The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-26
JEWS OF TRANSCAUCASIA
PICTURESQUE CHARACTERIsrtcso ~.
THE MOUNTAIN CLANsMEx.
Barbnrous Ceremonies Attendin. a.,
Martyr Professions in Honor Of
the Saints Hussein md ALI.

for the nrSt time, encountered one ~ the..
Highland Jews from the north. The ~
lem crowd filled the main street. Tbsv
wept and howled. beat their breasts ana
tore their hair. as the bleeding martvrs
stalked by. some with knives swords ana
| daggers driven through the quiver!ng mus
cles of the arm. breast and back: som.
with scimitars and yataghans saving thu
flesh Of forehead and shoulder. and leaving
| a track of blood in the roadway one indi
vidual l noticed near by stood apart as
| though the sight interested him not Al
| all, looking on with that stolid and express
sionless indifference which only an Oriental
/ can assume. He was a great tall fellow
with a swarthy complexion and sharp eyes
| He wore a short beard, turned outward
with curl at the bottom. and his hair
was twisted and plated on each side OF
the head. so as to fall in short pigtals in
front of his ears. He was CARRIED in
tight-fitting khalat coat reaching 10 the
| knees, and a sash. in which an Old-fash-
| toned pistol was stuck, was bound round
his waist. His headgear was not the long
| pointed Astrakhan cap affected by the Per-
| slams, but the squat and shortened form
the Tartars prefer. His legs were encased
in loose trousers. tightly cross-gartered as
far up as the knees. and his boots were
of undyed leather laced-to with the points
in front well turned back and betrasing az
once the resident of a mountain district
Struck by the mans utter indifference.
asked one of the bystanders If he knew
what native the stranger might be. The
reply was "eder sukhte," in plain English
His father was burnt" This is a Persans
courteous and indirect manner OF saying
the man was an inhdel-a nonmoslem. OF
course.
Later i'm the day l was surprised 10 come
across the same stranger at the house
of Jewish functionary In the town, ana
there 1 learned that he was one OF the
Highlanders from the north, and had come
down in order 10 escort back u his home
a shokhet, a sort of ritual Straightforward,
whose services were required Tor the ap-
| preaching autumn festival This. found,
was the only purpose for which the noun
tain clansmen ever visited their co-relig-
ionists elsewhere. They have no rabbis
among them. and are quite Indifferent IN
regard TO matters Of ceremonial and OBJ
servance, which the ordinary Jews regard
as essentials of their creed. The Highland
er spoke Persian fluently. so ! had no DIM
Guilty in conversiag with him: and when
the shokhet, for whom he waited, arrived,
he readily agreed TO allow me 10 accom-
pany him on the return Journey 10 ms ma
tive village. Thus, within three DAYS. ]
had the satisfaction of entering the hamlet
Irtan Khan, the abiding place OF one OF the
| Jewish
quaintance of some of these singular High
land Jews in their isolated mountain home.
THEIR RICH PASTURES.
The hamlet comprising some forty dwell
ings of varying sizes. lies snug in valley
: sheltered on every side by rising ground.
affording excellent pasture for sheep and
grazing for cattle belonging TO the people
! There are stretches of arabic land beyond
where grain is grown. and the swish OF
{ falling water heard in the distance shows
that one special requirement Of husbsndry
!, is abundantly present and available The
! houses, dotted about irregularly. fair dis
lance apart, are OF the usual Tartar type
fiat-roofed, single-stored buildings. with
walls of exceptional thickness 10 keep out
extremes of both cold and heat. and white
washed till they CLEAN in the sun. some
of the dwellings are small. suff1cinS Only ior
a single family; others are large. covering
> a goodly extent of ground IL Is not the
custom among these Highland Jews LOT
|; son to leave his fathers house when ne
q marries. He just builds an annex 10 the
paternal dwelling, and makes MS nome
: there. In this way. where there are thIe
. or four sons and grandsons. perhaps the
family mansion assumes large proportions.
r Each house has its own allotment OF land'
Z divided into vegetable and trut g9rueH l.
$ vineyard and tobacco plot forming what is
8 termed in Tartar-Turh tchlftlk, OF
e farming homestead. The cultivation Is good
Il the yield excellent. The Tartars are all cap
e ital husbandmen and vine-dressers. but they
i are not up to the mountain Jews Tor al
o that. The homestead gardens are incloseo
:, within six-foot walls OF rubbie ana cray,
e and many of the houses have verandas III
e front, where the door and windows arc
?. placed. The favorite resort OF the villagers
s is. however: the fat roof top where TOWARD
l. evening whole families seat themselves
: the men smoking silently, the women play
Y The Highlanders I see about are fine
| &on all
r of Jew with which the western world nas
'e become familiar, tanned By exposure 10 SUI
and wind. hardened by field WORK ano o ~,
door exercise. They wear-it is late Au'
4. gust-the collarless shirt and snort blu,
jacket of the Tartars. loose trousers drawn
in above the ankles. and shoes OF untannee
p brown leather curled up in front. Ih'
N younger and middle-aged among them nay
IL the double plait OF hair In 'front.' OF ~
d ears. The elders shave the head, ana TO, 90,
is a small, tight-fitting. blue skull cap Inc,
le are rather quarrelsome. and, as they az
lie given TO drinking, disputes are not inire
l. quent with occasional serious results.
ID man who kills another i'm a fray Is com
10 PEELED to leave the village and reside per
if manently in another clan. The Hlghlahu
d. ers pride themselves on their prowess, an,
he hold that one of their number Is mstc'
g. for any two of the lastuni, nelshDoI
to ing tribe of marauders. who give tnei
is trouble now and then by lifting their cat
,e tie and driving off their sheep. I see hal
X a dozen young fellows trot in after SIX
re teen hours ride. armed with matchbox
S. and the small dagger-nke knives Ahtg O.
o. adopts at hurting The way they throw
ne ! themselves from the saddle. tether up an
ne drain off fully half pint Of spirits 0rouga
ut | to them I'm large horn cups by an elderIl
~ duenna, shows them to be tough fellows
re every deed.
ID APPEARANCE OF THE WOMEN.
The women meet do not impress me >
favorably. They are not types Of beauu
by any manner of means. They are mostL
big of build and massive. They have IN
a. fiat round face, heavy features and $40"
IL moving eyes characteristic Of the Armenia
women whom they otherwise resennoi'
They dress their hair the same way an
wear the same headgear. They are garoe
in single long outer garment. tucked II
the neck and about each ankle. Inc ies
are bare and stuck into shoes such as tn
men wear. Ordinarily they leave theh iee
lures untouched but on Saboaths anu :
public gatherings. at betrothals. Weooii.s
and such like domestic ceremonials -
paint bar of yellow across the face ODE
onally from side to side. blacken the -
brows and color the finger nails RED
practice Is not calculated 10 enhance tl III.
peculiar type of beauty. but the custom ~
pears TO have been handed down from II
lsraelitish mothers. Do we not reao 49, a.,
Queen Jezebel painted her face ana a. IL
her finger nails ere she looked out OF "
4 window MI en Tel t. hV2 The Noltt