SOUTHERN ABORIGINES OF SOUTH AMERICA.
Of the tribes which scantily people Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego,
far less is yet known than might generally be expected. Although
frequently seen by white men, and often holding intercourse with
them, probably no person even moderately educated, excepting Falkner,
has staid among them long enough to become acquainted with, and
describe their peculiarities.
His description of the aboriginal natives who, in his time (1740-80),
roamed over the fertile ‘Pampas’ of Buenos Ayres, or the sterile
plains of Patagonia; of the western mountaineers; and of those
unconquerable tribes which repulsed the Peruvian Yncas, opposed
Spanish conquerors, and are still independent, is so decidedly
corroborated by Molina, by many Spanish authors, and by modern
testimony, that in attempting to describe the Patagonians, I shall
try to unite his account (bearing in mind the time elapsed, and
consequent changes) to the information which has been obtained during
late years.
Of the Fuegians, a few notices are to be found in narratives of
various voyagers; but the imperfect description here given is
principally derived from the natives who went to England in the
Beagle; and from Mr. Low, who has seen more of them in their own
country than any other person.
About the middle of the last century, the aboriginal inhabitants
of that portion of South America which lies between the parallels
of thirty and forty, formed two principal divisions, more or less
separated by the only real barrier existing in that extent of
country, the Cordillera of the Andes. Those who lived eastward of the
Andes were called ‘Puel-che,’ signifying east people; and those on
the other side were known by the term ‘Molu-che,’ which signifies war
people, or warriors: and these terms are still in habitual use.
Numerous subdivisions have perplexed all whose attention has been
attracted to the aboriginal population of Southern America. Falkner’s
account is the least confused, in every way the most probable, and
agrees the best with what is now found to be the condition of that
portion of uncivilized man. For our present purpose, I believe,
it will be sufficient to remark, that the Puel-che and Molu-che
called the tribes who lived towards the south, ‘Tehuel-het’[1] and
‘Huilli-che,’ both of which terms signify people of the south.
The Huilli-che were again divided into Pichi Huilli-che and Vuta
Huilli-che; ‘pichi,’ meaning little; and ‘vuta,’ great. Both the
Tehuel-het and the Vuta Huilli-che lived to the southward of forty
degrees of latitude. A branch or tribe of the Tehuel-het who lived
farthest towards the south, on the eastern side, had no horses, and
that tribe was called ‘Yacana-kunny,’[2] (foot people). Westward
of those people, separated from them by a ridge of mountains, was
a tribe called Key-uhue, Key-yus, or Key-es; and northward, the
Sehuau-kunny[3].
Falkner, in his account, rather confuses the habits of the
Yacana-kunny with those of the Key-uhue, which is not to be wondered
at, as he described those tribes solely from the accounts of others.
The Key-uhue have neither ‘bowls,’ or balls (bolas), nor ‘ostriches,’
(see Falkner, p. 111), in their rugged tempestuous islands: neither
do the Yacana-kunny ‘live chiefly on fish.’ The former live on fish,
while the latter kill guanacoes, birds, and seals.
Between the Key-uhue and the Chonos tribe were the Poy-yus, or
Pey-es, living on the sea-coast. The Chonos inhabited the Archipelago
so called, and part of Chilóe.
These three last-mentioned tribes--Key-uhue, Poy-yus, and
Chonos--were called ‘Vuta Huilli-che.’
Rather than occupy time in attempting to give an account of the past
state of these ever-varying tribes,--whose numbers have been so much
altered, and whose locations may be now changed,--I will endeavour to
give some idea of the present condition, distribution, and probable
numbers of the people called Patagonians; of the natives of Tierra
del Fuego, or Fuegians, and of the western tribe called Chonos. By
those who have frequented the Strait of Magalhaens or its vicinity,
the latter are often called ‘Canoe Indians;’ and the Patagonians,
‘Horse Indians.’
The Patagonians (Tehuel-het) travel on horseback over the country
between the River Negro and the Strait of Magalhaens; from the
Atlantic to the Cordillera of the Andes. They have no boats or canoes
of any kind; and their disposition, habits, and language are very
different from those of the Fuegians (Yacana-kunny, Key-uhue, and
Poy-yus). Those who live in the north-eastern part of Tierra del
Fuego have neither canoes nor horses. The natives of the southern and
western islands, and of the shores of Otway and Skyring waters, also
the people who live upon the western islands and coast of Patagonia,
have canoes, but no horses.
The Patagonians are now divided into four parties, each of which
has a separate though ill-defined territory. Each of these parties
has a leader, or cacique; but they speak one language, and are
evidently subdivisions of one tribe. When mutually convenient, they
all assemble in one place: but if food becomes scarce, or quarrels
happen, each party withdraws to its own territory. At such times one
body will encroach upon the hunting grounds of another, and a battle
is the consequence. About four hundred adults, and a rather large
proportion of children, are in each of these parties: the number of
women being to that of the men as three to one. Near the Strait of
Magalhaens about fourteen hundred Patagonians have been lately seen
encamped together for a short time; but usually there is only one
horde, of about four hundred grown people, in that neighbourhood.
Less is known of the Yacana-kunny than of any other tribe, or
portion of a tribe. It may consist of about six hundred men and
women, besides children.
Beyond a range of high mountains to the southward of the Yacana, is
the tribe formerly called Key-uhue, now probably the Tekeenica. These
are the smallest, and apparently the most wretched of the Fuegians.
They inhabit the shores and neighbourhood of the Beagle Channel. The
number of adults in this tribe may be about five hundred. (Note 1.)
To the westward, between the western part of the Beagle Channel and
the Strait of Magalhaens, is a tribe now called Alikhoolip (which may
be the Poy-yus), whose numbers amount perhaps to four hundred.
About the central parts of Magalhaens Strait is a small and very
miserable horde, whose name I do not know. Their usual exclamation is
‘Pecheray!’ ‘Pecheray!’ whence Bougainville and others called them
the Pecherais. For want of a more correct term I shall here use the
same word. The number of adults among them is about two hundred.
Near Otway and Skyring waters is a tribe, or fraction of a tribe,
whose name I could not learn; for the present I shall call them
‘Huemul’--because they have many skins of a kind of roebuck, which is
said to be the animal described by Molina as the ‘Huemul’[4]. Their
number may be one hundred, or thereabouts. I am inclined to think
that these Huemul Indians are a branch of the Yacana people, whom
Falkner describes as living on both sides of the Strait.
On the western coast of Patagonia, between the Strait of Magalhaens
and the Chonos Archipelago, there is now but one tribe, in which
there are not above four hundred grown people.
Each of the tribes here specified speaks a language differing from
that of any other, though, as I believe, not radically different from
the aboriginal Chilian. Some words are common to two or more tribes;
as may be seen by reference to the fragment of a vocabulary in the
Appendix; and differences must increase because neighbouring tribes
are seldom at peace.
The numbers above stated are mere estimations. The difficulty of
obtaining either language or information from the Fuegians can only
be well appreciated by those who have had intercourse with them,
or with the New Hollanders; whose mimickry of what one says is as
perplexing as the same trick is when speaking to the Fuegians.
Allowing that the Tehuel-het or Patagonians
amount to 1,600
Yacana 600
Tekeenica 500
Alikhoolip 400
Pecheray 200
Huemul 100, and
Chonos 400
-----
the total will be 3,800,
which I do not think is five hundred in error: and I should say, in
round numbers, that there are about four thousand adults south of the
latitude of forty degrees, exclusive of Chilóe.
By Patagonia is meant that part of South America which lies between
the River Negro and the Strait of Magalhaens.
Eastern Patagonia is the portion of this district which lies eastward
of the Cordillera; and Western Patagonia, the part lying between the
summits of the Andes and the Pacific Ocean.
Tierra del Fuego takes in all the islands southward of the Strait
of Magalhaens (including Staten Land), as far as the Diego Ramirez
islets.
Before entering into a more detailed account of these aborigines, I
will try to give a slight general idea of their personal appearance;
of their horses and canoes; of their houses and country; in short,
an outline sketch of that which is observed at the first glance of
a stranger’s eye. The minuter details, which will follow, may be
tedious to many readers.
Magalhaens first gave the name of Patagones to the natives whom he
saw at Port San Julian in 1520. They were of very large (gigantic)
stature, and their feet, being wrapped in rough guanaco skin, by
way of shoes, were remarked particularly. Probably their footsteps
in the sand were noticed, and excited some such exclamation as
‘que patagones!’ (what great feet!) patagon meaning a very large
foot.--(See note 3.)
Tierra del Fuego was also named by Magalhaens, because many fires
were seen, in the night, upon that land.
The aboriginal natives of Eastern Patagonia are a tall and extremely
stout race of men. Their bodies are bulky, their heads and features
large, yet their hands and feet are comparatively small. Their limbs
are neither so muscular nor so large boned as their height and
apparent bulk would induce one to suppose: they are also rounder
and smoother than those of white men. Their colour is a rich
reddish-brown, between that of rusty iron and clean copper, rather
darker than copper, yet not so dark as good old mahogany.[5] But
every shade of colour between that just mentioned and the lighter hue
of a copper kettle, may be seen among individuals of various ages.
Excepting among old or sickly people, I did not notice a tinge of
yellow: some of the women are lighter coloured--about the tint of
pale copper--but none are fair, according to our ideas.
Nothing is worn upon the head except their rough, lank, and coarse
black hair, which is tied above the temples with a fillet of platted
or twisted sinews. A large mantle, made of skins sewed together,
loosely gathered about them, hanging from the shoulders to their
ankles, adds so much to the bulkiness of their appearance, that one
ought not to wonder at their having been called ‘gigantic.’ I am not
aware that a Patagonian has appeared, during late years, exceeding in
height six feet and some inches; but I see no reason to disbelieve
Falkner’s account of the Cacique Cangapol, whose height, he says,
was seven feet and some inches. When Falkner stood on tiptoe he
could not reach the top of Cangapol’s head. It is rather curious,
that Byron could only just touch the top of the tallest man’s head
whom he saw. Ever restless and wandering, as were the Tehuel-het, of
which tribes that cacique was chief, might not Byron have measured
Cangapol?[6] Who disbelieves that the Roman Emperor, Maximinus, by
birth a Thracian, was more than eight feet in height? yet who, in
consequence, expects all Thracians to be giants? At present, among
two or three hundred natives of Patagonia, scarcely half-a-dozen men
are seen whose height is under five feet nine or ten; and the women
are tall in proportion.
I have nowhere met an assemblage of men and women whose average
height and apparent bulk approached to that of the Patagonians.
Tall and athletic as are many of the natives of Otaheite, and
other islands in the Pacific Ocean, there are also many among
them who are slight, and of low stature. The Patagonians seem
high-shouldered--owing perhaps to the habit of folding their arms in
their mantles across the chest, and thus increasing their apparent
height and bulk, as the mantles hang loosely, and almost touch the
ground. Until actually measured, I could not believe that they were
not much taller than was found to be the fact.
But little hair shews itself on their faces or bodies. From the
former it is studiously removed by two shells, or some kind of
pincers. Although they do not augment the coarseness of their
features by piercing either nose or lips, they disfigure themselves
not a little by red,[7] black,[8] or white[9] paint, with which they
make grotesque ornaments, such as circles around their eyes, or great
daubs across their faces. Upon particular occasions, all the upper
part of their body, from the waist upwards, is strangely decorated
(or disfigured) by paint, awkwardly laid on with very little design.
On their feet and legs are boots made out of the skins of horses’
legs. Wooden spurs, if they cannot get iron; sets of balls (bolas),
and a long tapering lance of bamboo, pointed with iron, complete
their equipment. These lances are seldom seen near the Strait of
Magalhaens, but the natives are not always without them.
The women are dressed and booted like the men, with the addition
of a half petticoat, made of skins, if they cannot procure foreign
coarse cloth. They clean their hair, and divide it into two tails,
which are platted, and hang down, one on each side. Ornaments of
beads, bits of brass, or silver, or any similar trifles, are much
prized, and worn in necklaces, or as bracelets; sometimes also as
ear-rings, or round their ankles. Mounted upon horses of an inferior
size, averaging only about fourteen hands and a half in height,
though rather well-bred, the Patagonians seem to be carried no better
than the full-accoutred dragoons, who rode eighteen stone upon horses
equal to twelve; yet those horses, so slight in comparison with
their masters, carry them at full speed in chase of ostriches or
guanacoes; and we all know what our dragoon horses have done under
their heavily-weighted, but determined riders. With bridles of hide
tied to the lower jaw, when there is not a Spanish bit, and a light
saddle of wood, covered with some skins and placed upon others, a
Patagonian rides hard when there is occasion--but frequently changes
his horse. Many large dogs, of a rough, lurcher-like breed, assist
them in hunting, and keep an excellent watch at night. (Note at end
of Chapter VIII.)
The toldos (huts) of these wanderers are in shape not unlike gipsy
tents. Poles are stuck in the ground, to which others are fastened,
and skins of animals, sewed together, form the covering, so that
an irregular tilt-shaped hut is thus made. Three sides and the top
are covered; but the front, turned towards the east, is open. These
toldos are about seven feet high, and ten or twelve feet square; they
are lower at the back, or western side, than in front, by several
feet. These are their ordinary dwellings; of other rather larger
constructions a description will be given hereafter.
The country inhabited by these Patagonians is open and, generally
speaking, rather level, but with occasional hills and some extensive
ranges of level-topped heights (steppes). There are very few trees,
and water is scarce. The eye wanders over an apparently boundless
extent of parched, yellow-looking semi-desert, where rain[10] seldom
falls, and the sky is almost always clear. The heats of summer are
very great; but in winter, though the days are not cold, the frosts
at night are severe; and at all times of the year, in the day-time,
strong winds sweep over the plains.
[Illustration:
C. Martens. T. Landseer.
PATAGONIANS.
(AT GREGORY BAY)
Published by Henry Colburn, Great Marlborough Street, 1838.]
The Yacana-kunny, natives of the north-eastern part of Tierra del
Fuego, resemble the Patagonians in colour, stature, and clothing.[11]
They seem to be now much in the condition in which the Patagonians
must have been before they had horses.[12] With their dogs, with
bows and arrows, balls (bolas), slings, lances, and clubs, they kill
guanacoes, ostriches, birds, and seals.
The north-eastern portion of Tierra del Fuego is a better country
than Patagonia. The woody mountains of the south-western islands are
succeeded, towards this north-east district, by hills of moderate
height, partially wooded; northward of which are level expanses,
almost free from wood, but covered with herbage adapted to the
pasturage of cattle.
The climate is a mean between the extremes of wetness and drought,
which are so much felt by the neighbouring regions; and when a
settlement is made, at some future day, in that part of the world,
San Sebastian Bay, in the Yacana country, called by Narborough,
King Charles South Land, would be an advantageous position for its
site.[13]
The Tekeenica, natives of the south-eastern portion of Tierra del
Fuego, are low in stature, ill-looking, and badly proportioned. Their
colour is that of very old mahogany, or rather between dark copper,
and bronze. The trunk of the body is large, in proportion to their
cramped and rather crooked limbs. Their rough, coarse, and extremely
dirty black hair half hides yet heightens a villanous expression of
the worst description of savage features.
Passing so much time in low wigwams, or cramped in small canoes,
injures the shape and size of their legs, and causes them to move
about in a stooping manner, with the knees much bent; yet they are
very nimble, and rather strong.
They suffer very little hair to grow, excepting on their heads. Even
their eyebrows are almost eradicated--two muscle-shells serving for
pincers. This aversion to the smaller tufts of hair does not extend
to the thatch-like covering of their ugly heads, which is lank,
covered with dirt, hanging about their ears, and almost over their
faces. Just above their eyes it is jagged away by a broken shell,
if they have not a piece of iron hoop for a knife, the pieces cut
off being scrupulously burned. In height varying from four feet ten
to five feet six, yet in the size of their bodies equalling men of
six feet, of course they look clumsy and ill-proportioned; but their
hands and feet are rather small with respect to the size of their
bodies, though not so in proportion to their limbs and joints, which,
excepting the knees, are small. Their knees are all strained, and
their legs injured in shape, by the habit of squatting upon their
heels. Awkward and difficult as such a posture appears to us, it is
to them a position of easy rest.
Sometimes these satires upon mankind wear a part of the skin of a
guanaco or a seal-skin upon their backs, and perhaps the skin of a
penguin or a bit of hide hangs in front; but often there is nothing,
either to hide their nakedness or to preserve warmth, excepting a
scrap of hide, which is tied to the side or back of the body, by a
string round the waist. Even this is only for a pocket, in which
they may carry stones for their slings, and hide what they pick up
or pilfer. A man always carries his sling around his neck or waist,
wherever he goes.
Women wear rather more clothing, that is, they have nearly a whole
skin of a guanaco, or seal, wrapped about them, and usually a
diminutive apron. The upper part of the wrapper, above a string which
is tied around the waist, serves to carry an infant. Neither men nor
women have any substitute for shoes.
No ornaments are worn in the nose, ears, or lips, nor on the fingers;
but of necklaces, and bracelets, such as they are, the women are very
fond. With small shells, or pieces of the bones of birds, strung
upon lines made of sinews, these necklaces and bracelets are made,
when nothing preferable is to be found; but beads, buttons, pieces
of broken glass, or bits of fractured crockery-ware are most highly
esteemed.
The hair of the women is longer, less coarse, and certainly cleaner
than that of the men. It is combed with the jaw of a porpoise, but
neither platted nor tied; and none is cut away, excepting from over
their eyes. They are short, with bodies largely out of proportion
to their height; their features, especially those of the old, are
scarcely less disagreeable than the repulsive ones of the men. About
four feet and some inches is the stature of these she-Fuegians--by
courtesy called women. They never walk upright: a stooping posture,
and awkward movement, is their natural gait. They may be fit mates
for such uncouth men; but to civilized people their appearance is
disgusting. Very few exceptions were noticed.
The colour of the women is similar to that of the men. As they
are just as much exposed, and do harder work, this is a natural
consequence: besides, while children, they run about quite naked,
picking up shell-fish, carrying wood, or bringing water. In the
colour of the older people there is a tinge of yellow, which is not
noticed in the middle-aged or young.
Both sexes oil themselves, or rub their bodies with grease; and
daub their faces and bodies with red, black, or white. A fillet is
often worn round the head, which upon ordinary occasions is simply a
string, made of sinews; but if going to war, or dressed for show, the
fillet is ornamented with white down, white feathers, or pieces of
cloth, if they have obtained any from shipping. Small lances, headed
with wood; others, pointed with bone; bows, and arrows headed with
obsidian, agate, or jasper; clubs; and slings; are the weapons used
by the Tekeenica.
The smoke of wood fires, confined in small wigwams, hurts their eyes
so much, that they are red and watery; the effects of their oiling,
or greasing themselves, and then rubbing ochre, clay, or charcoal,
over their bodies; of their often feeding upon the most offensive
substances, sometimes in a state of putridity; and of other vile
habits, may readily be imagined.
As a Tekeenica is seldom out of sight of his canoe or a wigwam, a
slight idea of these--his only constructions--should be given with
this sketch.
The canoe is made of several large pieces of bark, sewed together;
its shape is nearly that which would be taken by the strong bark of
the trunk of a tree (twelve to twenty feet in length, and a foot, or
two feet, in diameter), separated from the solid wood, in one piece.
If this piece of bark were drawn together at the ends, and kept open
by sticks in the middle, it would look rather like a Fuegian canoe.
A Tekeenica wigwam is of a conical form, made of a number of large
poles, or young trees, placed touching one another in a circle, with
the small ends meeting. Sometimes, bunches of grass or pieces of bark
are thrown upon the side which is exposed to the prevailing winds. No
Fuegians, except the Tekeenica, make their huts in this manner.
The country of this people may be briefly described by saying that
deep but narrow arms of the sea intersect high mountainous islands,
many of whose summits are covered with snow, while the lee or eastern
sides of their steep and rocky shores are more than partially covered
with evergreen woods.
Between projecting rocky points are sandy or stony beaches, fronting
very small spaces of level land, on which the huts of the natives are
generally placed. Almost throughout the year, cloudy weather, rain,
and much wind prevail; indeed, really fine days are very rare. Being
so near the level of that great climate agent, the ocean, frost and
snow are far less frequent than might be expected in a high latitude,
among snow-covered mountains, of which the sight alone inclines one
to shiver.
The men of the Alikhoolip tribe are the stoutest and hardiest, and
the women the least ill-looking of the Fuegians. Though not very
dissimilar, they are superior to the Tekeenica; but they are inferior
to the Yacana, and far below the natives of Patagonia. Their canoes
are rather better than those of the Tekeenica, made, however, in the
same manner.
[Illustration:
ZAPALLO MAN. HUEMUL WOMAN.
HUEMUL BOY. YAPOO MAN.
YACANA MAN. PECHERAY MAN.
FUEGIANS.
_R. Fitz-Roy._ _T. Landseer._
Published by Henry Colburn, Great Marlborough Street, 1838.]
The wigwams of the Alikhoolip, and indeed of all the Fuegians, except
the Tekeenica (and perhaps some of the Yacana, whom we have not
seen), are shaped like bee-hives. Their height is not above four or
five feet above the ground; but an excavation is usually made within,
which gives another foot, making about five feet and a-half of
height, inside, and they are two, three, or four yards in diameter.
Branches of trees stuck in the ground, bent together towards the top,
form the structure, upon which skins, pieces of bark, and bunches of
coarse grass are roughly fastened. Of course, neither these nor the
Tekeenica wigwams are wind or water tight, neither does the smoke
need a chimney.
The country and climate of the Alikhoolip are similar to the
Tekeenica, though wetter, more windy, and more disagreeable. Both
men and women are better covered with seal or otter skins than the
Tekeenica and Pecheray tribes. When surprised, or sure that they
would not be plundered, the women of this tribe were always seen
wrapped in large otter or seal skins.
The natives of the central parts of Magalhaens Strait appear to
be almost as miserable a race as the Tekeenica. As in nothing but
language, and the construction of their wigwams, is there any
difference which has yet been found out (though probably existing), I
shall say no more of them in this place.
Their climate is nearly the same as that of the Alikhoolip; and the
country is similar, though more wooded in many places, because more
sheltered.
Those whom I have hitherto called Huemul, who live near the Otway
and Skyring Waters, seem to be a mixed breed, rather resembling the
Yacana, of which tribe they are probably a branch. In habits, as
well as in appearance, they partake of some of the peculiarities
of Patagonians as well as Fuegians. Their country is like the
Yacana--Tierra del Fuego blending or sinking into Patagonia, sharing
the qualities of each region, and therefore preferable to either.
They have very few canoes; and no horses: but large dogs are used by
them in hunting the huemul and guanaco.
The tribe mentioned in a following page, which was met by Mr. Low at
the north side of Fitz-Roy Passage, must have been chiefly composed
of slaves (zapallos). The Huemul tribe is not numerous, and having
plenty of land, with abundance of food, would hardly quit their
own territory to submit to a Patagonian Cacique. These natives
are neither inclined to serve a master, nor to learn new habits:
besides, being separated from the Horse Indians by a little channel,
they could not easily be caught, and obliged to remain with the
Patagonians, as some persons have supposed.
The Chonos, who live on the western shores and islands of Patagonia,
are rather like the Alikhoolip, but not quite so stout or so daring.
In general they are less savage than the Fuegians; and though their
habits of life are similar, traces are visible of former intercourse
with the Spaniards, which doubtless has tended to improve their
character.
Prior to the Spanish conquest, the Chonos Indians inhabited Chilóe
and the Chonos Archipelago; but that now they are all south of Cape
Tres Montes, there is good reason to suppose, though certainly no
positive proof. The canoes of these Chonos Indians are made of
planks, sewed together; and they are rowed with oars. Generally there
is a cross at one end of the canoe, or rather boat. Their wigwams are
like those already mentioned of the bee-hive form.
The climate of Western Patagonia is so disagreeable that the country
is almost uninhabitable. Clouds, wind, and rain are continual in
their annoyance. Perhaps there are not ten days in the year on which
rain does not fall; and not thirty on which the wind does not blow
strongly; yet the air is mild, and the temperature surprisingly
uniform throughout the year. The country is like the worst part of
Tierra del Fuego--a range of mountains, half sunk in ocean; barren
to seaward, impenetrably wooded towards the mainland, and always
drenched with the waters of frequent rain, which are never dried up
by evaporation before fresh showers fall.
Having thus endeavoured to give a slight general idea of the more
obvious peculiarities of these, the most southern aborigines on
the globe, I will enter into rather more detail, even at the risk
of being prolix. As there is much similarity in the habits of all
the tribes above-mentioned who use canoes, and we know little of the
Yacana, I shall speak of the Horse Indians, generally, in the first
place; and of the Canoe Indians, as one body, in the second.
NOTE 1.--There is so much difficulty in deciding upon the
orthography of words whose sounds are variously given by
individuals even of the same tribe, and which, caught by
ears of varying acuteness, are written down according to the
pronunciation of different languages, that one may trace some
connexion between the names Key-es, Key-yus; Keyuhues, or
Key-uhue; Kekenica, or Tekeenica, and Kenneka. This last term
is taken from Van Noort. (Burney, vol. ii. p. 215.) Perhaps
the country there called ‘Coin’ may be that inhabited by Jemmy
Button’s Oens-men.
2. Molina’s description of the Huemul is said by naturalists
to be unsatisfactory and inconclusive; therefore, whether it
is an animal hitherto unnoticed (except by him), or the ‘kind
of roebuck,’ mentioned in page 132, remains to be decided. See
Molina, vol. i. p. 364.
3. Pennant, in his ‘Literary Life,’ quotes Cavendish’s as well
as Brouwer’s measurement of footsteps eighteen inches long! As
Pennant was personally acquainted with Falkner, and collected
much information respecting the Patagonians from other sources
likewise, I have inserted a short extract from his work in the
Appendix to this volume. The original book is now becoming
scarce, and some of the notices contained in it are very
interesting in connexion with this subject.
* * * * *
While I was revising my manuscript journal, Sir Woodbine Parish
had the kindness to lend me ‘Viedma’s Diary,’ with permission
to make use of it: and, finding some interesting notices of the
Patagonians which were quite new to me, I have added to the
appendix of this volume a verbatim extract from Viedma, which I
think will repay the curious reader, especially where their ideas
of the transmigration of souls are mentioned.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Called by themselves ‘Tehuel-kunny.’
[2] ‘Che,’ ‘het,’ and ‘kunny,’ signify people, in different dialects.
[3] The Sehuau-kunny are a part of the Tehuel-het.
[4] See Note 2, at the end of this chapter.
[5] The colour of these aborigines is extremely like that of the
Devonshire breed of cattle. From the window of a room in which I am
sitting, I see some oxen of that breed passing through the outskirts
of a wood, and the partial glimpses caught of them remind me strongly
of the South American red men.
[6] Byron’s voyage, 1765.--Falkner, 1740-80.
[7] Ochre.
[8] Charcoal and oil.
[9] Felspathic earth and oil.
[10] Except during a few days in each year, or perhaps at intervals
of two or three years, when it pours down in torrents.
[11] Excepting boots.
[12] See Magalhaens’ first interview. Burney, vol. i. p. 34.
[13] Falkner says (p. 93, speaking of this country), “It is evident
that this place has the conveniences of wood, water, and soil; and,
if there could be found a tolerable harbour, it would be much more
convenient for a colony, and have a better command of the passage to
the South Sea than Falkland’s Islands.”