Most of the artifacts and artwork donated by Mr. Raymond were accompanied by detailed descriptions which don’t fit well on exhibition labels. Here is one such story.

Ninas a Los Mineros
(Young Girl and the Miners)
Oil Painting by Louis Raymond
Bolivia
Object ID: H1989-030-0015

            “The ‘Young Girl and the Miners’ portrays a very old custom in South America where it has long been the practice for independent miners to work as “Pirquineros” or partners. Usually two native miners took over any abandoned mine for the purpose of salvaging the last ore remnants which had been passed over or left by previous organized mine operations.  Such partners paid a share of their production to the owner.

            “Mining was by hand, using rather primitive tools and equipment.  To avoid handling excessive amounts of waste rock, they made their underground openings just large enough to allow a body to pass through. To avoid a long walk, the miners were apt to build rock huts with thatch roofs at the portal of the mine so that lunch could be delivered promptly by their children.

            “As a result of following the very narrow and sometimes erratic directions of the ore streaks, the miner had to work in very cramped positions most of the time.  I noticed that when he emerged from the mine he was apt to still be in a cramped or bent-head position as he reached for is dinner pail.

            “Brute strength and endurance were required to mine the ore and pack it out in the heavily laden crude leather sacks.  Such containers were usually made from llama or alpaca skins. The loaded ones had to be handed up and down in and around the narrow underground passages and over primitive ladders or steps cut in the solid rock.  Once the ore reached the surface, the women of the family took over the task of breaking down the ore to finer particles in order to separate the valuable minerals.”
– Louis C. Raymond