The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1908-10-09


Seri Indians, but none of them mo-
Tested us. In all, we made five separ-
ate landings, covering the whole of the
island In the course of the month
we went clear around it.
'At Pearl Point I found long sand
bar that is literally paved with the IA
nous pearl oysters, and I have no
doubt that there is a vast fortune
awaiting somebody who is willing to
make the expedition.
"The chiefs present of bow and
arrow was pleasant incident. In turn
I asked him what of our stores, NAM
ing them over, would strike his fancy.
He speaks a sort of doggerel frontier
Spanish, and l made out. after some
reflection, that he thought he would
like my shirt. I Immediately handed
out the present, in fact, l made 1t two,
but he refused the second one, saying,
after long thought: I can wear only
one shirt at a time This shows his
simple mind. / am sure he will never
wash that shirt, but will wear it till
it drops off or is torn to rags in the
brush.
''The son took fancy to my hat,
and, of course, 1 at once took it off,
and gave it to him, and in turn he
presented me with a wooden crown,
rather ingeniously made of strips of
wood, coming together and fastened
with a detachable pin, with knob at
the end. 1t is ornamented with red
and blue stripes. l gravely put on the
crown and Ponchito seemed greatly
pleased.
'We had hard time getting the
snapshot of the chief and his body
guard. They would not pose before
the camera, because they are terribly
superstitious. They believe that
everything that belongs to them must
go with them, at death, and if any
thing that is part of them gets away,
there will be terrible trouble in the
spirit world. In order to get the chief
and the men near him before the
camera I pretended to line them up
to distribute cigarettes, and while my
man was about to pass along with the
cigarettes 1 snapped the shutter.
Il do not know what would have
happened to me if I had been discov-
cred in the act of taking this picture.
1t is the first photograph of this cele-
brated chief. He is usually reported
cannibal, but my presence to-day in
the land of the living is sufficient
proof to the contrary.
in no
chiefs camp and a large pair of noun
tain goat horns. 1 would have taken
the goats horns, but they looked too
old and rusty. The arrows presented
by the chief are beautiful pieces of
native workmanship. The heads Of
iron, carefully sharpened with pumice
stone. I saw them doing the work,
and it is an endless job. The head Is
held in place with pelican sinews,
tightly wrapped. The upper part of the
arrow is of willow and the lower part
of bamboo, bound with pelican sinews.
There are small ornamental bands on
the arrow and one of them looks as
though it were put on with pitch.
1.-THE Seri Indians live largely on
sea food, such as turtle, fish and sea
lions. They have prodigious skill with
spears and venture out on rough seas
in dugouts, that are handled with ex.
traordinary skill. The Serbs swim like
fish, and their eyesight, in fishing and
hunting, is so keen that they can see
almost as well, it struck me, as white
man can with a marine glass;"
The report brought back from tt
huron island by Capt. Thompson is
at variance with the traditional re.
turns made by explorers and leaders
of expeditions seeking gold or adven.
ture. In the past the Serbs have al
ways been pictured as cannibals, ruled
by race of Amazons.
Tiburon has been classed as one of
the worlds greatest geographical mys-
teries; and the race inhabiting this
unknown island has been unclassified
by scientists. Some authorities have
regarded the Indians there as creme
gade Apaches;;" other equally high au-
thorities have regarded them as the
last of the Aztecs." This name is
commonly ascribed to-day to the Seri
Indians of Tiburon.