Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 April 1894 — TARAHUMARI INDIANS. [ARTICLE]

TARAHUMARI INDIANS.

A Tribe in Mexico Whose Members Profess Christianity. At the recent annual meeting of the American Geographical Society Mr. Carl Lumholtz delivered an address detailing his observations among the Tarahumari Indians, among whom he has spent most of the last three years in the arid plains of Northwestern Mexico. For the most part the Tarahumari, who number about 80,000, are Christian in profession, although much tainted with prehistoric superstitions and practices, and now surely lapsing into heathenism. Mr. Lumholtz found the Tarahumari unyieldingly opposed to the use of the camera on them or their belongings, until a fortunate day arrived, when his photographing was followed by a much needed rain. Ever after the use of the “rainmaker,” as the camera then came to be known, was sought as a favor. The numerous caves which are the product of erosion and percolation in a sandstone country are used as temCorary habitations by these people, ut their improvement seldom extends beyond building a low wall in front of the cave’s mouth, or the hanging of one or two blanket partitions. The dull, undeveloped nervous system of the semisavages was well illustrated by an experiment’ made on a sleeping child of six years. Six hairs suddenly pulled from its head produced no visible effect, and twentythree torn out at one pull simply caused a momentary head-scratching, but did not wake the sleeper. Unlike most tropical Indians, heat does not troubje them. Bates, Darwin and others have pointed out how unfitted the Indian found in tropical America is for withstanding the fierce noonday heat, as a proof that he is not to the manor born; but Lumboltz found the Tarahumari entirely unmindful to the most excessive heat, the noonday siesta not being a desideratum among them, and their youngest babies often being left for hours exposed to the full and fierce action of the summer sun. This they do that the “sun god” may recognize his offspring and give it long life. And to further prevent his failure to recognize the infant, it is not washed for one year after birth. The Tarahumari may be said to belong to the Koch-Pasteur school of medicine, as they are firm believers in the bacterian origin of ail diseases. There bacteria, however, take on such gross forms as lizards in the stomach, frogs in the lungs and snakes in the circulation, the charming away of which their medicine men find a very profitable occupation. In endurance these Indians would seem to rival any other people. A letter carrier has been known to cover 800 miles in five days over devious trails and under a burning sun, and they derive their tribal name, Tarahumari—“run counters” —from their fondness for extensive foot contests, of which careful account is kept by a simple system of stone counters.