The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-07-01

on record. and instances are known
Of where men have run 10 miles
without stopping. They go on a slow
trot. and keep it up for hours. Inc
women can run as fast nj as wei rs
the men. and both men and women
have moonlight races and other ath-
letic sports. They sometimes race by
torchlight.
The PIN Indians, who are found
in the same locality. are much ike
the Terahumares and the Tepehuan-
mes. Another trib enearby let their
finger and toe nails grow, in Chlnese
fashion. They a that cutting or
the nails will produce blindness, and
that il a girl sucks the backbone OF
she will have the backache. These
tribes are noted for their. chastity,
those who fail from grace being pab-
licly switched.
The Huicholes OF Topic
Among the least known Indians Ct
Mexico are some in the territory OF
Topic, which lies on the west coast,
surrounded by Jalisco, Durango and
Sinaloa. Here live the Huichotes,
whom the Mexicans call the barba-
rians. They have little to do with
the present troubles, and do not want
anything but to be let alone. Tney
have their homes in the Businesses
Of the mountains and are SO Warlike
thai it was a hundred years before
the Spaniards were able to conquer
them. They are nominally converted
to Christianity, but they are practi-
cany barbarians and are said to be
be obtained. Many Of them are han
tiers, and they snare deer in nets
stretched between poles.
Some OF the Huicholes look much
like the Chinese, and this reminds me
that I ave seen many Japanese and
tChinese faces among the Mexican In
dams. 1t may be that a part Of the
ancient population drifted over from
Asia across Boring strait, and came
; down here through our country. The
Huicholes have a wicker chair which
is just like the Chinese cane chair
now in use, and they employ Il in
their religious ceremonies. 1t may be
that the custom of wearing long nails
which l have mentioned came also
from China
The Huicholes are about five and
one-half feet high, and their women
are very good looking. They wear
short skirts and tunics Of cotton cloth
4 which they weave upon their own
looms. The legs are left bare and
4 the skirts is caught in at the waist
by a girdle. The girdle, like the obi
e OF Japan, is more costly than any other
a part Of the dress. The women weal
necklaces. and they have beads in
their ears.
t The Huichole houses each contain
: but one room and the entrance is low
r and small like that Of the Eskimo
e 1gloo. The houses are circular ani
t they are made Of stone wit hthatchel
S roofs. The idols are kept in cave:
in the hills.
Thnca noop1o ~aLa haon<f,1 h1o-
kets and they do fine embroidery
e They v many queer customs. Mar
riages are made by the parents. TIL,
babies do not creep, but they craw
about or all fours like a monkye unit
d they are able to stand.
t. Not far from the Huicholes live tn
" Coras, of whom only about $500 re
main. These Indians claim to hav
D come from the east and they look no
20 unlike Koreans. They have feature
IN much like the Anglo-Saxons and the
It. consider themselves better than tn
" other tribes about.
rs The Coras marry at fifteen and tn
c. women keep their beauty a long time
d. although their lives are very insanj
I'D tary. Their houses have no yentiIa
ton and they bury their dead i
o. caves.
Among the Tarascans.
FREDERICK Starr estimate shat Their
AS. oiC ot0 q quarter OF a million E
pure Tarascan Indians in Mexic,
IN Many Of these people are found abo,
r. Lake Patzcuaro, in the state of Mich
OF oacan. where was once situated Tzun,
re zinzoon, a great Tarascan CITY. TT
ast name sounds Xix Chinese. This tow
rst was visited by the Spaniards in 1872
he and they wrote Of its civilization ar
arts. They told Of the wonderf,
I'M feather work, for which the people a,
al noted today; of their mother-of-pe
and bone carvings, and Of their X 81
ed enameling.
ITS Here we again see a similarity :,
ccS tween the Mexican Indian and :,
o1- Chinese. In southern China is mr.,
duced a kind Of bird wing enamel
ms which the wings Of the bhletav ar
,st, humming bird are employed. TT
CO. Tarascans do much the same uor
me getting their materials from the Inv
Inc ming birds Of Mexico. Of which the
are fifty different kinds, having feat