The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932 Page: 42
348 p. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
that the minister watch out for this. They exchange or barter
their wives. If one of them likes the wife of another better, he gives
him his and something of value besides, and they exchange one
for the other and barter them. They lend them to their friends in
order that they may use them, they sell them for a horse, for gun-
powder, balls, beads of glass and other things which they esteem.
Although the Indian men are so atrocious, the Indian women are
very decent. From the time they are born they put on a
pabigo or breech-clout of hay or grass which covers the body de-
cently, and which they keep on until they die, renewing it when
it is necessary: They paint themselves in stripes all over, dif-
ferent figures being formed with the stripes, now of animals, now
of birds, now of flowers. These are the married women and the
corrupt ones, but the maidens have only a small stripe on their
foreheads as far as the chin which crosses through the point of
the nose and through the middle of the lips. All of the Indian
men and women are bad tempered and ungrateful except one now
and then who is affectionate. In the woods and on the coast the
Indian men go entirely naked, the Indian women always decently
covered.
They are very sagacious and cautious and they send messages
by smoke signals, some signals calling them together, others
warning them to flee, others giving notice of any thing new. The
proper smoke for each being given, as soon as one gets the message
he passes it to another and he in turn gives it to those who follow,
and in a very short time whatever news there is has been made
known and forewarned against in the Province.
They are cruel, inhuman and ferocious. When one nation
makes war with another, the one that conquers puts all of the old
men and old women to the knife and carries off the little children
for food to eat on the way; the other children are sold; the vaga-
bonds and grown women and young girls are carried off to serve
them, with the exception of some whom they reserve to sacrifice
in the dance before their gods and saints. This is done in the
following manner: they set a nailed stake in the ground in the
place where they are to dance the mitote; they light a big fire,
tying the victim who is to be danced about or sacrificed to that
stake. All assemble together and when the harsh instrument, the
caym6~, begins to play they begin to dance and to leap, making
many gestures and very fierce grimaces with funereal and dis-
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932, periodical, 1932; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101092/m1/46/: accessed April 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.