The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 35, July 1931 - April, 1932 Page: 61
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Diary of Fray Gaspar Jose De Solis, in the Year 1767-68 61
it, is cooked with grease as is common in all the country. There
is another kind on which they live that is called tuqui that is like
the casave of Havana. It is made of the roots of a certain tree.
These roots are mashed and hammered in mortars of wood, and
they have to be used with grease or lard of the bear. They drink
this preparation and it does them great harm in producing dysen-
tery, bloody flux, and sudden fits. They eat the flesh of the buf-
falo, deer and other quadrupeds. They have orchards of various
kinds: peaches, plums, persimmons, fig trees, chestnuts, ash, pome-
granates and other fruit. As in other places they make a paste
of figs; they make it of persimmons also and keep it for gifts to
present and sell to the Spaniards and the French. They have
young chickens and young turkeys, and some dogs also which they
call jubines because they are a mixture of dog and coyote or wolf.
These dogs are very intelligent and cunning as well as great
thieves; they have thin pointed snouts.
In this village there is an Indian woman of great authority and
following, whom they call Santa Adiva which means "great lady"
or "principal lady." IIer house is very large and has many rooms.
The rest of the Nation bring presents and gifts to her. She has
many Indian men and women in her service called tamas conas,
and these are like priests and captains among them. She is mar-
ried to five Indian men. In short she is like a queen among them.
I also found an Indian in this village whom they call Alc6n. He
and his three sons are apostates from the Mission of San Antonio
de V6xar. His name is Antonio. All of the Indians here are
armed with guns and they manage them with great skill, one is
rarely found with a bow and arrow. The French of Nachitos fur-
nish them with powder, balls, beads, cloth for pabigos or breech-
clouts, whiskey and other things. Those who die are buried in a
sitting position, with their guns, powder, balls, meat and pro-
visions, with their jug of water and all of their feathers and beads.
We passed through this village and came to the banks of the
River Neches, a full stream, leafy with many trees. I set up a
cedar cross. Many Indian men and women came that night and
brought me presents of hens, chickens and eggs. I in turn gave
them sugar and salt, things very highly esteemed among them,
also biscuit and pinole, for which they thanked me and esteemed
me greatly. I had determined to say mass here, but I did not
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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/m1/65/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.