A MILLION AND A-HALF INDIANS

Otago Witness, Issue 2823, 22 April 1908, Page 13

A MILLION AND A-HALF INDIANS

THE HEEL OF THE SPANIARD.

" Ama sonccoyquichak musphachunchu ; creenquichak Diospi, creeychaktak noccapi." This is not a fresh development of Esperanto: it Is merely the Quechua Indian's rendering of a familiar Scriptural passage : " Let not your heart be troubled ; ye believe m God, believe a 1 -^ m Me." The Quechua Indian? In the map of South America you will find, bounded by Peru, Chili, Brazil, and the Argentine, a province comprising about 470,000 square miles. That is the Republic of Bolivia, and there the Quechua Indian finds room for his complex, multi-syllabic language. . Nine years ago Mr George Allan, one of a. family well known m the Taieri district, left New Zealand to engage m missionary work, and after a term m the Argentine he took up his station m Bojivia, representing the Bolivian Indian Mission, the head council of which ie m Dux-edin. JR.eoently !MJr .Allan, with his wife and two children, returned home for a 1 spell, and lie has some interesting things to tell about Bolivia and it 6 inhabitants. The population numbers ahout two million, of which the whites and lialfcast.es> mostly of Spanish descent, tota^ approximately 500,000, and the Indians 1,500,000. The redskin inhabitants comprise a multiplicity of tribes. The Qujechuas number one million, the Aymaras about 400,000, and there are supposed to be between SO and 40 other tribes making up ihe remaining 100,000. The official language of the republic is Spanish, but each tribe has its own language, bearing scarcely any resemblance to that of any other tribe. The upper class of whites has a 1 ways treated the Indians as LITTLE BETTER THAN ANIMALS. Between the two there is a great gulf fixed, almost as marked as the caste system of India. The upper classes are an easy-going, luxurious people, devoting a good deal of time to literature, especially poetry. The half-castes form a distinct class between the whites and the Indians.. Tbey are the tradespeople of the country. The Quechuas and Aymaras are agriculturists, and the other small tribes are mostly m a semi-savage condition, and live m the bush. Some of the wild tribes are quite unapproachable by whites, but others are' quiet, and go regularly into Northern Argentine to cut eugar-c-ane. These savagO tribes m their wooded fastnesses settle their differences m primitive fashion, but their bush warfare does not appear sufficiently serious to alarm the country. The land ia mostly m possession of the whites. Some of the poorer quaiitv, known as " comunidades ' (m English, " commons "), belongs to the Indians. The redskin has what is called ah "obligacion" (obligation) to the white — i.e., each family must cultivate six acres for the white man. For that labour the Indian has the privilege of living upon and cultivating for his own needs a portion of tbe poorer land. The land oultiyated for the wtote man can be easily irrigated, but that cultivated by tlie Indian for his own ii^ depends upon the summer rains for cro^l The result is, of course, hardship Jfoa^ifitf Indians. For instance, m one <ti|i:Kct visited by Mr Allan there had been* H&e successive dTy seasons, which meant that the Indians were npon the verge of starvation, and m consequence 20,000 emigrated that season to Chili. The Indian is practically m i CONDITION OF SLAVERY, his position being much like that of the Irish tenants at one time. Never having had any education, the natives are v-jry ignorant. Spanish methods- of colonisation do not include education, and although tlie natives have been for 400 years "under the Spanish rule very few can- either speak or understand Spanish. The Quechua Indians aTe not at all warlike, but rather of a peaceable, industrious disposition. Their standard cf morality is higher than tbat of the white portion of* the population. The husband and wife are usually very true to each other, and attached to their children. The whole family works together on the land, and lives m a hut. The condition of the towns is disgustingly insanitary. As a consequence, TYPHOID, SMALLPOX, AND OTHER DISEASES are epidemic during some portion of every year. In 1906 the deaths m one city of 22,000 population exceeded the births by 19. Mr Allan's wife and children were all attacked at one time with a form of fever, but co far lie has escaped the malignant disease. The Aymara Indians are physically stronger and bigger than the -Quecbuas, and are a turbulent, sullen -people. Both tribes live at high altitudes, wheTe the rarified air and the clear, •calm nights make a delightful climate. In the valleys on the east the climate is -very hot. RICHER THAN THE RAND. The exports from Bolivia — which, by the way, lias no seaboard — are mainly minerals — gold, silver, and copper. -Rubber is also exported. In the mining line there are great possibilities for -whites. The mines are very rich. A Boer gentleman with whom Mr Allan travelled -to Buenos Aires stated emphatically thai Bolivia had before it a greater future than any mineral country m the world. He. had been all over the Rand, and was prepared to assert that there was more gold m Bolivia than ih tlie Rand. An -American syndicate is building railways connecting the principal cities, and m this -way the country will he opened up. The towns which the railways touch are gradually being cleansed. Asked whether he would advise a New 1 Zealander to take up land m Bolivia, Mr

Allan 6aid he hesitated to reply, because the social condition- were 60 gross that many men who went to the district were contaminated. Therte -v. ae every opportunity for a man to get on if he kept clear of the social influences. Land was going up m price all over South America. The stock m the country Tfas generally pooT, and agriculture waa veTy backward. An old wooden plough such as Noah might have used was the only agricultural implement used. Maize, wheat, barley, potatoes, and alfalfa were grown, eight cuttings of the last-named being obtained per year. Up to 10,000 ft above sea-level the land was very fertile. Living was rather expensive m the towns, . but m some parts of the country ridiculously cheap. THE STATE RELIGION. The Government is Republican, and since 1898 Liberal. The Congress is anticlerical, and has introduced many reforms limiting the powers of the Church of Rome, which is the State Church. Two years ago. liberty of worship was granted. Since leaving Bolivia Mr Allan has learned from various sources that these reforms have been criticised by the Pope, and that as the result the Bolivian representative before bhe Vatican hne been withdrawn. Congress has refused the appropriation for the salaries of the bishops, which seems to indicate an intention to separate the Church and State. The pressnt Government is desirous of educating, the Indian, and just before Mr Allan left Bolivia the first school for Indians was opened. The Government welcomes every effort that makes for the progress and development of the country. That, Mr Allan points out, constitutes an opportunity for the missionary. He believes that by carrying on evangelistic and -educational work side by side they will be able to produce a native ministry that will do a great deal m the way of enlightening and lifting up the Indians. Mr Allan has translated and published 2COO copies of the Gospel of John, and he anticipates these will be used m the schools as a text book. Hitherto Mr Allan has been preaching m Spanish to the half-castes and the white students. There are no Protestant missionaries m Bolivia save one ex-priest working amongst the Aymara tribe. Before the advent of the Spanish the Indians were SUN-WORSHIPPERS. Then when the Spanish arrived the Indians were forcibly bapftised by the priests, and became, nominally Catholics. At the present time, Mr Allan asserts, their religion is such a degraded form of Roman Catholicism that it rea.ly amounts to idolatry. In support of that he mentioned that certain Irish Catholics who had attended his mission 'explained to him that they did so having no intention of changing their religion, but because they l regarded the people found about as Pagans, and could not recognise them as Catholics. When one of these Irish Catholics died his comrades asked Mr Allan to read a Christian burial service, ac they did not want a p rie£t to have anything to do ■with, "the burial. "Thes'- *niiseion Mr Allan represents has no church, and hitherto his Spanish work ! has been dote m fellowship with about half a dozen Canadian missionaries. His intention now is to devote himself entirely to work amongst the Indians, to fotind schools, and evangelise the people as opportunity offers. Mr Allan and his family will remain m New Zealand until the end of next February, and he will occupy his time m strengthening and broadening the foundation of the mission. He expects to take with him to Bolivia helpers from the Dominion. A welcome social to Mr and Mrs Allan is to be held next Tuesday evening.