The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-02-18
WOMEN VISIT
Wild INDIANS
Tell of Hazardous Trip to
Almost Extinct Seris in
Gulf Of California.

private life Mrs. Oscar de Lima May
er, wife Of a painter. who, with her
husband explored the wilds near the
Roosevelt river 1.-THE River Of Doubt)
In the Amazonian basin Of South
America In 1925, has recently returned
to New York from another expedition
among wild and warlike people. She
told how she and Miss Ora Ford Of
Springfield, Mass, a classmate at Cor
nell university a few years ago, had
made a trip full of hardships and
dangers to visit the nearly extinct
tribe Of Seri Indians, who formerly
controlled much Of the west coast Of
the Province Of Sonora, Mexico, but
are now confined almost exclusively
to the tiny Island of Tiburon (Shark
island IN the Gulf of California.
Miss Rogers and Miss Ford are be-
ieved to be the first white women to
penetrate to the habitation Of the
primitive Serbs, as they were said to
be the first white women to reach Ger
tain parts Of Bolivia in 1925. This
time they went alone, with no white
man to protect them, but each carried
a pistol. The copper-colored Indians
they found on Tiburon had never seen
a white person before.
"We had been studying the Indian
tribes In Arizona" said Miss Rogers,
''when early In November we decided
to go into the Province Of Sonora.
We had heard rumors Of the SerIs as
q very primitive tribe Of Indians on
the Island Of Tiburon, and were espe-
cially interested because Of the primi-
tive Indians we had seen in Bolivia
and Brazil.
Warned by Mexican Consul.
"The Mexican consul at Tucson adj
vised US against going, because Of the
terrific foods In Sonora, the Yaqui
Indian revolution, and the nature of
the Serbs, who had been reported to
be cannibalistic until quite lately In
their history.
"The railroad from Nogales ION the
Arizona bOrder) to the Mexican town
Of Hermosillo (meaning pretty little
thing in Spanish) was out Of opera
tlon because Of the food, and we had
to 90 by automobile over roads that
were almost impossible. At Hermo-
clio we turned west for the coast.
On this part of the journey we found
no roads whatever and the whole
country flooded. We got stuck many
times, and finally had to abandon our
q on.ar sixth day in Mexico. We
left the car with an American guide
who had come with US from Arizona.
/ After another day. OF walking and
+ ~hOundering In water and mud, and
wandering all night, lost in a desert,
we reached the coast.
: "Here we found a few Seri Indians.
Living on the mainland, they had seen
white people before and knew a little
Spanish. We had to convince them
, we were not Mexicans before they
! became at all friendly. Like the
: YaQuis, the Serbs hate the Mexicans.
1--WE induced the mainland Serbs tC
take us over to the Island of Tiburon
r where white persons ordinarily do moi
: visit because Of the ~cannibalistic rec
ord Of the Serbs. Their chief, Whose
Spanish name is Chico Romero, anC
q with whom we communicated In Span
ism, came over and escorted rs to thu
island in a primitive boat, made OF
hOllowed-Out log, with a sail and pad
dies, which they handled with beautI
full ~seamsnship. We had a Difficult
. crossing Of several miles, because o
2 the terrific tides and currents.
= The serIs DO Not Work.
. "We spent a week with the Serbs
finding them the most primitive, back
ward tribe Of Indians / have ever en-
e countered, either In North or SOutl
n America. They do not work or cult
vate the fields. They are satisfied t
kill enough game or catch enough hs
"a for the days needs, without settin
anything aside for the future. Al
though they know how TO make Ar
= they are too lazy and shiftless to COO
n food. When they kill an animal, the
simply surround It, tearing the nes
l. from the bones with their fingers, an
Mt gnawing 1t as they walk away.
"rhe most sought after flesh anon
" the Serbs IL that OF the pelican, whic
N IL found In large numbers on Alcatrs
island bird island) in Quino bay, a
/. inlet Of the gulf. The Serbs hunt ID
y pelicans at night with long poles hav
~ ing torches at the end. The tore
blinds the pelican, which Is then kiIle
with . blow Of the pole. Besides u
lie ing the meat for food, the Serbs u
B. the skin to make robes
IL 'sThe chief gave me q pelican ROT
consisting Of II skins, measurin
: about 10 by 8 feet. he showed gre,
interest In a leather coat. lined wit
J alpaca, that I had brought back fro.
II Bolivia. strOking It. he told me th,
he liked It and had no coat himself.
a had been warned that the Serbs wei
n, great thieves and that il they ike
n anything very much they were IKE
to express admiration for it In ia
that way, and then 20 murder sfa ow-