits and custonN. and was pos
SesSed of mutual hatred which engen
dered constant warfare.
The Inhabitants of the western Ca
nary islands were small, fair, energetic,
brave and amiable; some of them even
had blue eyes and red hair. In Feurte
ventura and Lanzarote they were taller
and darker and more i2dolent, lazlly
Obeying their hereditary rulers, wheth
er the latter were men or women. The
dark-skinned inhabitants are supposed
to he OF Arabic or PhOenician origin.
They were conquered easily because
they were even more INDECENT than the
OpdIldIQS, anu lIleH loOC s'e@S
subjugated.
Today the common type of the Ca
naries, of both men and women, con-
sits of a tall frame, an elongated head,
badly chiSeled nose and mouth. a
large, heavy face and Glue eyes This
type is universal, but the dress in every
island is slightly different. OF course,
the Canary costumes are seen ON these
peasants, for the higher classes are en-
tirely Spanish and European They
have no native clothes, such as the
Philippians have. hence the material
for their clothing is imported from
Europe, and the women make up the
garments IN their houses. However,
hats AID shoes are made in the Ca
rarieS.
Strange TO say, the men, women and
children are accustomed to walk bare
foot over the thorny plants, the plains
filed with spiny cacti, and the burr
ing rocks os lava, which, in a few
hours, will burn and wear out the
stoutest shoes. Both men and women
always wea- their shoes in the towns;
but If you meet them on the road, the
men are invariably carrying their shoes
at the end of a stick, while the women
carry theirs on their heads.
The women of Teneriffe wear skirt
and apron of cotton, Well-htting bod
ice ornamented with large sleeves, and
a fichu which ends in points both front
and behind. The head is covered with
the greatest care. A silk handkerchief
is folded around the chin, and the-e a
large woollen shawl is wrapped around
the entire head, and falls down below
the waist behind. Above this is placed a
small straw hat with a low crown,
saucer shaped, on which the bundle, or
jar or load of faggots is placed. The
string OF wool or leather around the
neck must not be forgotten, for from
it is suspended an amulet, blessed by
the priest, and which preserves the
wearer from all danger and unseen
evil
Notwithstanding their female attire,
the women of Grand Canary are en-
tirely masculine in appearance. Their
hair is short, the mustache which or
1laments their upper lip is luxuriant,
they wear a mans hat, and they are
passionately devoted to smoking cigars.
The women of the Grand Canary are
not sirens, according to American ideas.
Neither are they as polite as they are
generous, for, although they will give
a stranger a drink of water, while he
has lifted the jug to his mouth they
viii often throw an unexpected shower
over his head and shoulders as a prac-
teal joke.
In the island of Palma the women go
about almost naked, yet occasionally
they dress their heads and neckS COW
cred with a kerchief and surmounted
by . curious hat.
The woman's costume in LanZarote
consists of a short striped cotton skirt,
sleeves to the elbow a bodice laced in
front, and a white cape folded around
the head and shoulders, surmounted by
a straw hat often trimmed with flow
ers. They make the mems clothes.
which are quite gay in this island, con-
sisting Of trousers to the knee, tied
with bright ribbons or carriers, a sleeve
less jacket, a sash betting in the shirt
and a montera or cap, generally of
blue, embroidered with yellow, green
or red. and displaying a, knot of rib
bocs at the side. The natives of Lam
zarote are content with very little
They drink water and live on gofio, the
native barley bread, dried fish, Dota-
toes and Barbary figs.