6H THK ABORKilNES OF PORTO RICO 



a.s the3' call it, asking what would happen to his kingdom after his 

 death. He and the other caciques spent five days without eating or 

 smoking, bathing themselves with medicine. The_y wept and per- 

 formed rites according to the usages, at the end of which the god 

 responded that before many years there would come to Haiti bearded 

 men, wholly clothed, who with one stroke could sever a man in the 

 middle with swords, and these would bring ashes, destroy the ancient 

 gods, and overturn accustomed rites, introducing new laws, and would 

 shed the ])lood of his children and make them captives: and in memory 

 of this the natives composed a song {areito) which they sing in their 

 festivals. 



CEREMONY TO 15I!IN(4 CROPS 



The principal ceremony of the Haitians, held apparently in honor of 

 the earth goddess, is thus described by Gomara : " 



(Juando el caeicjue eelebraba la festividad de su devoto, i priiiciiial Idolo, venian al 

 Oficio todos. Atabiaban el Dios mui garridainente; ponlanse ios Sacerdotes t-oiiio en 

 coro junto al Rei, i el cacique a la entrada del Templo con vn atabalejo al lado. 

 Venian Ios Hombres pintados de negro, Colorado, ac,'ul, i otras colores, o enramados, 

 i con Guirnaldas de Flores, 6 Plumages, i Caracolejos i Conchuelas en Ios brayos, i 

 piernas por Cascaveles. Venian tambien las Mugeres con semejantes Sonajas; mas 

 desnudas, si eran virgenes 1 sin pintura ninguna; si casadas, con solamente vnascomo 

 bragas. Entraban bailando, i cantando al son de las Conchas: saludabalos el Caci- 

 que con el Atabal, asi como Uegaban. Entrados en el Templo, vomitaban, metien- 

 dose un palillo por el garguero, para mostrar al Idolo, que no les quedaba cosa mala 

 en el estomago. Sentavanse encuclillas, i reyaban, que parecian Avejones, i asi 

 andaba un estrano ruido. Llegaban entonces otras muchas ]\lugeres con cestillas de 

 Tortas en la.? Cabecas, i muchas Rosas, Flores, i Iveras olorosas encima: rodeaban Ios 

 que oraban, i comen^aban a, cantar vno como Romance viejo, en loor de aquel Dios. 

 Levantabanse todos h responder, en acabando el Romance, mudaban el tono: i decian 

 otro en alaban^a del Cacique: i asi ofrician el Pan al Idolo, hincados de rodillas. 

 Tomabanlo Ios Sacerdotes, bendecianlo, i repartianlo, i con tan to cesaba la fiesta: 

 guardaban aquel Pan todo el Ano, i tenian por desdichada la Casa, que sin el estaba, 

 i sujeta a muchos peligros. 



[Translation] 



When the cacique celebrated the festival in honor of his principal idol, all the peo- 

 ple attended the function. They decorated the idol very elaborately; the priests 

 arranged themselves like a choir about the king, and the cacique sat at the entrance 

 of the temple with a drum at his side. 



The men came painted black, red, blue, and other colors or covered with branches 

 and garlands of flowers, or feathers and shells, w'earing shell bracelets and little shells 



'1 Historia de las Indias, chapter xxvii, p. 22, 2d ed., Antwerp, 1554. This work', which has been 

 published in several editions and many translations, contains much important material on the West 

 Indian islanders. In the edition belonging to the present author chapter xliv, p. S4, gives an 

 account of the discovery and noteworthy things regarding the island Borinquen, called San Juan. 

 Chapters xxvi-xxviii contain a good account of the inhabitants of Espanola (Santo Domingo), their 

 religion (xxvii), and their customs (xxviii). G6mara gives also valuable data concerning the 

 customs of the aborigines of Cuba, the Bahamas, .Tamaica, etc. The l.^M edition of G6mara is used 

 by the author, who has also G6mara's Cronica de la Nueva Espana. 



