The Washington herald., 1908-01-19
EARLY PORTO RICANS
DR.. Fewkes Says They Came
from South America.
PICTURE OF THE INHABITANTS
Expert from Smithsonian Institution
Makes Public Some Facts About
IsIand-SRys that First Europeans
Found Dense Population Well Dis
tributed over Whole Territory.

I
tributed over Whole Territory.
/ That the culture OF the aboriginal in
| habitants Of Porto Rico was derived from
South America rather than from Yucatan.
/ in Central America, or from Florida, is
( but one Of the interesting conclusions
drawn by Or. j. Walter Fewkes, of the
/ Bureau of American Ethnology of the
Smithsonian Institution. in memoir ap-
pended to a recently published report of
! that bureau
/ Dir. Fewkes. not very long after the
acquisition Of Porto Rico by this country.
was assigned to find out all he could
about the first inhabitants OF that ISL
and lie spent several seasons I'm the
/ field. not only gathering early documents
( and unearthing objects Of primitive In
| dian culture, but studying the men now
| living on the mountains and other out-of-
| the-way places least affected by civiliza-
ton. lie brought back with him collec-
tions which nearly doubled the number Of
| specimens already in the United States
/ National Museum.
| The memoir, embodying the results OF
extensive research, gives an authoritative
I picture Of the men who wandered on the
| shores Of Porto Rico and the nelghbor-
1 Ing islands before Columbus brought
over the first representatives OF European
culture.
ThiekIy Populated.
/ Here are some extracts. THE Eu~
ropeans who FIRST landed on the shores Of
| Porto Rico reported the island 10 be
densely peopled. The early Spanish voy-
/ ayers state that the population was dis
tTibuted over the whole island. but that
it was thlckIy settled IN the littoral tracts
ami ai0ag the banks Of rivers. II has
| been estimated that the population was
/ 2Je 900 probably too large a number.
though a conservative estimate would
stIn make prehistoric Porto Rico popu-
4 l0us island.
| Frequent wars and epidemics. how
ever, rapidly decImated them after their
| discovery while a system Of reparu-
mientos. or division Of them as slaves
among the Sp3nlards. speedily diminished
still further the number Of the natives. so
/ that the race was practically exteTmi-
mated in a few years. Before their CE-
/ tinction, Indians were brought to Porto
/ Rico from neighboring islands. and Congo
/ Africans were introduced from across the
! ocean.
Mental and Moral Traits.
! He continues; "Of the mental and moral
/ traits of the ancient Borinquenos. or na-
tf,-.s ,ra r,,-,- form, . ,,.l.F s.r7.-r-+ f.-..-
/ early records. a sense Of justice and
/ traits OF her0lsm. admirable ln any race,
were strong among the people and widely
spread. No one who reads the Spanish
/ records which can hardly be called preiu-
dicial in favor Of the aborigiues. can deny
/ that these Indians were both hOspltable
| and generous Regarding the Europeans
as race OF supernatural beings. they re-
ceived them with kindness until forced
to do otherwise in order to defend their
! own lives and those OF their families. Sew
eral accounts tell of how theft was re-
Earded as q crime and severely punished.
In the social organization OF the alb
original West Indians there was a clan
chief. called by the SpauiaTds a csciQue
I who exercised the function Of a leader in
/ peace ard war and often served also as
I priest The political was closely knit with
/ the religious leadership, and the Cac!Ques
apparently performed both functions.
/ THE word cacique was applied 20 any
! leader or chief of the Indians. being used
/ IN an indefinite way by the early Span
I iards.
Marriage Customs.
Comparatively little is known os the
marriage customs OF the aboriginal na-
/ tive Porto Ricaus. and It IS commonly
stated that the wives were treated as
slaves. There Is every reason to believe
/ that the caciques were polygamous. also
/ that certain OF the women exercised con-
siderable power In the government Of the
/ island. Their marriage ceremonies were
| celebrated with dances called areitCs.
| 1T is mentioned that In the betrothal
/ Of the caciqUes, the Would-he husband
was won't to send his principal man 10
/ the maids father, asking for the daugh-
/ ter as wife and companion for life, In
| some sections OF the island he sometimes
/ sent with his embassy presents Of food OF
game.
! 1T was CUSTOMARY after the father had
/ promised his daughter TO the Cacique. for
! the latter TO accompany the messengers
to the father and determine the amount
/ OF the dowry of the bride. On his return
/ he sent a present 20 the father OF the
girl every day for a month, and when
/ that time had passed he again went 70
/ the father 10 receive the bride, who had
/ been shut up IN a specially prepared
apartment where no one could see her
| but the children who brought her food
/ when the groom had given the father
! all the dover he had promised. the
/ brides hair was cut as q sign that she
| had become "a matron and had lost her
/ liberty by marriage. Among the common
people the would-bc husband worked out
the dowry Of his bride by becoming the
/ servant Of her father as Jacob served
/ I4aban for Rachel and Leah.
Early Religion.
Prom the available historical ma
terial It may be supposed that the ancient
Antilleans believed in two great super
natural beings, called Zemis that were
/ parents OF all others. These may be
known as earth goddess and sky god, or
| personifications Of the magic power of
earth and sky.
"One was male, the other female, and
from them originated all minor gods-men
and animals; but neither OF these par
ents created the universe, which was
| supposed always to have existed. These
two first parents were symbollzed by
! idols made of stone, wood, or clay, TO
which the Indians addressed prayers and
in the presence of which they performed
rites for the well being of the human
race
THE Zemis' were supposed to have