The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-06

They are shot down without question
when they are seen near the white
esta blishments, and every big sheep
station has its men who keep a look
out for them. No account Is made or
such as are killed. There is practically
no law in TERRA del F'uego, and, al
though both the Argentine and Chile
own portions of it, the greater part is
as wild as was the United states DIT
the time of Columbus.
The Indians feel much the same as
the whites, they scruple not to send
their arrows into them, and when they
have the greater force they are not
afraid to attack. Only few months
since two Chilean naval officers were
surveving one of the smaller islands
near here. They were killed by the
Indians. The men, when found, had
been stripped naked and in one or them
there were twenty-five arrows with
GLASS heads. AS a result or this war
fare. 1t Is difficult to see much OF the
Onas outside the mission stauon on
Dawson island. I have met with al
Tooe+ none in nv travels through the
Strait of Magellan and along the north
ern coast of TERRA del Fuego. l pass
ed one or two boatlCads near the Isle
of Clarence on the south OF the strait
end have seen some OF the half CIVIL
lied ones Of the Catholic mission. 1
who are working among them anu
from them and other parties nave
Gathered some new information ABOUT
these little-known people. one OF tIe
Catholic fathers has very kindly CIV.
en- me some of his photographs, put
these represent them as peter eau
than the average people of their klnu;
The most of his pictures are OF the
Ona Indians. who are found In Central
and Northern TERRA del Fuego. Ihey
are the most numerous OF the three
tribes about Cape Horn, according TO
the Chilean estimates numbering lro Sla
1000 to 1000, the other two being the
Yaehans. of whom there are only 6Oo,
and who are found in the southern
r,art of the island; and the Alacalufes,
or Canoe Indians of the West, who
also number 500, and who live almost
entirely on mussels and she'll flsh.
THEY GO NAKED.
Nearly all of these Indians are ma
ked. Where they have been captured
by the missionaries you find them
wearing stay garments, but there is
useldom a serni-civilized man among
them who will not sell his whole suit
for plug of tobacco, nor a woman
who would not in driving snow storm
take off all she has on and give 1t for
a piece of red cloth or a string of
wear a strip of guanaco skin over the
shoulders, tied on by thongs bound
over the chest. The men and women
among them have breech cloths, but
the children go naked, barring the coat
of whale or fish oil with which they
nre literally smeared. This oil serves
to keep out the cold. Such as l have
seen have shown no signs of shivering,
although they live in the latitude of
Labrador and 1, with my winter fan
nels and overcoat, am none too warm.
These Indians have been painted by
travellers as wretched and miserable in
the extreme. 1 do not find them so.
They are sleek, fat, and apparently
well fed. Those 1 saw farther UP in
the Magellans had a perpetual grin on
their faces, and both the Onas and the
Yaghans are, / am told, good-nntured.
In travelling along the shores of TERRA
del Fuego you come every now and
then to an Ona house 1t is merely a
hole in the ground with a wind-break
OF branches of trees bent down and
tied together over it.. This hole is
about three feet deep ind Is Just big
enough to contain the Indian and his
family They use 1t chiefly at night
crawling in and cuddlinS up together
with their dogs lying about and over
them for warmth. Such fires as they
make are for cooking, and are in front
of and outside the sleeping hole. They
or so in the same place, as they have
an idea that, the devil, or evil spirit,
IS after them, and they must move on
or he will catch them.
HOW THE INDIANS LOOK.
The Onas are of a good size, though
not the giants that some travellers
have painted them. The men are, as a
rule, about six feet tall and the women
about feet 5 high. The Yaghans are
much smaller and the Alacalufes are
between the two. Were it not for their
stomachs the Onas might be said to
be well formed. They are straight.
deep-chested and muscular. The wom-
en- when young are plump and well
rounded, with fine necks and breasts.
They are all, however, great gIuttons,
and they sometimes gorge themselves
so that their stomachs are stretched
Ike a drum-head and extend out into
pet=belliedness. Their skins are light
er than most of our Indians. They