1 1 6 ovalle's historical relation of chile. 



figure may play upon it : this the Indian woman takes with both hands, and being 

 upon her knees, makes it play upon the other, putting, from time to time, with her 

 left hand, the mal^e between the two flones, fo as to fupply what falls away, and 

 that the mill do not ftand ftill. The flour falls forward into a fort of box, as it 

 does in our mills, and almoll as fall, comparing the ftrength of a woman to that of a 

 ftream of water. She can do enough at once for the maintenance of her family ; 

 and make a provifion too for a journey or a voyage of her hufband or fon to the wars. 

 This is the proper bufinefs of the women ; and it would be a fhame for a man to 

 employ himfelf in it, or in any other houfehold bufmefs. 



CHAP. IV. — Of the fame Subjea. 



WHEN the Indians are fick, they change little of their 'ordinary way of living, and 

 they never have a better bed. Their way of letting blood is fafer than ours ; for it 

 is not with a lancet, which may either fail to draw blood, or go too deep, and lame 

 the arm, if the furgeon be not very fliilful ; but with a fharp flint, fixed at the end of 

 a little piece of wood, fo fall, that there is juft enough left out to cut the vein, and no 

 more : this they apply to the vein after they have made a bandage, as we do, and 

 ftriking a little ftroke upon it, the blood never fails to come, in greater abundance 

 than our bleedings are. This is all they need a furgeon or barber for, they themfelves 

 having no beards to fliave, and the little hair they have, every one pulls out; and 

 they take it for an affront to look hairy. They have pincers, which they make of 

 cockle-fliells, and always have them about them, ufmg them from time to time in 

 converfation ; they thinking it as honourable to be without that, which other people 

 nourifli, comb, and take care of; which is a good conviction of the variety of opinions 

 of mankind, about what is, and is not honourable. As for their hair, they let it 

 grow juft below their ears, and no lower, and fo need no barber to cut it, but do every 

 one help the other to keep the ends of it even. 



Their manner of cloathing themfelves, (though of various and very beautiful 

 colours, which they give to the wool that they weave their cloaths of,) is very plain and 

 fimple : they have no lining to any of their cloaths, neither do they wear one under 

 another : their drawers come down to their knees, open and loofe, and it is upon 

 their naked body, for they ufe no fliirts : they have a fort of waiftcoat, which they 

 call Macun, and it is made of about a yard and a half of fome woollen fluff, which they 

 leave open, fo as to put it over their heads, and then they gird it with a girdle : they 

 have alfb a kind of cloak or mantle, which they call Chomi, which they put on when 

 they go abroad : they have their arms and legs naked, and on their feet they have a 

 fort of fhoe, which they call Ojota, and is like the rope-fhoes the Spaniards wear : 

 they wear nothing on their heads, but a kind of circle of wool, of various colours, with 

 its fringes hanging down like a cap ; which they ftir or pull off in fhew of refpeft, as 

 we do our hats. 



In their feafts, balls, and rejoicings, though they do not change the form of their 

 cloaths, yet they have a richer fort, of finer wool, and richer colours : they put about 

 their necks fome chains of fhells, which they gather by the fea-fide ; thele they call 

 Nancas : others put fnail-fhellsj^^ ftrung upon a ftring, about their necks; and thofe of 

 the ftraights of Magellan have pearls very well wrought, and of great artifice, as is 

 affirmed by the authors already cited; and on their heads they put a kind of garland, 



not 



