Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-20
STRANGE SAVAGE TRIBES.
Little Known Group of Mexican In
dams Almost Insensible to Pain

Little Known Group OF MEXICAN LII
dams Almost Insensible to Pain
From the Chicago Chronicle.
Little is generally known about the Pa
puans. the natives of New Guinea. Al
| though in the possession of Great Britain
| for, centuries, the island has never been
|, thoroughly explored. In one portion OF the
! island is q tribe OF marshland dweilers'
|. Owing to the peculiar character OF the
country they inhabit pedestrian iocomotion
Is almost impra cticable. AS Is usual In
tropical countries, there Is q very tangled
underground. while the land is too swampy
to be walked upon. Even in the wide
stretches Of shallow water canoeing Is al
most impossible, owing to the rank vege-
/ table growth The result OF these condl-
tons is that this most peculiar tribe have
practically lost the use of their lower limbs.
Their dwellings are built in the trees above
the water level. Their bodies have devel-
oped in such a peculiar way that they have
! most enormous trunks. but the thighs legs
and feet are SO small as to be useless
almost. In fact. in figure and carriage they
are quite apelke.
There are very curious races of men in
the more inaccessible portions of Mexico.
Most of the people are cave jewellers. but
there is rarely more than one family in the
cave. The most curious thing about them,
according to DR.. Carl LumholtZ. is that
they do not feel pain in the same degree as
we do. They have a delightful habit of
Is,
but this scarcely gives them any pain at
ALL They tear out the hairs exactly as we
should tear out the tail of a horse. These
inferior races feel pain to a far less extent
than in the case of a civilized man. DR..
Carl Lumholtz once pulled six hairs at a
time from the head of sleeping child. and
| 1t had no effect upon it at ALL Then he
asked for more. but without effect. At last,
when twenty-three hairs were pulled out at
one stroke, the child scratched it's head a
little and slept on
The poor among some of the Chinese have
peculiar custom of giving their children
In pledge to their creditors. First of all,
the parents go before a judge and make a
statement of the case, after which the
Scriyener draws up a deed of sale. Then
the deed Is signed by the scrivener, follow
ing which the father Of the boy smears the
palm of his right hand in coarse ink and
places it upon the deed This ink Is much
the same as the printers ink that Is used
by US. After the whole of the hand has
been imprinted upon the deed the father
goes through the same treatment with the
sole of his right foot. Then the mother
goes through the ceremony. at the end of
which the parents receive their money and
deliver over the child.
The natives of northwest Mexico have a
curious method of doing their courting--or
at least the woman has. All the counting
Is done by the woman. When the young
people meet at feasts the damsef nuts her
eyes upon certain member of the opposite
SEX and then attracts his attention by
dancing before him. While she does this
she persistently keeps her back toward him
This Is the sign that she wishes him to be-
come her husband. After time. when the
counting has proceeded a little further, she
sits down near him and begins pulling his
blanket away from him. Then she sings to
him in gentle, soft voice. At last the
matter Is entirely settled by the girl pitch
ing stones at the swain. for If he throws
these back at her 1t is a sign that thew are
bethrothed
Other very remarkable tribes have lust
been discovered by the chief medical ON
Ger OF Papua- He made two interesting dis
eoveries while exploring the western por-
tlon or the territory. The principal tribe
which ne discovered during his peregrina-
nous webbed feet These dwarfs b,,jid
their dwellings In the center of swamps.
which they are able to cross with great
rapldity. The other tribe consists of
dwarfs. but their feet are not webbed.
They are. however. particularly wild and
repulsive cannibals