But we must pass from the scenery of this region of cataracts and
forests, to take another glance at the wild tribes who inhabit it. The
most numerous and ferocious at one time, by far, were the cannibal
Caribs; who for ages had inhabited the country, and were joined by their
brethren, driven by the Spaniards from the islands they had long
occupied. Whether the whole race had originally come from the north,
scattering their bands and taking possession of the islands they passed,
seems uncertain.
When Columbus discovered the islands, to which he gave the name of the
people, he had full evidence of their courage, ferocity, and cannibal
propensities. At the same time, they paid great attention to
agriculture, and brought home seeds and plants from the territories they
overran. They were in the habit of attacking; other islands and the
mainland, and carrying off the women as slaves; making prisoners of the
men, to be killed and eaten. Their arms were clubs, and bows and
poisoned arrows. Even the women were expert archers, and when their
husbands were away remained to defend their homes. The hair of these
savages was coarse and long--their eyes, surrounded with paint, giving
them a hideous expression; while their limbs were bound with bands of
cotton, causing them to swell out into disproportionate size where
unconfined. When attacked by the Spaniards, the men refused to be taken
alive, and the women defended themselves with the fiercest courage after
the death of their husbands.
In the British island of Saint Vincent several bands remained, who
devastated the plantations, and committed many atrocities,--especially
in the revolutionary war, when they were stirred up by the French. They
were removed by the British Government to the island of Ruatan, in the
Bay of Honduras, whence they emigrated to the neighbouring coast.
Meantime, they were extending their power on the Southern Continent, and
became the dominant race on the Orinoco and Essequibo, their excursions
reaching even to the provinces watered by the Amazon. Wherever they
appeared, the other tribes were driven for refuge to the mountains and
forests. They even ventured to attack the white settlers, and
endeavoured to drive out the Spaniards from the city of Valencia when
first established.
They incessantly attacked the natives on the banks of the Orinoco,
sometimes ascending that river in numerous canoes; at other times
crossing the highlands, and descending one or other of its tributaries,
they would come suddenly on their foes, never failing to exterminate all
who were their inferiors in power. They were, however, often fiercely
opposed by some other tribes, and vast numbers cut off. During the
fearful revolt of the negroes in the Dutch provinces, several tribes of
them were engaged by the Dutch Government to assist the whites. Making
their way through the forest, and concealing themselves by day, they
would sally forth by night and attack the villages of the revolters--
setting fire to their roofs, and slaughtering the inmates, who fled from
their burning habitations.
Sir Walter Raleigh describes them as a naked people, but valiant as any
under the sky: and thus they remained, still rude and savage, till the
common fate of other tribes overtook them. Powerful as they were, these
wild hordes could only fight, overrun, oppress, and destroy; and even in
their highest prosperity they were incapable of accomplishing any great
and useful work. Up to the close of the last century they were the most
numerous, as well as the most warlike, of all the tribes.
Though their chiefs were not hereditary, if a son equalled his father in
courage and skill, he succeeded to his power. To attain that office, it
was necessary for him to be acquainted with every art and stratagem of
savage warfare, and to possess more strength and bravery than the rest
of his tribe. When a Carib aspired to be the chief, it was customary to
expose him to the biting of ants; and if he could bear the torture
without flinching, then he was considered fit for the office.
When a band determined on a predatory excursion, they would often,
unlike other tribes, attack their enemies in the daytime, paddling their
canoes against the current in order that the sound of their paddles
should be heard by their enemies, and allow them time to prepare for
battle. That they were cannibals, there appears no doubt; at least,
they feasted on their enemies taken in battle, whose flesh they tore and
devoured with the avidity of wolves. The men were put to death, while
the women and children were preserved to be sold into slavery.
Scattered tribes still exist in different parts of the interior. The
dress of the women is merely a narrow strip of blue cloth; and their
naked bodies are smeared with arnatto, which gives them the appearance
of bleeding from every pore. Some dot their bodies and limbs over with
blue spots. They wear round the leg, just below the knee, a tight strap
of cotton, and another above each ankle. These are bound on when a girl
is young, and hinder the growth of the parts by their compression, while
the calf, which is unconfined, appears in consequence unnaturally large.
Through the lower lip, which they perforate, they wear two or three
pins with the points outwards. Should they wish to use one of them,
they take it out, and afterwards replace it. The men secure a cloth
round the loins, often of sufficient length to form a kind of scarf; and
to prevent it trailing on the ground, throw it in a graceful way over
the shoulder, so that part of it falls on the bosom, while the end hangs
down the back. It is often ornamented with cotton tassels, and is the
most decent and serviceable, as well as the most picturesque, covering
worn by any of the native tribes. Sometimes a coronal of flowers
surrounds the head, which is usually adorned by a large daub of arnatto
on the hair above the brow; while the forehead and cheeks are painted in
various patterns with the same vermilion colour, which adds extreme
ferocity to their appearance. Some of the men also smear their bodies
with arnatto, as do the women. They are generally well-proportioned,
and more elegant in figure than the other races. The women are noted
for weaving excellent and durable hammocks of cotton--a plant which they
cultivate for that purpose.
When a chief died, his bones, after burial for some time, were cleansed
by the women, and carefully preserved in their houses. Several other
tribes follow a similar custom; allowing, however, the bones to be
deprived of flesh by the ravenous little caribes. After being carefully
dried, and tinged with red, they are placed in baskets and suspended
from the roofs of their houses. Among those who have embraced
Christianity, these and many other barbarous customs have been
abandoned.
The object of many of their raids of later years was to obtain captives
to sell to the Dutch. When slavery was abolished by the British, this
incentive to cruelty no longer existed. The fierce Caribs were,
however, very indignant at the new order of things. A Carib chief
arriving with a slave, offered him for sale to the English governor. On
the refusal of the latter to make the purchase, the savage dashed out
the brains of the slave, declaring that for the future his nation would
never give quarter--one of many instances of their fearful ferocity.
The Carib club is made of the heaviest wood to be found. It is about
eighteen inches long, flat, and square at both ends, but heavier at one
than the other. It is thinner in the middle, and wound round with
cotton thread, with a loop to secure it to the wrist. One blow from
this formidable weapon--which is called "patu"--is sufficient to scatter
the brains of the person struck. Sometimes a sharp stone is fixed in
one end to increase its weight.