Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1905-02-25
SOME STRANGE SAVAGE TRIBES.
little known Mexican Indians Almost
Insensfblc TO Pain.

A4AAAAE 10 hnONM AUOuA Aut
Papuans. the natives Of New Guinea.
Although IN the possession OF Great
Britain for centuries, the island has
never been thoroughly explored. In
one portion Of the island is a tribe Of
marshland dwellers. Owing to the pc
lnhabit, pedestrial locOmotion is al
most impracticable.
As is usual in tropical countries,
there Is very tangled underground,
while the land is too swampy to be
walked upon. Even in the wide
stretches of shallow water canoeing is
almost impossible. owing to the rank
vegetable growth. The result Of these
conditions 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 developed 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 apelike.
There are very curious races OF men
In the more inaccessible portions Of
Mexico Most Of the people are cave
dwellers. but there is rarely more than
one family in the cave. The curious
thing about them, according to DR..
Carl Lumnoltz. is that they do not fee
pain In the same degree as we do.
They have a delightful habit CT pull
Ing hairs out OF one another's heads.
but this gives them scarcely any pain
at all. They tear out the hairs ex-
actly 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
time from the head OF a sleeping child,
and It had no effect upon 1t 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 its head little
and slept on.
The poor among some OF the
Chinese have peculiar custom OF Civ
ing 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 scrivener
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 1t 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 the 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 wom-
an. When the young people meet at
feasts the damsel puts her eyes upon
certain member Of the opposite sex.
and then attracts his attention by
dancing before him. While she does
this she perslstently keeps her back
toward him. This is the sign that she
wishes MIN TO become 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 pitching stones at the
swain. for II he throws these back at
her It is a sign that they are be-
trothed.
Other very remarkable tribes have
Just been discovered by the chief med
ical officer OF Papua. He made two
interesting discoveries while exploring
the western portion OF the territory.
The principal tribe which he discov-
cred during his peregrinatlons consists
Of dwarfs. who have enormous webbed
feet. These dwarfs build their dwell
ings in the center OF swamps, which
they are able to cross with great
rapidity. The other tribe consists Of
dwarfs, but their feet are not webbed
They are. however. particularly wild
and repulsive cannibals.-Chicago
Chronicle