ED. F. FORGA by Ed. F. Forga

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 5, 1908

ED. F. FORGA

By Ed. F. Forga

A Plea for the Inca Indians of Peru — No. 2

ED. F. FORGA

No people on earth would endure such inhuman treatment, and make no effort for their freedom. The most notable attempt in this direction was made by Tupac Amaru, an Indian chief, in 1780; but this, like every former attempt to obtain liberty, was unsuccessful. On this occasion the cruel spirit of the Catholic conquerors revealed itself in a special manner. The leader of the Indians was captured, taken to the plaza in Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Inca empire, and forced to see his wife and son and other relatives and friends shamefully treated and put to death. His tongue was then cut out, and his limbs fastened to four horses, which, running in different directions, tore his body to pieces.

But the blood of the martyrs is never shed in vain. A few years later, in 1821, with the last battle against the political tyranny of Spain was victoriously fought by the patriots. This revolution resulted in the republic of Peru.

But it happened with the Peruvians, even as with the negroes in the Southern States after being granted their constitutional freedom at the close of the Civil War. In an article, “The Negro in Politics,” in the American Magazine for January, 1908, Ray Stannard Baker says: “Revolutions, such as the Civil War, change names. They do not at once change human relationships. Mankind is reconstructed, not by proclamations or legislation or military occupations, but by time, growth, education, religion, thought.” So with the Indians in Peru; though the constitution declares them free, still they remain slaves under the rule of the Roman Catholic Church, which has held them in darkness and ignorance.

Hear the sad lament of the poor Indian:—

“Cursed be the day when first the white man came! Cursed be the Spaniard, cursed his very name: He came to us a stranger to our soil, To ask our help, then made of us a spoil, And took our land With ruthless hand: He slew our chiefs, our wives he sold to shame, And practised cruelties in what he termed God’s name. What mockery and everlasting shame.!”

“. . . At first we, friendly, thought That Heaven had sent them here; we reverently sought To please them well, though strange their ways appeared. With shoutings gay a wooden cross they reared, And made us bow, As they do now, To some uplifted ornament which they adore: To us it is a thing which we abhor, For in its name they made us slaves the more.”

The Indian of To-Day

Mr. David F. Watkins, who for more than thirty-five years has labored in gospel work among the Spanish and the natives of Mexico and Central and South America, has written regarding the condition of the Inca Indians. We quote the following from his pen:—

“On their little farms they make butter and cheese, and grind toasted corn, and sell it. They also grow potatoes in abundance, and barley, wheat, and corn, as well as everything in the nature of garden produce that is consumed in towns and villages. They weave blankets and woolen cloths for their wearing apparel, such as pantaloons, ponchos, etc., out of the wool of the sheep, the vicugna, the alpaca, and the llama. They also tan leather, but very poorly, and make hemp ropes and hats and stockings and numerous other things that the people of the country use.

“But never are they allowed to enjoy the fruits of their heavy toil; the priests and governors possess themselves of that. For instance, they discover how much wool and hair can be obtained from the Indians’ sheep, llamas, and other animals, and then force him to take, or leave with him against his will, about one half, or at least one third, of the value. At the end of the year they collect the wool, etc., and sell it, of course, for a fair price. In one small district recently, a profit of two thousand four hundred dollars on one hundred twenty hundredweight of alpaca wool was made on the price paid to the Indians for it. In some cases instead of paying them with money, they force them to take alcoholic liquors, which are bought cheaply, and are sold to the Indians at a very high price. Sometimes if an Indian has, say four hundredweight of wool, they compel him to give them five hundredweight at the end of the year; he has to secure it as he can, often by stealing. If he fails to get it, he is beaten and kicked, his house is despoiled, and in many cases his property is sold, and his children are taken as merchandise. In this way, many an Indian loses all his property. If he takes his case into the court, nothing is done for him, on account of the influence of the governors and the priests, and the injustice of the judges.”