Through Five Republics on Horseback, Being an Account of Many Wanderings in South AmericaRay, George Whitfield
Religion
Through Five Republics on Horseback, Being an Account of Many Wanderings in South America
Ray, George Whitfield
Ray, George Whitfield, 1868- -- Travel -- South America; South America -- Description and travel
Entering the low, narrow doorway of one of the bamboo frame houses, I
saw that it was divided into ten-foot squares by corn-stalk partitions
a yard high. These places, like so many stalls for horses, run down
each side of the _hogá_. One family occupies a division, sleeping in
net hammocks made of long, coarse grass. A "family man" usually has
bands of human hair twisted around his legs below the knees, and also
around the wrists. This hair is torn from his wife's head. Down the
centre are numerous fires for cooking purposes, but the house was
destitute of chimney. Wood is burned, and the place was at times so
full of smoke that I could not distinguish one Indian from another.
Fortunately, the walls of the house, as was also the roof, were in bad
repair, and some of the smoke escaped through the chinks. Sixty people
lived in the largest hogá, and I judged the number of the whole tribe
to be about three hundred.
The doorways of all the houses faced towards the east, as did those of
the Inca. In the principal one, where the high priest lived, a square
altar of red clay was erected. I quickly noticed that on this
elevation, which was about a yard high, there burned a very carefully
tended fire of holy wood. Enquiring the meaning of this, I was informed
that, very many moons ago, Nande-yara had come in person to visit the
tribe, and when with them had lit the fire, which, he said, they must
not under any circumstances suffer to die out. Ever since then the
smoke of the incense had ascended to their "Owner" in his far-off
dwelling.
How forcibly was I reminded of the scripture referring to the Jewish
altar of long ago, "There the fire shall ever be burning upon the
altar; it shall never go out." If I had not discovered Eden, I had at
least found the altar and fire of Edenic origin.
Behind the altar, occupying the stall directly opposite the doorway,
stood the tribal god. As the Caingwas are sun-worshippers, I was
surprised to see this, but Rocanandivia, with grave demeanor, told me
that when Nandeyara departed from them he left behind him his
representative. In the chapter on Mariolatry, I have traced the natural
tendency of man to sink from spiritual to image worship, and I found
that the Caingwas, like all pagans, had reverted to a something they
could see and feel. Remembering that they had never heard the second
commandment, written by God because of this failing in man, we can
excuse them, but what shall be said of the enlightened Romanists?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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