The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-09
A Look at Their Farms, Visits to
study of Their Life and Customs.
THE ARAUCANIHN'S RELIGION
THE INDIAN GIRLS AND HOW THEY
ARE COURTED AND MARRIED.
Queer Customs OF Death and Birth
Indian Babies and COrpses Which
Are Smoked Like Hams.
Copyright, $685. by Frank G. carpenter.)

Copyright 1893. by Frank G. carpenter)
TEMUCO. Chile. Sept. IL want to in
troduce you to the richest, proudest and
bravest of the Indians of the South Ameri-
can continent the Indians who once owned
the greater part of Chile, and who, for
three generations, with lances of wood and
bows and arrows. waged a successful war
with the Spanish invaders. They killed Pc
dro Valdevia, the man who founded San
tiago, and then came south to conquer
them. They destroyed Spanish forts, be-
seiged Spanish cities and only receded inch
by inch toward .he south, fighting as they
were forced to the rear. When they were
finally conquered they refused to become
the slaves and hirelings Of their conquerors,
as did the Indians farther north, and to-
day they maintain their own identity, own
ing their own lands and looking with
scorn upon the descendants of the white
skinned invaders who have robbed them Of
their country. l refer to the Araucanians,
the famous Indian fighters Of South Chile.
L am now writing in the frontier town of
Temuco, the edge of one of their reser-
vations, and L have just returned from
hand car trip over a railroad which the
Chilean government is building through
their country to open the lands adjoining
it up to settlement They have long since
given up their fight against the whites and
the Chilean government is doing what it
can to cNilize them. 1t has given them
lands which they are not allowed to sell,
and it has its Indian schools modelled on
the same plan as those of the United
States. The progress, however, is not great.
and the demon of alcohol is slowly but
surely wiping out what is left of the race.
t. knI of
them left, and the most of these are scat
tered over the hills and valleys of southern
Chile
AMONG THE ARAUCANIANS.
There are many of the Araucanians to be
seen in Temuco. They come here to trade,
some on foot, some on horseback, men and
women riding astride, and many in rude OK
carts, riding on the loads of wheat barley
and other things which they bring in to sell.
/ saw one to-day on the outskirts of the city
seated in his cart on two fat hogs, which
he was bringing to market, and ! took a
photograph Of his pretty daughter, who
rode on pony behind. She wore heavy
fiat earrings of silver, each as big as the
palm of my hand, and upon her breast
hanging from silver chain was a great
silver plate of a diamond shape, which
made a musical jingle as she trotted by. /
afterward stopped a group of Indian girls
and made notes of their dress. They were
barefooted, but on their ankles bands of
silver beads sewed to red cloth stood out
against the rosy pink flesh. Some six inches
more above these came the dress, which
was merely brght-colored blanket pinned
at the shoulders, leaving the arms bare,
and belted in with silver buckles at the
waist Several of the girls had second
blanket which they wore much like shawl,
and which was fastened by long silver pin
at the shoulders. The men wear much the
same dress at their women, save that one
blanket is belted around the waist, whereas
the second is worn as a poncho; that is
over the upper part of the body. the head
being stuck through a slit in the center
Few of the men wear hats, but all tie
red handkerchief or band about the head
over their foreheads, leaving the crown bare
The Araucanians are of the same race
family as the North American Indian. They
have copper compilations, a trife lighter
than those of most of our tribes, high
cheekbones and straight black hair. The
men have little or no boards They wear
their hair cut off even with the neck and
coming down over the ears. The women
wear their hair long. 1t is divided into two
braids, each wrapped with a strip of red
cloth, which is sometimes decorated with
little silver beads. They wind the hair up
on the top of the skull and let the ends
of the braids stick out like horns above
their faces. Sometimes the ends are joined
by a string of little balls of silver and
sometimes the braids hang down the back
Both the men and women are fond of
bright colors. The women wear quantities
of jewelry. Their earrings are always very
large. They are Of many shapes, silver
plates as big as a playing card, with ear
hooks attached, being common. They wear
necklaces of silver beads and as much other
silver in the shape of breast ornaments as
they can afford. The men are, as a rule
better looking than our Indians. and the
women when young are plump and pretty
1 see many girls who have rosy checks
well-rounded forms, beautiful eyes and
teeth, and full. ripe, kissable lips. They
look clean. their feet are small and their
ankles 7 noticed are very we'll turned.
VISIT TO AN ARAUCANIAN HUT.
These Araucanians have curious customs.
Many of the richer Indians have two or
more wives. Each Indian brave keeps his
several women with him in the same hut,
the children of the various wives being
mixed up indiscriminately as long as peace
not always the case. At least I Judge so.
for in one of the Indian huts which visit
eds yesterday I found two fires going and
over each fire one of the husbands two
wives was cooking, while about each was
gathered her own brood of children The
hut was of boards with a low thatehed
roof. 1t had no door, but the whole front
was opened to the east, and so arranged
that it could be closed with skins. The
roof was of the shape of ridge. and this
gave room for an attic, which was separat-
ed from the ground room by a ceiling ~
poles jet black with smoke From these
poles ears of corn, strings Of onions. pieces
of dried meat and bags of other eatabIes
hung The floor, which was Mother Earth.
was Uttered with farming utensils cloth
ing, saddles and harness. and a lot of other
stuff which made the room look like a Junk
shop.
At opposite sides OF the hut two closet
like rooms had been partitioned off by poles
and skins. In each of them was a low
platform covered with straw and sheep
skins. They were the private quarters Of
the different wives. each Of whom sleeps
apart from the other with her children.
IN the Same hut lived the great-grand-