Part 53 (1/2)

[571] _Salmeron_, _Relaciones_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., tom.

iv., p. 18.

[572] This hair turban or coil 'sirve de bolsa para guardar en la cabeza los abalorios y demas chucherias que se les da.' _Palou_, _Vida de Junipero Serra_, p. 215. The same custom seems to prevail among the Cibolos of New Mexico, as Marmier, in his additional chapter in the French edition of _Bryant's Cal._, p. 258, says: 'les hommes du peuple tressent leurs cheveux avec des cordons, et y placent le peu d'objets qu'ils possedent, notamment la corne qui renferme leur tabac a fumer.'

[573] On the subject of dress see also _Navarrete_, _Introd._, in _Sutil y Mexicana_, _Viage_, p. lxiv.; _Palou_, _Vida de Junipero Serra_, p.

79; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. ii., p. 45; _Boscana_, in _Robinson's Life in Cal._, p. 240; _Farnham's Life in Cal._, p. 138; _Garces_, in _Doc. Mex. Hist._, serie ii., tom. i., p. 294; _Marmier_, _Notice_, in _Bryant_, _Voy. en Cal._, p. 229.

[574] On the Los Angeles Coast: 'La rancheria se compone de veinte casas hechas de zacate de forma esferica a modo de uno media naranja con su respiradero en lo alto por donde les entra la luz y tiene salida el humo.' _Crespi_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. vi., p. 314; _Hoffmann_, in _San Francisco Medical Press_, vol. v., p. 149.

[575] 'Partieron de alli el 9, entraron en una ensenada es.p.a.ciosa, y siguiendo la costa vieron en ella un pueblo de Indios junto a la mar con casas grandes a manera de las de Nueva-Espana.' _Navarrete_, _Introd._, in _Sutil y Mexicana_, _Viage_, pp. xxix., x.x.xi., x.x.xvi. The accounts of Cabrillo's voyage are so confused that it is impossible to know the exact locality in which he saw the people he describes. On this point compare _Cabrillo_, _Relacion_, in _Col. Doc. Hist. Florida_, tom. i., p. 173; _Browne's Lower Cal._, pp. 18, 19; _Burney's Chron. Hist.

Discov._, vol. i., pp. 221-5; _Clavigero_, _Storia della Cal._, tom. i., pp. 154-5; _Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, tom. i., p. 329; _Monta.n.u.s_, _Nieuwe Weereld_, pp. 210-11; _Salmeron_, _Relaciones_, in _Doc. Hist.

Mex._, serie iii., tom. iv., p. 18; _De Laet_, _Novus...o...b..s_, p. 306.

'Nur um die Meerenge von Santa Barbara fand man, 1769, die Bewohner ein wenig gesittigter. Sie bauten grosse Hauser von pyramidaler Form, in Dorfer vereint.' _Muhlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. ii., pp. 454-5.

[576] _Boscana_, in _Robinson's Life in Cal._, p. 259; _Bancroft's Nat.

Races_, vol. iii., pp. 163-9.

[577] 'One of their most remarkable superst.i.tions is found in the fact of their not eating the flesh of large game. This arises from their belief that in the bodies of all large animals the souls of certain generations, long since past, have entered.... A term of reproach from a wild tribe to those more tamed is, ”they eat venison.”' _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. v., pp. 215-6; see also _Reid_, in _Los Angeles Star_.

[578] 'All their food was either cold or nearly so.... Salt was used very sparingly in their food, from an idea that it had a tendency to turn their hair gray.' _Reid_, in _Los Angeles Star_. 'I have seen many instances of their taking a rabbit, and sucking its blood with eagerness, previous to consuming the flesh in a crude state.' _Boscana_, in _Robinson's Life in Cal._, p. 239. 'Viven muy regalados con varias semillas, y con la pesca que hacen en sus balsas de tule ... y queriendoles dar cosa de comida, solian decir, que de aquello no, que lo que querian era ropa; y solo con cosa de este genero, eran los cambalaches que hacian de su pescado con los Soldados y Arrieros.'

_Palou_, _Vida de Junipero Serra_, p. 79. See also _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., p. 712; _Farnham's Life in Cal._, p. 139; _Stanley_, in _Ind. Aff. Rept._, 1866, p. 102; _Id._, 1869, pp. 194-5; _Walker_, in _Id._, 1872, p. 67; _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., p.

125; _Hoffmann_, in _San Francisco Medical Press_, vol. v., p. 149; _Mollhausen_, _Reisen in die Felsengeb._, vol. i., pp. 82-3.

[579] _Palou_, _Vida de Junipero Serra_, pp. 83-4.

[580] _Boscana_, in _Robinson's Life in Cal._, pp. 306-9.

[581] The baskets, though water-proof, 'were used only for dry purposes.

The vessels in use for liquids were roughly made of rushes and plastered outside and in with bitumen or pitch, called by them _sanot_.' _Reid_, in _Los Angeles Star_; _Muhlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, vol. ii., pt. ii., pp.

454-5; and _Mollhausen_, _Reisen in die Felsengeb._, vol. i., p. 82.

[582] 'Leurs mortiers de pierre et divers autres ustensiles sont incrustes avec beaucoup d'art de morceaux de nacre de perle.' _f.a.ges_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1844, tom. ci., p. 319. 'Mortars and pestles were made of granite, about sixteen inches wide at the top, ten at the bottom, ten inches high and two thick.' Soapstone pots were 'about an inch in thickness, and procured from the Indians of Santa Catalina; the cover used was of the same material.' _Reid_, in _Los Angeles Star_. On the eastern slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains, blankets are made which will easily hold water. _Taylor_, in _San Francis...o...b..lletin_, 1862, also quoted in _Shuck's Cal. Sc.r.a.p Book_, p.

405. 'Todas sus obras son primorosas y bien acabadas.' _Crespi_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. vi., p. 315.

[583] _f.a.ges_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1844, tom. ci., pp.

319-20.

[584] 'The planks were bent and joined by the heat of fire, and then paved with asphaltum, called by them chapapote.' _Taylor_, in _Cal.

Farmer_, _June 1, 1860_.

[585] At Santa Catalina Vizcaino saw 'vnas Canoguelas, que ellos vsan, de Tablas bien hechas, como Barquillos, con las Popas, y Proas levantadas, y mas altas, que el Cuerpo de la Barca, Canoa.'

_Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., p. 712; see also _Salmeron_, _Relaciones_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., tom. iv., p. 18. On the coast of Los Angeles Father Crespi saw 'canoas hechas de buenas tablas de pino, bien ligadas y de una forma graciosa con dos proas.... Usan remos largos de dos palas y vogan con indecible lijeriza y velocidad.'

_Crespi_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. vi., p. 315. At San Diego Palou describes 'balsas de tule, en forma de Canoas, con lo que entran muy adentro del mar.' _Palou_, _Vida de Junipero Serra_, p. 79; _Boscana_, in _Robinson's Life in Cal._, p. 240; _Marmier_, _Notice_, in _Bryant_, _Voy. en Cal._, p. 228. Description of balsas, which differ in no respect from those used north.

[586] 'The worth of a rial was put on a string which pa.s.sed twice and a-half round the hand, i. e., from end of middle finger to wrist. Eight of these strings pa.s.sed for the value of a silver dollar.' _Cal.

Farmer_, _June 1, 1860_. 'Eight yards of these beads made about one dollar of our currency.' _Id._, _Jan. 18, 1861_.