The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-06


y Jan. 29.-If some Of the
~ tribes of Indians In remote
n N parts Of Colombia succeed
u in maintaining the laws and
customs they now have in
force, they will certainly not
meet the fate of their North American
cousins, and become extinct. They
welcome white traders but they won't
let the pale-faces remain in their
country over night. AS soon as the
trading is done the visitors must re-
turn to their ships and sail away. AS
long as they do so, they are not mo-
Tested, but If they manifest tendency
to hang around and get sociable, after
the business Is concluded, trouble Is
certain to result. This is because the
Indian women like white men and will
run away with them If they get
chance. The native women are rather
attractive as girls, but they age very
quickly. The universal dress among
the women consists Of one sack-like
garment, reaching from the shoulders
to the knees, with holes for the head
and arms 1t is one place in the
world where the styles do not change.
Most of the men wear trousers, and
some of the more progressive and
prosperous among them wear shirts.
Woman's Rights Discouraged.
They have interpreters who can
speak English, and their standard
money is American gold. While the
men are good traders, and lean to-
ward civilized ways In their money
and their dress, they are quite barbar-
Gus in their habits of living. They re-
side in shacks, and have three or four
wives each. They select their COM
panions while they are very young,
girl rarely reaching the age of IA be-
fore she is claimed by some brave.
There is no marriage rite. One trad
er among them insisted that the high
contracting parties to one of their
jungle matrimonial alliances acknoWl-
edge the solemn obligation by run
ming around banana tree three
times, but one of his companions
secuted the idea, and said they never
thought Of putting themselves to so
much trouble. The men insist upon
being the head Of the house, how
ever, even, If there Is a lack of formal
ity in establishing the same. favor
tie method of Furnishing disobedient
wife Is to tie her to a stake over an
ant hill and let the insects ntbble at
her toes for an hour or two. 1t is
said she will always be good there
after.
Lifeless Sentinels Stand Guard.
- The manner In which these Indians
guard their villages from the intrusion
of outsiders is very ingenious. They
string dry calabashes on ropes or vines
all around their camp, and hide them
in the grass, and hang them in trees.
Anyone prowling about will be almost
certain to disturb some Of these life
less sentinels. The least jar causes the
seeds inside Of them to make a rafting
noise that can be heard for quite a
distance, thus sounding the alarm OF
the approach of an intruder. They are
ugly customers If trifled with and as g
rule are left severely alone by the
whites. It Is undoubtedly best for al
that they insist on being SO exclusive
1t would seem that there should be
some dark corners of the earth where
the crude children of nature can pur.
sue their rough ways in peace.
"Colonel Jesus Christ"
~ The Indians living nearer to the
centers Of population have become less
Objectionable as neighbors, but theil
proximity to civilization has taker
away none of their barbaric love Of
display. Many Of them have embraced
the Catholic religion, whose forms ant
ceremonials seem readily to attrac
them. They invariably add to the
rites Of the service whenever it is pos
sibIe to 90 SO. There are many In
stances which show that their concep