The northwestern bulletin-appeal., 1924-10-18
MANY WIVES REDUCE
WORK ABOUT HOUSE
Newcomer Is Welcomed in
Homes of Indians.

Quito, Ecuador, s. A.-The Shuara
Indians, who inhabit the unknown re-
gions throughout the tributaries of the
upper Amazon river, are beyond doubt
the largest and most powerful race
left in South America today. Their
head-reducing feasts, their far-reach-
ing religious views, the fact that they
never were conquered by the Incas or
the Spaniards, are but a few Of their
characteristics that would take q book
to write of In complete detail, writes
Lester Siddle, In the New York Trib-
une.
These Indians have peculiar views
of matrimony. They marry for more
wives in order that they may have
more boy babies. And also because
the more wives one husband has the
less work for each wife. Consequent
ly, when a husband brings home a new
wife there Is much rejoicing among
the other wives, because, they say, she
can help with the work. The men
never do any work In the gardens of
yuca and bananas or tobacco. Their
duty is to fight the wars, carry on the
blood feuds and obtain game for the
household. And during all of my
eight months among these Indians /
never once saw an unhappy house
hold. The several wives work in per-
feet harmony.
Strange Superstition.
With a desire to obtain pictures,
samples of hair and measurements of
these Indians, one of their strangest
startling manner. The superstition
that a camera is some species Of soul
stealer or imposer of witchcraft came
near upsetting my plans. I desired
profile pictures, close-ups and even a
bit of hair from each in order to use
for comparison. Not only this, but
wanted body measurements Of both
men and women. / set about therefore
to inveigle my models, so to speak,
into a good frame of mind with gifts
Of red beads, fish hooks, knives, cloth
and other odds and ends.
The work of photographing and
measuring progressed satisfactorily,
but the wrong wrinkle in the whole
affair came just as / was attempting
to cut off lock from one of the In
dian maidens. AS the girl did not
seem to have any drastic objections,
started, shears in hand, measuring off
about a foot of the jet-black hair.
The hair was more on the order of
horse hair than that of a human be-
ing. 1t was coarse and greasy and
stiff. 1t delayed my intentions so long
that trouble really started.
Raised a Howl.
I cannot recall just how 1t all hap
pened, but suddenly there arose
howl among the warriors. There had
been revived in their minds an ancient
superstition, in connection with witch
craft and sorcery, which had been
practiced by their forefathers and
which was somehow connected with a
woman's lock Of hair. The superstition
was to the effect that, under the infiu-
ence Of a drug, the spirits had told
witch doctor Of their tribe that one
could impose witchcraft on a woman,
or, as they call it, pray her to DEATH"
II the sorcerer was able to steal hair
from his victims head.
But they are extremists. As soon
as they learned that a camera would
not kill them nor steal their souls, and
that I was not intending to pray the
woman to DEATH" they broadcast the
good news to other tribes by means Of
pounding rapidly on big signal drum
made out Of hollow log, and called
tundui or tunduli. They used
series of loud and dim blows, some
thing on the order Of our dot and dash
code. They were able to relay a mes
sage from family to family or from
tribe to tribe through this code. In
former times this signal drum was
used at all religious ceremonies. To-
day 1t Is used during surprise attacks
from enemies Of one tribe who wish to
~, aI hi n, 81