The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-12-05
ART @ sSTRAN GE PEOPLE.
Prof. Lunnholtz's Discoveries. in tho
!. Sierra Madre Mountains.
From the New York Times:


= * Sierra Madre Mountains.
From the New York Times:
Prof. Carl Lumholtz, collector of In
dian antiquitiese for the American Mus
cum of Natural History, has just re-
turned from Europe, where he has
been to follow up his investigations in
to the decorative art of primitive peo-
pie, whom, from a scientific point of
view, he. discovered in little valley
in the southern end Of the Northern
Sierra sMadre mountains of Mexico,
Prof. Lumholtzt has been engaged
for years in studying the people of Mex
leo and collecting Sthere material for
the museum and it was while there
! that he came, across these people who
had long been known in a vague way
to the Mexican government under the
name of the Huichols. The then Gov
| ernor Curiel. of the state of Jalisco met
him while he was engaged in his scien-
| tific work and mentioned the Hui
| chols, whom the government, he said,
had never been able to more than To-
cate, inasmuch as they were isolated
in deep, u1lapproachable valley of the
| Sierra Madre mountains. The govern
| or said that while the Huichols had
| been found and partly subjugated in
| 1925 when Mexico belonged to Spain,
| they had never paid any taxes or held
much communication with the out
side world. Recognizing that this
must be a race which probably had
maintained the customs of the tribes
that were found during the conquest,
! Prof. Lumholtz decided to visit the
Huichols. This he did with great diff
! fculty because of the natural dangers
in the way Of the untraveled noun
tain country and then of the enmity
with which the tribe regarded stran-
gers and especially whites. To show
his trust in the Huichols and to appeal
to their generosity, he discharged his
| guides and stayed alone among the
| tribe. Thus he was enabled to conquer
their animosity and to gather such
| information as he needed in his scien-
! tific researches.
Having completed his work he re-
turned to civilization, and this summer,
I In order to discover if the Huichols
had been Influenced in their decorative
art by any other than native sources,
he went abroad. The result of his
study there shows him that there is a
! trace of Arabic in their art, this having
been brought in by the Spaniards, who
got it through the Moors. The trace is
slight, however, and Prof. Lumholtz
says that the main decorative work
of the tribe came from the native tai
ent in combinations.
II found this tribe in what must have
been the state Of the savage tribes
|
the conquest centuries ago. said Prof.
Lumholtz at the Everett House last
night ''They still use bows and arrows
as weapons, thus showing their lack
of contact with the whites. That they
have never been visited can only be
accounted for by the fact of their
| coldness for strangers, the lack of any
thing of great value among them, and
| finally the enormous difficulty one has
in getting to their sequestered valley,
which lies shut in by the great ranges.
1t is some forty miles long by. twenty
wide, and populated by about 1900
souls. The tribe leads a community
life. every man having an equal amount
sc pro perty, and the whole tribe being
ruled*by number of chiefs. Their
religion consists in the worship of the
four elements-earth, air, fire and
| water.
"These very decorations are an ex-
preston of their religion-each design
is a prayer. The decorations of prim-
tive man are the result of his contem-
plation of nature and natural objects.
| Savages do not decorate from mere
fancy, but wish to express something.
For instance among the Huichols the
double water gourd means a prayer for
water, the source Of all life and health
Figures of animals like the lion and the
eagle, express appeals for protection
as well as the alteration of the deity
to which the creatures belong. Flow
ers, like the plumes Of birds, are pray
ers for rain and life, and they are sac
rifices to the god of fire.. No. flower
is ever plucked without some pious in
! tention. The royal eagle is favorite
design on pouches. The young female
eagle which is believed to hold the
world in its talons, guards especially
the corn. The guardian mother eagle
is to the Huichol synonymous with the
Virgin Mary.
"The designs are not often made in
stone, but most usually are found in
the wearing apparel of the people, and
may be woven, embroidered or formed
in bead work. In civilized countries
nowadays it is difficult for us to find
new designs, new patterns, and it is
certain that when these patterns be-
come known we shall turn to this
tribe for new ideas. It is curious that
this people, whom we regard as I'M
civilized and far eur interiors. are more
artistic in certain ways than ourselves
and unconsciously turn out beautiful
designs, while in civilization we have
to establish societies to encourage peo-
pie to surround themselves with beau
| tifl1 thingsnf