The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-07-28

IL IL iiool 10 iht SIOulu anu tEt |
furniture is only a few skins and a
little mud stove or oven, built up in
one corner. The fuel is the manure
of namas and sheep, and the cooking
is done in earthenware pots, which
are used not only for boiling and
stewing, but for cups, saucers and
plates. There is no outlet for the
smoke but the door, and it blackens
the roof and the walls.
The AymaraS sleep on llama skins
laid on the floor. They have no night
clothes, n wear the same garments
at night as during the day. They usu-
ally sleep sitting, backing themselves
up against the wall, and drawing as
closely together as possible, in order
that all may get under the blanket and
so that the heat of their bodies nay
aid in keeping them warm.
Where there are several nuts the
cooking is done outside the homes. and
sometimes an oven is built against the
wall, having d cover perhaps to pro-
test it from the wind and the snow.
The food of these Indians is simple.
A ~favorite dish is a stew known as
challona, made Of dried mutton. The
sheep is killed and skinned The body
is then split open and laid out fit
and left out Of doors to be frozen. The
next night it is ~sprinkled with water
and frozen again. 1t is then hung up
to dry. 1t does so without spelling,
that it will keep for months. When
and soon becomes so tough and hard
used it is cut into bits and boiled a
Ions time. Vegetables are cooked with
it, and often some chunO. The latter
is frozen potatoes, which are prepared
in such a way that they will keep quite
as long as the dried mutton. This is
done by soaking the raw potatoes in
water and then allowing them to
freeze. They are soaked and frozen
again-The skins econ so loose that
they car be rubbed or trodden off
with the bare feet. After this they are
dried. They now look like white
stones, but are very light and like pith
They Will keep for an indefinite time.
Drunkenness is common among the
Aymaras. / have already described
the terrible condition brought about
by drink among the Quichuas, or In
dams of Peru and Ecuador. The same
condition prevails in Bolivia. Almost
all of the Indians, both men and wO-
men, drink to excess, n they come
together in great crowds on feas
days and have drunken sprees, which
are accompanied by dances and other
exCesses, where the marriage laws DC
not prevail. At such times there is
seldom any brawling or fighting. The
drink seems to Supply rather than eX.
:. cite; the people use so much that the
t alcohol gradually burns up then
brains. I arp told that the Indian boy:
: are bright until hey reach the age
of fifteen, at which time they begir
:, to earn enough so that they can affort
= to buy liquor. They then deteriorate
!, and are on the down grade intellect
ually for the rest Of their lives. 1t i:
also Sai that these Indians are more
intelligent than those of Peru, anC
tha the standard of intellectualit.
> rises as one goes on southwark.
learn from our missionaries VIII
: have Indians in their schools that it i
! not uncommon to find boys and girl
: who are equal in ~quickness and rea
Z soning power to the whites, and it i
known that some Of the best meI
> of La Paz have a strain of Aymar;
blood. There are a few Indians Wht
are rich. Some of them have mines
{ and others estates of their own. Their
t is a rich Indian family in Lima tina
Il has three girls who will graduate TIN
> year at the nilsson school Thes
= girls have Indian features, but the.
u are by no means bad looking. Thei
father pays five thousand dollars gOl
; a year for the rent of his house at tn
Peruvian capital, and he owns severa
e automobiles. His honey ONE fror
copper mines.
Il IL III dOuUt dDOut III Hdluid
ability of the Indian along mechanica
e lines. He is the carpenter, iron work
n er and mason in this city Of abou
1000 people. La PaZ has fine house
e and public buildings and also a larg
e cathedral that has been for years i
course of construction. All of tn
h work upon these has been done b
n the Aymara Indians, and they hav
made practically all the furniture i
use. They are expert cabinet work
e ers, making tables and chairs and in
n terror woodwork of mahogany, rose
e wood and black walnut. They max
= artistic creations in stucco, the fin
le houses Of La Paz being decorate
f. with a plaster made Of mica mike
with lime and sand and then burnt i