ovalle's historical relation of chile. 



117 



not of flowers, but of wool, dyed of feveral beautiful colours, to which they hang fine little 

 birds, which they efteem, and on each fide they have a plume of high feathers, either 

 white, red, or blue, and about half a yard high. 



Their way of dancing is with little jumps, and a flep or two, not rifmg much from 

 ground, and without any capers, fuch as the Spaniards ufe : they dance all together 

 in a ring, round a may-pole or ftandard, which one of them holds in the middle as 

 an enfign ; and near it are all the bottles of their wine, of which they take now and 

 then a fup while they dance, drinking to one another ; for it is a cuflom among them 

 never to drink alone any thing that is given them : he that begins takes a fup, and 

 then he that he drinks to pledges him, and gives the cup to another, and fo to a 

 fourth, till it be empty ; and yet one has not more than the other ; for what this man 

 does for that, that man does for this ; and fo at lafl they come to be fo equally fhared, 

 that at the end of the entertainment, they are all alike drunk, and laid down ; for they 

 drink as long as they can ftand. But this is not eafily brought to pafs ; for befides 

 what they drink in the day-time, they will often pafs all night at it, without leaving 

 off, fmging and dancing to their drums and flutes. The women, as more bafhful, do 

 not enter into thefe dances, except fome one or two, when the wine has got into 

 their heads, and then too they do not enter into the ring with the men, but dance 

 by themfelves. Few of them get drunk, fo as to lofe their judgment ; fo they are 

 upon their guard more, to mind that the men do not quarrel, and hurt one another in . 

 their drink. Their flutes, which they play upon in thefe dances, are made of the bones 

 of the Spaniards, and other enemies, whom they have overcome in war. This they 

 do by way of triumph and glory for their victory : they make them likewife of 

 bones of other animals j but the Indians of war dance only to thefe of their 

 enemies. 



Their way of fmging is, all together railing their voices upon the fame note, with- 

 out any difference of parts or meafure ; and at the end of every fong they play on 

 their flutes, and a fort of trumpets, jufl as we do on our guittars in the PafTacalles, 

 This they repeat fo often, and fo loud, that one may hear them at a great diftance ; 

 for in thefe feafls, they are very numerous. Thofe who are not engaged in dancing, 

 fit together in feveral companies, talking together upon pafl occurrences, and flill 

 warming themfelves with their wine ; and then they begin to recolleft the injuries 

 they have received from one another, and fo refrefhing the memory of old contefts and 

 enmities not revenged ; and this makes them break out into new animofities, and 

 fometimes kill one another upon little provocation. 



The women as well as the men have their arms naked, but no other part about 

 them ; for though they go barefipot, yet their cloaths, which are very long, cover 

 them from head to foot, though in fome places they wear them fhorter : this is a 

 plain fort of mantle, clofe to their bodies, without any linen underneath; this they let 

 fall to their feet, and having faftened it on their fhoulders, gather it in plaits, and fwathe 

 themfelves from their waift to the breafts with fome fine coloured woollen fcarf, of 

 about four fingers broad, and fo long, that it takes fo many turns about their waifl, 

 as to keep their bodies as ftraight'as any : this is all their drefs within doors. 



The Indian women of the better fort, that live in towns among the Spaniards, have 

 learned the ufe of fmocks and waiftcoats under their mantles, but of no other thing j, 

 and one cannot affront an Indian woman more, than to offer to put her on head-cloaths, 

 or necklaces, or fleeves, or gloves, or any of thofe ornaments which the Spanifh women 

 ufe J and much more if they oblige them to put any paint upon their faces j nothing 



12 of 



