The Diegueños had many gambling games which were simply contests of skill. One was played by throwing a stick at a rolling hoop. Men and women had different but somewhat similar games, played by throwing sticks marked with certain figures, and counting so many for the throw, which are quite complicated and not easily understood unless illustrated. The men's game called "quince" is named from the Spanish, but is probably much older than that would suggest. The most important game is "peon," which has almost the value of a religious ceremonial. It is played at midnight on the occasion of an Indian fiesta. A shaman should lead each side, and all his power must be exerted for the success of his village, the challengers being visitors from a distance. Sides are chosen and money in considerable quantity is staked on the result. Wooden counters are used as in all the games to mark the score. White and black "sticks" made of bone fastened by a string are tied securely to the fingers of the players, so there can be no cheating, but all depends on skill or quickness of observation. The players of one side, kneeling in a row upon the ground, are covered to the waist with a blanket which hides all motion as they arrange the pieces of bone upon the finger. While doing this, the better to confuse the observation of the opponents, they sway from side to side emitting the most unearthly series of repeated sounds in measured time to the accompaniment of the women's songs.
Gambling with the Indians satisfied that instinct for recreation and excitement which in civilized man finds expression in the countless amusements good and bad which he devises for his leisure hours. Peon is thrilling even to a bystander; but all is managed with the precision and self-restraint which is inherited from primitive days, when every act was in some sense a religious ceremonial. As is the case in all primitive tribes, basketry and pottery rank first in importance among the industrial arts of the Diegueños and Luiseños. The former used pottery not only for domestic purposes, but in the form of burial vessels, ollas, for the preservation of the ashes of the dead. After the body was burned, the ashes and bones were collected and deposited in the pottery receptacle or olla, and carefully buried in some secret place. The whereabouts of some of the burial ollas are still known to the initiated. Others have been discovered by chance by tourists and collectors. With the Indians, to betray the secret would be to profane the most sacred things of their religion. Fortunately two fine specimens of these rare objects have lately been secured. 305 They were found buried among fallen granite rocks in a distant cañon of the mountains near a deserted Indian village. They contained bits of burned bones, charcoal, arrow-heads, etc. Next in importance were the large storage pots or ollas for the seed supply of the family. The seeds, carefully harvested, were deposited in these receptacles, which were hidden among heaps of rocks in canons or on almost inaccessible mountain sides, discouraging discovery, but allowing the members of the household to resort to this granary in time of need. One fine specimen collected for the American Museum of Natural History was made by the grandfather of the man of
This exactly describes the stone circles at Spring Hill. It would be interesting to know from what locality Venegas's description was derived, and to trace the connection between the tribes making the stone circles in Lower and Southern California. It is evident that the site in question was abandoned in very early times, possibly before the Diegueño occupation of the country, for no tradition remains to explain these monuments. They are described in this connection to account for a rare specimen of pottery collected for the American Museum of Natural History, an ancient vessel with a base, found on this village site. The shape is quite unlike those made by the Diegueños, who so far as known never made ollas with bases. The Luiseño netting stitch has not been investigated. Sandals made of yucca fibre very neatly arranged or woven are still worn at Manzanita. A little brush for sweeping the metate stone is manufactured with great precision, the fibres bound with knotted and twisted twine. Although coiled basketry is common among Luiseños and Diegueños, the twined weave was known and is still used to a certain extent. The chakwhit, 307 Luiseño ceremonial basket, also used by men on a staff hung over the shoulder, was twined, as
The immense granary baskets made in circular form with a lid, and placed on high rocks or on a framework of poles to secure their contents from the depredations of rodents, are made in a rough twining or interlacing. Small rudely twined baskets of the same sort were used about the house. A rare and obsolete form of basket was made by piercing splints of symmetrical shape laid close together and stringing them on twine. Stone arrow-heads were made within the memory of old people now living; but the sacred flints set on sticks, paviut, were not made, being born of the Earth-mother. The common grinding mortars and metate stones were made. Very beautiful metates set on three legs, hewn of solid stone, were manufactured at the Missions; 309 but the sacred symmetrical toloache bowls were born of the Earth-mother as people, and were later transformed into their present shape. Many rare and interesting objects were collected at the command of the early missionaries by their shaman converts and burned as a renunciation of heathenism. As many have probably perished by degrees during Spanish, Mexican, and American occupation in Southern California. It is not safe to generalize in a negative way from any lack of existing specimens. Some of the old shaman's sticks from near the desert show rude inlaid work in abalone fragments glued with mescal or other juice. Decorations of feathers, of powdered mica, of beads or disks of mica, and abalone were used. Hair was woven into bracelets and anklets. The eagle-feather skirt was manufactured with twined and netted milkweed fibre, sometimes colored red with the iron scum of springs burned into paint. At the end of
167:* The following notes on the culture of the Luiseño and Diegueño were incidentally obtained by Miss DuBois during her stay among them while she was engaged in the study of their religion.—Ed. 168:305 See Amer. Anthr. IX, pl. XXIX, 1907. 171:306 The bowline on a bight is made by bringing the shuttle over before the stick, up through the loop of the last row, behind both lines of the loop and down in front of both lines and through the loose loop of new thread on the stick. The square knot is made by bringing the shuttle behind the stick, up through the loop of the last row, behind both lines of the loop and down between both lines of the loop, over the first and under the second line, pulling backwards and towards the left. 171:307 Cha’kwut, openwork rush basket for gathering acorns, cactus, etc.—S. 172:308 Cheyit, openwork rush basket for sifting.—S. 172:309 Probably under Mexican influence.—Ed.GAMES, ARTS, AND INDUSTRIES OF THE DIEGUEÑOS AND LUISEÑOS. *
By Constance Goddard DuBois.
