The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1910-01-07

sAlSiO 10 huOWn IhO Wv
pie OF the United States. It is famed
up and down the Pacific coast from
Panama to California as the abode OF
the most beautiful Indian women.
These women are noted for their
beauty, fine figures and peculiar style
of dress. Their dress consists Of two
pieces-one loose blouse, cut low at
the neck, rather short-waisted and
without sleeves, which shows their
beautifully rounded arms. The other
garment is a piece of many-colored
cotton wound around the hips and
fastened to the waist; it reaches near
ly to their bare ankles
The women of the more well-to-do
families try to conform to civilized no.
lions on important occasions by wear
ing real skirt mode of two pieces of
cloth. The upper part, reaching about
to the knees, is of the usual colored
cotton, but the lower part is of white
cotton and is so fastened to the upper
part that it can be removed for the
purpose of washing.
Sometimes sandals are worn, but
more often not. On special occa-
sions the women wear a peculiar head
dress called huipil pronounced wee
peeD. 1t is made usually of white
cotton. One portion might be termed
collar, another the neck. and the
third portion falls over the shoulders
AID arms. The collar part is very
wide, from one and one-half to two
feet, starched and plated
The headdress is pulled over the
hea.- like sweater and the collar por.
ton is then arranged so that it in
closes the face, not the neck, and the
VIDE plated part flares out from the
face in all directions, which to an
American gives a grotesque appear
ancc to the figure. Another way of
wearing it is simply to rest it over
the forehead. allowing the lower por-
ton to hang down the back, while the
collar flares up and back from the
head as before. To see several women
on the street wearing it reminds one
of flock of mammoth seagulls with
their wings all Tapping at once.
There are Indian families of this
quer old city who are reputed to be
wealthy, yet they stick their old
customs and dress and live practically
the same lives their ancestors did,
and hardly leave their native town.
A good deal Of their wealth is put into
jewelry for the women, and the princi-
pal article of jewelry is strings of gold
beads.
The beads are roughly beaten out
by native workmen and on these
strings of beads are hung American
gold coins. Sometimes as many as a
dozen or fifteen coins are so used.
Often two or three strings of beads
are worn at the same time. The
smaller gold pieces are strung. on near
the neck and larger pieces are put on
further down, while at the bottom of
the string of beads, which reaches to
the waist, hang one or two double
eagles.
Some of the strings have three or
four two and half, several five, sew
eral ten, and one or two twenty
dollar gold coins; so that these strings
of beads with the gold coins are worth
from $100 to $500 Mexican ($50 to
$3.50 gold) each. There are also neck
laces that fit the neck rather tightly,
mado from American gold dollars.
Sometimes to such a necklace is at
tached a pendant set with diamonds
and other precious stones.
The city has a population estimated
at from 10000 to 10000. The houses
are built of adobe, usually one story
high, and from three sides of square
AS you enter from the street through
a gate In the high fence, you find your