Show s V ca SMS N LRI flashn em I 1 lanh 19 HE seri are a dis lve tive t tribe r I 1 b in in habits customs and language from all other north american indians and though they have been known for a considerable time both to me 9 W leans and amer leans they have remained un conquer ed and uncivilized up to the pres 10 0 1 ent time tiburon island which is their real home lies close to the coast of sonora mexico in the gulf of california and Is sep abated from the mainland by a narrow strip of sea called el in fier nillo so named because of the turbulent water and dangerous will rapids that flow between it Is some thirty miles long from north to 11 1 1 south and twenty miles across at the widest 2 p part a r t due east across the straits in sonora is a limited strip of land in which are situated the seri mountains and here also are found a few sea families belonging 1 to the samo tribe the whole of their country Is rug r ged and desolate in the extreme coi i A misting sting ci chiefly of am ay rw desert sand and 4 waha naked mountain rock with permanent fresh water in one or two places only separated from the rest of sonora 15 bi an almost impassable desert and containing nothing to excite the interest or cupidity of the prospector or mexican it has remained anex elored and unvisited until quite recent times though in the surrounding country there are many traces or 01 an ancient civilization in Se rlland riland itself there a no remains nor any evidence to shove that any other race markedly distinct either in habits or customs from its present in habitants had ever made their home there hence it may be assumed that the seri did not migrate to this part of the world but are indi genous to the land the seri indians are phyll cally a fine race rather above the medium hel hecht lit though somewhat slightly made they are very dark with long coarse hair but when young are by no means ugly they have low quiet voices and their language is much more melodious than that of the yuma or papago indians their cloth ing is somewhat unusual for they wear near a kind of robe of pelican skins over a short kilt or skirt these pelican rugs are beautifully made of be tween tour four and eight skins sewn together with sinews or deerskin and are used as bedd ng at night their belts are of woven human hair or vegetable table fiber though snake and lizard skins are also used for the same purpose the arms bust legs and feet are usually bare when it is remembered that these people own no domestic animals of any kind except dogs that are really coyotes and do not cultivate or till the land at all it will be seen that they have to depend en on hunting to supply them with dress and food pelicans are found literally by the thou sand especially round the little isia isla and provide the indians with amply sufficient mate rial to make all the clothing and blankets they them are likely to need in that hot and almost rainless climate As regards food they subsist chiefly on turtles fish mollusks moll and waterfowl water fowl which are eaten raw and during the proper seasons they feed on the fruits of the various cacti and mes qu e beans which grov gro v fairly plentifully in the seri mountains scattered over the greater por per lion tion of the island are charred oyster shells which show that they are very partial to this to fo in of food and that they use fire to open shell fish of all kinds as they do not possess any knives they catch the turtles by harpooning them with a ve i 3 primitive kind of spear the latter is made in two parts connected by a fiber rope to the front one of which a rough point of hardened wood stone or if possible iron is attached As soon goon as tl ti ey see a turtle they approach noise lessly from behind and thrust the spear through the shell the front portion of the spear remains in the animal but the turtle cannot escape be cause of the rope and it is soon towed to the shore and there broken open when it is roasted or eaten raw fish which abound in these wa are caught by means of a fiber line and primitive book the latter being very often made from a thorn or piece of bone though sometimes the larger kinds hinds of fish are killed with a bow and arrow t weapon much in use among the seri their huts are of the most primitive description being made merely of dried brushwood and rooted roofed with turtle shells and sponges they afford some slight shelter from the sun which is their main purpose tor for the heat Is always intense the year ro ind and I 1 suppose that there are few hotter places on earth the foregoing facts are sufficient to mark the seri as ver er distinct from other north american indians but there ara are many other curious and peculiar customs which they do not share adv other tribes their religion is exceedingly exceeding ily interesting though somewhat obscure and the local character of their gods Is a convincing proof f of their long residence in that local ty their chief deity delty for instance ir ip stance is the ancient of pel pell cana a mythical bird of marvelous wisdom and melodious song and their lesser gods are super natural beings in similar familiar forms apar before starting out on their annual eppedi tiona to gather fruit of the cacti they hold their one important religious festival at which they make many ceremonial offerings in order that the supply may be plentiful their dead are buried in their most elaborate garments with their weapons beside them under a mound of stones theae graves are to be seen all over the country and beir eloquent if silent testimony to the valiant defense they have made against heir enemies tor for of the several thousand seri ind ans that were known to exist some thirty vears ago there are but three hundred and sev enty five left row of which not more than seven ty tytko tv 0 are adult males the country is no less unusual than its in habitants tor for it contains many re remarkable trees A 13 id FW fa 1 4 mal 16 1 9 J beautiful and the fresh verdure soon fades to the neutral tints cl its accustomed hopeless aridity A few words must be said about the fauna tiburon island la is so named because of the immense number of sharks that swarm the sea surrounding it pearl oysters are found near the punta but the warlike character of the seri has prevented any fishery from being established there there are many porpoises and IM I 1 tai mense ense numbers of green tur turtles ties while sea birds of all kinds abound As regards mammals there are said to be some sheep in the seri mountains but I 1 very much doubt if they descend so far south but there are one or two scattered bands of antelope and a few deer to counterbalance this lack of big game there are thousands of black backed rattlesnakes side winders gila G 11 a r pot N A t 4 P M N 9 1 h 11 ip I 1 I 1 ae A 1 f wavea ayo arm AZA in a land where there is practically no rain legeta y would be very scarce and the term desert gen brally conveys the idea of large sand plains devoid of all plant growth to those who have not seen them but this is quite a wrong iri tor for there is hardly a square mile ani anywhere where in Se riland where some kind of tree or cactus cannot be found though there may not be any water tor for miles around this fact makes the botany of this region a most interesting study for if the vegetation ere not provided with caal means of obtaining and storing water it could not survive all the trees and plants are perennials and have enormously long roots the mesquite tree jul Juli lflora flora and the paloverde Parkins onla tor are the most corn com mon and the former bears a kind of fruit or bean which the ind ans grind into corn I 1 re member once when traveling in the malpais of 0 sonora I 1 was obliged to rely for a whole month on these messu te beans alone to feed my horses and pad animals for grass Is practically absent on these plains except for a very coarse variety called galleta by the natives which is some times found in small patches it says much for the nutritive value of the mesquite bean that I 1 lost none of my animals and only one mule seemed to be suffering towards the end of the time most of the low lying country is covered with the greasewood grease wood larrea tata a small green bush of no value at all but it is ubiquitous throughout sonora except in the mountains but the really characteristic plant in Se riland is the cactus which abounds in a variety of forms they all have very long roots some of which descend thirty feet to fifty feet to reach water the stem itself is formed of pulp that grows round a wooden core and this serves as storehouse for the water they obtain while they are covered with a kind of glazed epidermis to prevent evaporation and are fur dished with thorns which effectually prevent animals from feeding on them the sa guarro or g ant castus cereus gigan teus is the most imposing often to a height of fifty or sixty feet it may be seen in vast numbers over tha the plains and on the lower part of the i slopes and it assumes an endless variety of shapes ranging from the sin single ie straight stem to when they are in flower tor for at the end of each those containing fifteen or twenty arms to those who see them tor for the first time they present a remarkable sight eight especially when they are in flower tor for at the end of each branch they bear a wreath or crown of fragrant yellow lose zose or purple flowers no less unusual are the organ cactus or pitha haya cereus shot ti tl ey grow in clumps of eighteen or twenty stems and reach a height of fifteen feet to twenty feet A rarer cactus is the a smaller form of the sa guarro but it has one pe culiar quality which makes it very valuable both to the ind ans and to travelers in the country for it is the only plant from which water fit to drink may be obtained the best way la Is to cut off the top and to cruh the pulp within with a piece of wood or stone two to four pints of water ater can then be scooped out with a cup the amount depending on the size of the plant ex capt for a rather sickly taste the water tt t 1 t not unpleasant there Is another unusual plant also found in this region the ocotillo ra asplen dens this remarkable shrub which sometimes attains a height of fifteen feet is composed of a number of 1 g th n branches covered with thorns and bears the most br billant scarlet fowers once each year just after the short summer rains the country wanes wates from its long drought to a belated spring gay colored flowers nod among the rocks and the cactus blossoms relieve the oti berwise somber landscape but this change monsters aillo derma horri dum horned toads and ants but in trav e eling ling through the country there la Is little life to be seen except an occasional turkey buzzard or a coy ote slinking through gh the cac the whole country is desolate and forbid ding here and there are clusters ot of ruined huts sadly reminding dlug us that the seri were e once numer oua ous but are now fast dying out day by day the sun passes in blinding splendor over the plains and over these deserted homes a and nd even evening jing by evening the after glow lays its long fingers ot of rose and amethyst over the land cape transform ing the scene for or till night wraps a moment into evanescent beauty it softly in a pall of velvet black oblivion |