The Tarahumares Still Afraid of Me--Don Andres Madrid to the
Rescue--Mexican Robbers Among the Tarahumares--Mode of Burial
in Ancient Caves--Visit to Nonoava--The Indians Change their
Minds about Me, and Regard Me as a Rain-god--What the Tarahumares
Eat--A Pretty Church in the Wilderness--I Find at Last a Reliable
Interpreter and Proceed to Live a l'Indienne.
As I travelled along I found the natives unobliging and afraid of
me. One man who had hid himself, but was after a while forced to
reappear, bluntly asked, "Are you not the man who kills the fat girls
and the children?" At another time I was taken for Pedro Chaparro,
the famous robber, who had notoriously deceived the Indians. The
guide took only a half-hearted interest in me, as he feared that by
being seen with me he was ruining his trade with the natives, who
were especially suspicious about my writing in my note-book, taking
it as a proof of my design to take their land away from them. Still,
I accomplished a good deal and made interesting observations, though
the difficulties under which I had to labour were quite exasperating.
It was a positive relief, when in the beginning of August, six weeks
after my start from Guachochic, I arrived at Guajochic (guajo =
_sancudo_, a small mosquito), one of the stations where the bullion
trains stop on their travels between Batopilas and Carichic. The man
then in charge of this rather lonely looking place, Andres Madrid,
turned out to be very interesting. Born of Tarahumare parents,
in the town of Carichic, he had received quite a liberal Mexican
education and was virtually a Mexican, though in hearty sympathy
with his native tribe. His grandfather had been a noted shaman,
or medicine man, whom Don Andres, as a boy, had accompanied on his
travels. He was intelligent, lively and imaginative, of a strong
humourous vein, and very entertaining. Generous in giving information
about the Indians, and speaking the native language, he would have
made an ideal interpreter, except for the fact that he grew tired too
easily. Only by piecemeal and when having an abundance of time could an
ethnologist expect to take advantage of his accomplishments. As he was
honest, and helpful to the Indians, and besides was a representative
of the Mexican authorities, the Indians had unlimited respect, nay,
adoration, for him.
Knowing all that happens in the sierra, he had already heard of me some
time ago, and laughed at the cannibalistic propensities attributed
to me. He immediately sent a messenger to el capitan at Nararachic,
to advise him of my arrival, and to request him to tell the Indians
to present themselves to be photographed by a man who came from
Porfirio Diaz, a name to conjure with in Mexico, who wanted to know
all about the Tarahumares. Nararachic is an insignificant pueblo,
to which the Indians of this locality belong. The name means "where
one was weeping."
Being taken under the wing of Don Andres benefitted me in many
ways. When the Indians from the hills all around could see my white
tent close by his little home, they understood that I could not be so
bad, or else the good Don Andres would not have anything to do with me.
The Indians in the vicinity had recently gone through the sensation of
fighting with four real robbers, who had several times succeeded in
plundering store-houses while the owners were off at some feast. At
last the Indians had caught them. The thieves travelled on foot,
but had a pack-horse which carried all the blankets and handkerchiefs
stolen, the total value of which ran up to $112. Sixty-five Tarahumares
had banded together in the course of four or five hours, and obliged
the robbers to take refuge in a cave, from which they defended
themselves with rifles for several hours. The Tarahumares first threw
stones at them, as they did not want to waste their arrows. Finally
Don Andres, who had been sent for, arrived at the place, and induced
the robbers to surrender; but only with difficulty could he prevent the
Tarahumares from attacking them. "What does it matter," they said, "if
one or two of us are killed?" Cowards as the Tarahumares are when few
in number, they do not know fear when many of them are together. They
are harmless when not interfered with, but neither forget nor forgive
an injury. On several occasions they have killed white men who abused
their hospitality, and they even threatened once, when exasperated by
abuses, to exterminate all the whites in some sections of their domain.
The robbers were taken by an escort of Indians to the little town of
Carichic, and from there sent to Cusihuiriachic ("where upright pole
is") to be tried. This place is about a hundred miles from Nararachic,
and as the Indians during the next weeks were called to be present at
the trial as witnesses, it annoyed them not a little. They were sorry
they had not killed the evil-doers; and it would even have been better,
they said, to have let them go on stealing.
In the fight the gobernador had got a bullet through his lung. I
saw him a fortnight afterward, smoking a cigarette and on the way to
recovery, and after some days he, too, walked to Cusihuiriachic. A few
months later the robbers managed to dig themselves out of the prison.
On an excursion of about ten miles through the picturesque Arroyo
de las Iglesias, I passed seventeen caves, of which only one was
at present inhabited. All of them, however, had been utilised as
dwellings before the construction of the road to Batopilas had driven
the Indians off.
I saw also a few ancient cave-dwellings. Of considerable interest were
some burial-caves near Nararachic, especially one called Narajerachic
(= where the dead are dancing). A Mexican had been for six years
engaged there in digging out saltpetre, with which he made powder,
and the cave was much spoiled for research when I visited it. But
I was able to take away some thirty well-preserved skulls and a few
complete skeletons, the bodies having dried up in the saltpetre. Some
clothing with feathers woven in, and some bits of obsidian and of
blue thread were found, but no weapons or utensils. According to the
miner, who appeared to be trustworthy, he had excavated more than a
hundred corpses. They were generally found two and a half feet below
the surface, and sometimes there were others underneath these. With
many of them he found ear ornaments made of shells, such as the
Tarahumares of to-day use, besides some textile made of plant fibre,
and a jar with beans.
A few months later at Aboreachic (Tarahumare: Aoreachic = where
there is mountain cedar) I examined a burial-cave in which the dead
were interred in a different manner from that described before. The
cave is somewhat difficult of access. The ascent of 300 feet has
to be made over a track at some places so steep that holes have
been cut for the feet, to enable a person to climb up. On reaching
the top I found a spacious cave, which had been used as a kind
of cemetery, but unfortunately the peculiarity of the cave had
attracted treasure-seekers, whose destructive work was everywhere to
be seen. Still I could see that the corpses had been placed each by
itself in a grave in the floor of the cave. The graves were oblong or
circular basins lined with a coating of grass and mud and about three
feet deep. Apparently no earth had been placed immediately over the
body, only boards all around it laid lengthwise in a kind of box. The
bodies were bent up and laid on their sides. Over the top boards
was spread a layer of pine bark about an inch thick, which in turn
was covered with earth and rubbish three inches deep, and this was
overlaid with the coating of grass and mud so as to form a solid disk
four or five inches, thick. The edge of the basin was slightly raised,
thus making the disk a little higher than the level of the floor. I
secured four skulls from here, besides a piece of excellently woven
cloth of plant fibre, another piece interwoven with turkey feathers,
and a fragment of a wooden needle.
Don Andres told me that he had observed similar modes of burial in
the neighbourhood of Nararachic. It may be worth mentioning that
the miner who excavated in the burial-cave near Nararachic mentioned
above, told me of having met with somewhat similar structures in his
cave; the material was the same, but they were of different sizes,
not larger than two feet, and he found them empty.
The ancient modes of burial that I have come upon, in the Tarahumare
country are either like those in Nararachic or in Aboreachic. There
scarcely seems any doubt that the bodies buried here were
Tarahumares. The Indians of to-day consider the dead in the ancient
burial-caves their brethren, and call them Ana-yauli, the ancients.
From Guajochic I went to Nonoava (in Tarahumare: Nonoa, nono = father),
although this town is outside of the Tarahumare country proper. The
natives here, as may be expected, are pretty well Mexicanised, and
losing their customs, religion, and language. The Apache raids were
well remembered here, as they were in Carichic, Cusarare, and Bocoyna.
I came upon a Mexican here who had married a Tarahumare woman. His
predilection for her tribe was also attested by his dress, which
was exactly like that worn by the natives. He had a dark, almost
swarthy complexion, but otherwise he did not resemble an Indian. His
big; stomach and short arms and legs betrayed his real race, and
contrasted strangely with the slender limbs and graceful movements
of the Tarahumares.
Near Nonoava I photographed a magnificent fig-tree of the kind called
_beyota_, the fruit of which is appreciated even by the Mexicans. It
was 116 feet across, and the leaves, as in other trees of the species,
were very small. There are larger trees of this kind to be found,
but they are rare. In the wet season, when the figs are ripe, the
Tarahumares have a habit of singing under the trees while gathering
the fruit.
I noticed some beautiful mezquites in the bed of a creek, the bottom
of which was clayish. Although the season for it was late, Indians
were gathering the fruit. The proper season is before the rain sets
in. The Indians throw the seeds away, but boil the fruit, grinding
it between stones and mixing it with water. This drink is also used
through Sonora and Chihuahua by the Mexicans.
On my return I again spent some time in Guajochic. The Indians came
to visit me every day, and following my rule of giving to every
visitor something to eat, I was making satisfactory progress in
cultivating their friendship. Some of them after eating from my
plates and cups, went to the river to rinse their mouths and wash
their hands carefully, to get rid of any evil that might lurk in
the white man's implements. To be generous is the first step toward
gaining the confidence of both the Indians and the Mexicans, and a
gift of food is more eloquent than a long speech. The Indian, however,
before he knows you, always wants to see you eat first.
I interviewed many of the shamans, and began to gain some little
knowledge of their songs, which helped to bring me nearer to
them. Shortly after my first arrival here it happened that rain fell,
and precipitations continued quite frequently during my stay. The
Indians, who are intensely interested in rain, to obtain which they
make so many exertions and sacrifices, evidently began to connect my
presence with it. Before my departure they confided to Don Andres
that "It was no good that that man went away; it might happen that
he carried the rain with him." They even seemed to delight now in
posing before my mysterious camera, which they imagined to be a
powerful rain-maker. I heard no more excuses for not wanting to
be photographed. They no longer told me that it would cause their
death, and that their god would be angry with them; nor was there
any more of that unwillingness expressed by one Indian who told me
that, inasmuch as he did not owe me anything, he did not want to be
photographed. Thus, almost without knowing it, I established friendly
relations with the people.
However, it must not be thought that all my troubles were ended
yet. The Indians are very clannish, and, although my damaged prestige
was now almost restored, and, no doubt, favourable rumours heralded
me wherever I went, still the good-will of each district had in a way
to be won. Many months later, when I found myself among the pagans
farther south, I was interpellated quite persistently on the subject
of the skulls in Yoquibo. They wanted to know why I had dug them
up. My Mexican interpreter, whom they took to task on the subject,
advanced an explanation, which was no doubt strictly in accordance
with his best knowledge and belief. He declared that my object had
been to find out whether those people had been properly baptised--a
reason which apparently perfectly satisfied the Indians.
I travelled in a southeasterly direction, making my way back to
Guachochic, over the highlands of Humarisa (humashi = to run). This
locality is of considerable elevation, with the Indian ranches lying
about here and there on strips of level land, which run in among
the rocky hills like _fjords_. Bears are quite common here, and the
Indians have difficulty in guarding their fields against them. They
are not even to be frightened by stones, and at night they will eat
corn until they have enough, and then walk away.
The time of the year in which it is most difficult for the Indians
to subsist had passed, and the copious rains of the past months had
developed ears of corn. Rarely or never do the Indians plant corn
enough to last them all the year round, and they have, therefore,
during the summer to depend for support mainly on herbs, roots, fruits,
etc. The leaves and flowers of the ash-tree are cooked and eaten,
and the flowers of the pine-tree. They never suffer from hunger when
living near a river, where they can fish, but in the highlands they
have been known to die of starvation.
These natives are fonder of corn than of any other food, and when
working for the whites would leave without a word if no more corn
or flour were forthcoming. They like, too, to have meat every day,
though they cannot always get it. They rarely, if ever, kill any of
their domestic animals for food, as, according to their views, man is
only the manager for the gods to whom these creatures really belong,
and cows, sheep, and the like can be killed only as sacrifices and
eaten at the feasts. But any kind of animal in the forest and field,
in the air and the water, is acceptable. I once asked a strong and
healthy-looking Indian how he managed to keep in such good condition,
when food was so scarce, and he said that he ate meat, "What kind of
meat?" I asked, and he replied, "Mice, gophers, and small birds." Their
favourite meat, however, is deer, mice, and skunks.
Chunks of meat are simply laid upon the coals to roast, or turned
before the fire on a wooden spit, the ends of which rest on
stones. This, by the way, is the universal method of cooking meat
in Mexico. These Indians often eat their meat almost raw, nor have
they any repugnance to blood, but boil and eat it. Fish and frogs are
broiled by being placed between two thin sticks tied together at the
ends to do duty as a gridiron.
The flowers of the maize are dried in the sun, ground and mixed
with water; if not required for immediate consumption they are put
in jars and kept for the winter. Many herbs are very palatable, as,
for instance, the makvasari (of the _Crucifercae_), which is also kept
for winter use after having been properly dried. In the autumn the
Indians sometimes eat potatoes, which, when cultivated at all, are
planted between the corn, but grow no larger than pigeon eggs. The
people eat three kinds of fungi, and they have an extensive knowledge
of the poisonous ones. Salt and chile are used as relishes.
A peculiar delicacy is ari, the secretion of a scale insect, _carteria
mexcicana_. In the months of July and August it is gathered from the
branches of certain trees in the barrancas, rolled by hand into thick
brown sticks, and thus preserved for the winter. A small portion is
boiled in water and eaten as a sauce with the corn porridge. Its taste
is sweetish acid, not particularly pleasant to the palate, but very
refreshing in effect, and it is said to be efficacious in allaying
fever. The Indians prize it highly, and the Mexicans also buy it.
Just a few miles before reaching Guachochic, one passes the pueblo of
Tonachic, from whence the Indians have been more or less driven off
by the whites. In missionary times the village appears to have been
of some importance, to judge from the church, which is quite pretty,
considering its location in the middle of the sierra. In the sacristy
I saw lying about three empty cases, but the silver crucifixes
and chalices they once contained had been carried off by Mexican
thieves. The man in charge of the building showed me three immense
drawers full of gold- and silver-embroidered silken robes of exquisite
fineness and great variety. There were at least several dozens of them.
The altar-piece was arranged and painted very tastefully in red and
gold. Several oil paintings were hanging in the church, but so darkened
by the hand of time that it was impossible to make out whether they
were of any artistic merit. Wonderful men those early missionaries,
who brought such valuables into this wilderness, over hundreds and
thousands of miles, on the backs of mules or Indians. It was rather
anomalous to see the poor, naked Indians outside the door, for whose
benefit all this had been done. A woman was sweeping away the dirt
from the swarms of bats that nested in the ceiling.
The richest and most prominent man in the village enjoyed the
reputation of being a great ladron. When I called on him I found
him in bed suffering from a tooth-ache. He had his head wrapped up
and was completely unnerved, and many people came to sympathise with
him in his affliction. When I told him that I liked the Tarahumares,
he answered, "Well, take them with you, every one of them." All he
cared for was their land, and he had already acquired a considerable
portion of it. His wife was the only person in the village who knew
how to recite the prayers in the church. This made the husband feel
proud of her, and he evidently considered her piety great enough to
suffice for the family.
On my return to Guachochic I discharged the Mexicans who had been
with me since my travels through Sonora; they were here of little
use to me, as they did not know the country. I also disposed of the
greater number of my mules, keeping only about half a dozen.
With the kind permission of Don Miguel I installed most of my baggage
in one of his houses, and considered his ranch a kind of headquarters
from which I made several long excursions in various directions. Thanks
to my pack and riding mules I could take along, as barter, corn, glass
beads, tobacco, and cotton cloth, and bring back collections made on
the road. I was accompanied by a couple of Mexicans from this part
of the country and some Indians who acted as carriers. Of course,
whenever I went down into the barrancas, I had to leave my mules
and cargo in some safe place on the highlands and take along only
the most necessary stores as we proceeded on foot. On such trips I
had to depend entirely on the natives; they secured the food, and
selected the cave or rock shelter, or the tree under which we slept.
Our bill of fare was made up mainly of corn and beans, with an
occasional sheep or goat, and some herbs and roots as relishes. Corn
was prepared in the styles known to the Indians, either as corn-cakes
(tortillas) or, more often, by simply toasting the grains on a piece
of crockery over the fire. The dish is easy enough to prepare and
does not taste at all bad, but it is hard work for one's teeth to
make a meal of it, as the kernels assume the consistency of little
pebbles, and many months of such a diet lengthens your dentist's
bill at about the same ratio as that in which it shortens your
molars. You will ask why I did not carry provisions along with
me. Simply because preserved food is, as a rule, heavy to carry,
to say nothing of its being next to impossible to secure more when
the supply is exhausted. Some chocolate and condensed milk which I
ordered from Chihuahua did not reach me until seven months after the
date of the order. Besides, the Indians are not complaisant carriers,
least of all in this exceedingly rough country.
For over a year I thus continued to travel around among the
Tarahumares, visiting them on their ranches and in their caves, on
the highlands and in the barrancas. There are few valleys into which
I did not go in this central part of the Tarahumare country, that is,
from the Barranca de Batopilas and Carichic in the north toward the
regions of the mining place Guadalupe y Calvo in the south. By and by I
also found a suitable lenguaraz, Don Nabor, who lived a day's journey
from Guachochic. He was a tall, lank, healthy-looking fellow, some
fifty years old, very poor and blessed with a large family of sons and
daughters, some of them full grown. All his life he had been intimate
with the Indians; he spoke their language as well as he did Spanish,
and really liked the Tarahumares better than his fellow Mexicans. Being
a great hunter but a poor shot he brought home but little game,
and made his living chiefly by trading with the Indians. He was the
picture of good-nature, laughing with the Indians at their jokes,
and weeping with them at their sorrows. Among them he passed as a wit,
and being very honest was a general favourite. He never took anything
without asking, but was not backward about that. Of his teeth he had
hardly any but two of his upper incisors left, which was rather hard
for a man of his ravenous appetite; but he utilised them with such
squirrel-like dexterity as almost to keep pace with others.