In glancing at the map of the American continent, we are struck by a
remarkable analogy between the geographical features of its two great
divisions--the North and the South,--an analogy amounting almost to a
symmetrical parallelism.
Each has its "mighty" mountains--the _Cordilleras of the Andes_ in the
south, and the _Cordilleras of the Sierra Madre_ (Rocky Mountains) in
the north--with all the varieties of volcano and eternal snow. Each has
its secondary chain: in the north, the _Nevadas_ of California and
Oregon; in the south, the _Sierras_ of Caraccas and the group of Guiana;
and, if you wish to render the parallelism complete, descend to a lower
elevation, and set the Alleghanies of the United States against the
mountains of Brazil--both alike detached from all the others.
In the comparison we have exhausted the mountain chains of both
divisions of the continent. If we proceed further, and carry it into
minute detail, we shall find the same correspondence--ridge for ridge,
chain for chain, peak for peak;--in short, a most singular equilibrium,
as if there had been a design that one half of this great continent
should balance the other!
From the mountains let us proceed to the rivers, and see how _they_ will
correspond. Here, again, we discover a like parallelism, amounting
almost to a rivalry. Each continent (for it is proper to style them so)
contains the largest river in the world. If we make _length_ the
standard, the north claims precedence for the Mississippi; if _volume of
water_ is to be the criterion, the south is entitled to it upon the
merits of the Amazon. Each, too, has its numerous branches, spreading
into a mighty "tree"; and these, either singly or combined, form a
curious equipoise both in length and magnitude. We have only time to
set list against list, tributaries of the great northern river against
tributaries of its great southern compeer,--the Ohio and Illinois, the
Yellowstone and Platte, the Kansas and Osage, the Arkansas and Red,
against the Madeira and Purus, the Ucayali and Huallaga, the Japura and
Negro, the Xingu and Tapajos.
Of other river systems, the Saint Lawrence may be placed against the La
Plata, the Oregon against the Orinoco, the Mackenzie against the
Magdalena, and the Rio Bravo del Norte against the Tocantins; while the
two Colorados--the Brazos and Alabama--find their respective rivals in
the Essequibo, the Paranahybo, the Pedro, and the Patagonian Negro; and
the San Francisco of California, flowing over sands of gold, is balanced
by its homonyme of Brazil, that has its origin in the land of diamonds.
To an endless list might the comparison be carried.
We pass to the plains. _Prairies_ in the north, _llanos_ and _pampas_
in the south, almost identical in character. _Of the plateaux_ or
tablelands, those of Mexico, La Puebla, Perote, and silver Potosi in the
north; those of Quito, Bogota, Cusco, and gold Potosi in the south; of
the desert plains, Utah and the Llano Estacado against Atacama and the
deserts of Patagonia. Even the Great Salt Lake has its parallel in
Titicaca; while the "Salinas" of New Mexico and the upland prairies, are
represented by similar deposits in the Gran Chaco and the Pampas.
We arrive finally at the forests. Though unlike in other respects, we
have here also a rivalry in magnitude,--between the vast timbered
expanse stretching from Arkansas to the Atlantic shores, and that which
covers the valley of the Amazon. These _were_ the two greatest forests
on the face of the earth. I say _were_, for one of them no longer
exists; at least, it is no longer a continuous tract, but a collection
of forests, opened by the axe, and intersected by the clearings of the
colonist. The other still stands in all its virgin beauty and primeval
vigour, untouched by the axe, undefiled by fire, its path scarce trodden
by human feet, its silent depths to this hour unexplored.
It is with this forest and its denizens we have to do. Here then let us
terminate the catalogue of similitudes, and concentrate our attention
upon the particular subject of our sketch.
The whole _valley_ of the Amazon--in other words, the tract watered by
this great river and its tributaries--may be described as one unbroken
forest. We now know the borders of this forest with considerable
exactness, but to trace them here would require a too lengthened detail.
Suffice it to say, that lengthwise it extends from the mouth of the
Amazon to the foothills of the Peruvian Andes, a distance of 2,500
miles. In breadth it varies, beginning on the Atlantic coast with a
breadth of 400 miles, which widens towards the central part of the
continent till it attains to 1,500, and again narrowing to about 1,000,
where it touches the eastern slope of the Andes.
That form of leaf known to botanists as "obovate" will give a good idea
of the figure of the great Amazon forest, supposing the small end or
shank to rest on the Atlantic, and the broad end to extend along the
semicircular concavity of the Andes, from Bolivia on the south to New
Granada on the north. In all this vast expanse of territory there is
scarce an acre of open ground, if we except the water-surface of the
rivers and their bordering "lagoons," which, were they to bear their due
proportions on a map, could scarce be represented by the narrowest
lines, or the most inconspicuous dots. The grass plains which embay the
forest on its southern edge along the banks of some of its Brazilian
tributaries, or those which proceed like spurs from the Llanos of
Venezuela, do not in any place approach the Amazon itself, and there are
many points on the great river which may be taken as centres, and around
which circles may be drawn, having diameters 1,000 miles in length, the
circumferences of which will enclose nothing but timbered land. The
main stream of the Amazon, though it intersects this grand forest, does
not _bisect_ it, speaking with mathematical precision. There is rather
more timbered surface to the southward than that which extends
northward, though the inequality of the two divisions is not great. It
would not be much of an error to say that the Amazon river cuts the
forest in halves. At its mouth, however, this would not apply; since
for the first 300 miles above the embouchure of the river, the country
on the northern side is destitute of timber. This is occasioned by the
projecting spurs of the Guiana mountains, which on that side approach
the Amazon in the shape of naked ridges and grass-covered hills and
plains.
It is not necessary to say that the great forest of the Amazon is a
tropical one--since the river itself, throughout its whole course,
almost traces the line of the equator. Its vegetation, therefore, is
emphatically of a tropical character; and in this respect it differs
essentially from that of North America, or rather, we should say, of
Canada and the United States. It is necessary to make this limitation,
because the forests of the tropical parts of North America, including
the West-Indian islands, present a great similitude to that of the
Amazon. It is not only in the genera and species of trees that the
_sylva_ of the temperate zone differs from that of the torrid; but there
is a very remarkable difference in the distribution of these genera and
species. In a great forest of the north, it is not uncommon to find a
large tract covered with a single species of trees,--as with pines,
oaks, poplars, or the red cedar (_Juniperus Virginiana_). This
arrangement is rather the rule than the exception; whereas, in the
tropical forest, the rule is reversed, except in the case of two or
three species of palms (_Mauritia_ and _Euterpe_), which sometimes
exclusively cover large tracts of surface. Of other trees, it is rare
to find even a clump or grove standing together--often only two or three
trees, and still more frequently, a single individual is observed,
separated from those of its own kind by hundreds of others, all
differing in order, genus, and species. I note this peculiarity of the
tropic forest, because it exercises, as may easily be imagined, a direct
influence upon the economy of its human occupants--whether these be
savage or civilised. Even the habits of the lower animals--beasts and
birds--are subject to a similar influence.
It would be out of place here to enumerate the different kinds of trees
that compose this mighty wood,--a bare catalogue of their names would
alone fill many pages,--and it would be safe to say that if the list
were given as now known to botanists, it would comprise scarce half the
species that actually exist in the valley of the Amazon. In real truth,
this vast Garden of God is yet unexplored by man. Its border walks and
edges have alone been examined; and the enthusiastic botanist need not
fear that he is too late in the field. A hundred years will elapse
before this grand _parterre_ can be exhausted.
At present, a thorough examination of the botany of the Amazon valley
would be difficult, if not altogether impossible, even though conducted
on a grand and expensive scale. There are several reasons for this.
Its woods are in many places absolutely impenetrable--on account either
of the thick tangled undergrowth, or from the damp, spongy nature of the
soil. There are no roads that could be traversed by horse or man; and
the few paths are known only to the wild savage,--not always passable
even by him. Travelling can only be done by water, either upon the
great rivers, or by the narrow creeks (igaripes) or lagoons; and a
journey performed in this fashion must needs be both tedious and
indirect, allowing but a limited opportunity for observation. Horses
can scarce be said to exist in the country, and cattle are equally
rare--a few only are found in one or two of the large Portuguese
settlements on the main river--and the jaguars and blood-sucking bats
offer a direct impediment to their increase. Contrary to the general
belief, the tropical forest is not the home of the larger mammalia: it
is not their proper _habitat_, nor are they found in it. In the Amazon
forest but few species exist, and these not numerous in individuals.
There are no vast herds--as of buffaloes on the prairies of North
America, or of antelopes in Africa. The tapir alone attains to any
considerable size,--exceeding that of the ass,--but its numbers are few.
Three or four species of small deer represent the ruminants, and the
hog of the Amazon is the peccary. Of these there are at least three
species. Where the forest impinges on the mountain regions of Peru,
bears are found of at least two kinds, but not on the lower plains of
the great "Montana,"--for by this general designation is the vast
expanse of the Amazon country known among the Peruvian people. "Montes"
and "montanas," literally signifying "mountains," are not so understood
among Spanish Americans. With them the "montes" and "montanas" are
tracts of forest-covered country, and that of the Amazon valley is the
"Montana" _par excellence_.
Sloths of several species, and opossums of still greater variety, are
found all over the Montana, but both thinly distributed as regards the
number of individuals. A similar remark applies to the ant-eaters or
"ant-bears," of which there are four kinds,--to the armadillos, the
"agoutis," and the "cavies," one of which last, the _capibara_, is the
largest rodent upon earth. This, with its kindred genus, the "paca," is
not so rare in individual numbers, but, on the contrary, appears in
large herds upon the borders of the rivers and lagoons. A porcupine,
several species of spinous rats, an otter, two or three kinds of
badger-like animals (the _potto_ and _coatis_), a "honey-bear" (_Galera
barbara_), and a fox, or wild dog, are widely distributed throughout the
Montana.
Everywhere exists the jaguar, both the black and spotted varieties, and
the puma has there his lurking-place. Smaller cats, both spotted and
striped, are numerous in species, and squirrels of several kinds, with
bats, complete the list of the terrestrial mammalia.
Of all the lower animals, monkeys are the most common, for to them the
Montana is a congenial home. They abound not only in species, but in
the number of individuals, and their ubiquitous presence contributes to
enliven the woods. At least thirty different kinds of them exist in the
Amazon valley, from the "coatas," and other howlers as large as baboons,
to the tiny little "ouistitis" and "saimiris," not bigger than squirrels
or rats.
While we must admit a paucity in the species of the quadrupeds of the
Amazon, the same remark does not apply to the birds. In the
ornithological department of natural history, a fulness and richness
here exist, perhaps not equalled elsewhere. The most singular and
graceful forms, combined with the most brilliant plumage, are everywhere
presented to the eye, in the parrots and great macaws, the toucans,
trogons, and tanagers, the _shrikes_, humming-birds, and orioles; and
even in the vultures and eagles: for here are found the most beautiful
of predatory birds,--the king vulture and the harpy eagle. Of the
feathered creatures existing in the valleys of the Amazon there are not
less than one thousand different species, of which only one half have
yet been caught or described.
Reptiles are equally abundant--the serpent family being represented by
numerous species, from the great water boa (_anaconda_), of ten yards in
length, to the tiny and beautiful but venomous _lachesis_, or coral
snake, not thicker than the shank of a tobacco-pipe. The lizards range
through a like gradation, beginning with the huge "jacare," or
crocodile, of several species, and ending with the turquoise-blue
_anolius_, not bigger than a newt.
The waters too are rich in species of their peculiar inhabitants--of
which the most remarkable and valuable are the _manatees_ (two or three
species), the great and smaller turtles, the porpoises of various kinds,
and an endless catalogue of the finny tribes that frequent the rivers of
the tropics. It is mainly from this source, and not from four-footed
creatures of the forest, that the human denizen of the great Montana
draws his supply of food,--at least that portion of it which may be
termed the "meaty." Were it not for the _manatee_, the great porpoise,
and other large fish, he would often have to "eat his bread dry."
And now it is _his_ turn to be "talked about." I need not inform you
that the aborigines who inhabit the valley of the Amazon, are all of the
so-called _Indian_ race--though there are so many, distinct tribes of
them that almost every river of any considerable magnitude has a tribe
of its own. In some cases a number of these tribes belong to one
_nationality_; that is, several of them may be found speaking nearly the
same language, though living apart from each other; and of these larger
divisions or nationalities there are several occupying the different
districts of the Montana. The tribes even of the same nationality do
not always present a uniform appearance. There are darker and fairer
tribes; some in which the average standard of height is less than among
Europeans; and others where it equals or exceeds this. There are tribes
again where both men and women are ill-shaped and ill-favoured--though
these are few--and other tribes where both sexes exhibit a considerable
degree of personal beauty. Some tribes are even distinguished for their
good looks, the men presenting models of manly form, while the women are
equally attractive by the regularity of their features, and the graceful
modesty of expression that adorns them.
A minute detail of the many peculiarities in which the numerous tribes
of the Amazon differ from one another would fill a large volume; and in
a sketch like the present, which is meant to include them all, it would
not be possible to give such a detail. Nor indeed would it serve any
good purpose; for although there are many points of difference between
the different tribes, yet these are generally of slight importance, and
are far more than counterbalanced by the multitude of resemblances. So
numerous are these last, as to create a strong _idiosyncrasy_ in the
tribes of the Amazon, which not only entitles them to be classed
together in an ethnological point of view, but which separates them from
all the other Indians of America. Of course, the non-possession of the
horse--they do not even know the animal--at once broadly distinguishes
them from the Horse Indians, both of the Northern and Southern divisions
of the continent.
It would be idle here to discuss the question as to whether the
Amazonian Indians have all a common origin. It is evident they have
not. We know that many of them are from Peru and Bogota--runaways from
Spanish oppression. We know that others migrated from the south--
equally fugitives from the still more brutal and barbarous domination of
the Portuguese. And still others were true aboriginals of the soil, or
if emigrants, when and whence came they? An idle question, never to be
satisfactorily answered. There they now are, and _as they are_ only
shall we here consider them.
Notwithstanding the different sources whence they sprang, we find them,
as I have already said, stamped with a certain idiosyncrasy, the result,
no doubt, of the like circumstances which surround them. One or two
tribes alone, whose habits are somewhat "odder" than the rest, have been
treated to a separate chapter; but for the others, whatever is said of
one, will, with very slight alteration, stand good for the whole of the
Amazonian tribes. Let it be understood that we are discoursing only of
those known as the "Indios bravos," the fierce, brave, savage, or wild
Indians--as you may choose to translate the phrase,--a phrase used
throughout all Spanish America to distinguish those tribes, or sections
of tribes, who refused obedience to Spanish tyranny, and who preserve to
this hour their native independence and freedom. In contradistinction
to the "Indios bravos" are the "Indios mansos," or "tame Indians," who
submitted tamely both to the cross and sword, and now enjoy a rude
demi-semi-civilisation, under the joint protectorate of priests and
soldiers. Between these two kinds of American aborigines, there is as
much difference as between a lord and his serf--the true savage
representing the former and the demi-semi-civilised savage approximating
more nearly to the latter. The meddling monk has made a complete
failure of it. His ends were purely political, and the result has
proved ruinous to all concerned;--instead of civilising the savage, he
has positively demoralised him.
It is not of his neophytes, the "Indios mansos," we are now writing, but
of the "infidels," who would not hearken to his voice or listen to his
teachings--those who could never be brought within "sound of the bell."
Both "kinds" dwell within the valley of the Amazon, but in different
places. The "Indios mansos" may be found along the banks of the main
stream, from its source to its mouth--but more especially on its upper
waters, where it runs through Spanish (Peruvian) territory. There they
dwell in little villages or collections of huts, ruled by the missionary
monk with iron rod, and performing for him all the offices of the menial
slave. Their resources are few, not even equalling those of their wild
but independent brethren; and their customs and religion exhibit a
ludicrous _melange_ of savagery and civilisation. Farther down the
river, the "Indio manso" is a "tapuio," a hireling of the Portuguese, or
to speak more correctly, a _slave_; for the latter treats him as such,
considers him as such, and though there is a law against it, often drags
him from his forest-home and keeps him in life-long bondage. Any human
law would be a dead letter among such white-skins as are to be
encountered upon the banks of the Amazon. Fortunately they are but few;
a town or two on the lower Amazon and Rio Negro,--some wretched villages
between,--scattered _estancias_ along the banks--with here and there a
paltry post of "militarios," dignified by the name of a "fort:" these
alone speak the progress of the Portuguese civilisation throughout a
period of three centuries!
From all these settlements the wild Indian keeps away. He is never
found near them--he is never seen by travellers, not even by the
settlers. You may descend the mighty Amazon from its source to its
mouth, and not once set your eyes upon the true son of the forest--the
"Indio bravo." Coming in contact only with the neophyte of the Spanish
missionary, and the skulking _tapuio_ of the Portuguese trader, you
might bring away a very erroneous impression of the character of an
Amazonian Indian.
Where is he to be seen? where dwells he? what like is his home? what
sort of a house does he build? His costume? his arms? his occupation?
his habits? These are the questions you would put. They shall all be
answered, but briefly as possible--since our limited space requires
brevity.
The wild Indian, then, is not to be found upon the Amazon itself, though
there are long reaches of the river where he is free to roam--hundreds
of miles without either town or _estancia_. He hunts, and occasionally
fishes by the great water, but does not there make his dwelling--though
in days gone by, its shores were his favourite place of residence.
These were before the time when Orellana floated down past the door of
his "malocca"--before that dark hour when the Brazilian slave-hunter
found his way into the waters of the mighty _Solimoes_. This last event
was the cause of his disappearance. It drove him from the shores of his
beloved river-sea; forced him to withdraw his dwelling from observation,
and rebuild it far up, on those tributaries where he might live a more
peaceful life, secure from the trafficker in human flesh. Hence it is
that the home of the Amazonian Indian is now to be sought for--not on
the Amazon itself, but on its tributary streams--on the "canos" and
"igaripes," the canals and lagoons that, with a labyrinthine
ramification, intersect the mighty forest of the Montana. Here dwells
he, and here is he to be seen by any one bold enough to visit him in his
fastness home.
How is he domiciled? Is there anything peculiar about the style of his
house or his village?
Eminently peculiar; for in this respect he differs from all the other
savage people of whom we have yet written, or of whom we may have
occasion to write.
Let us proceed at once to describe his dwelling. It is not a tent, nor
is it a hut, nor a cabin, nor a cottage, nor yet a cave! His dwelling
can hardly be termed a house, nor his village a collection of houses--
since both house and village are one and the same, and both are so
peculiar, that we have no name for such a structure in civilised lands,
unless we should call it a "barrack." But even this appellation would
give but an erroneous idea of the Amazonian dwelling; and therefore we
shall use that by which it is known in the "Lingoa geral," and call it a
_malocca_.
By such name is his house (or village rather) known among the _tapuios_
and traders of the Amazon. Since it is both house and village at the
same time, it must needs be a large structure; and so is it, large
enough to contain the whole tribe--or at least the section of it that
has chosen one particular spot for their residence. It is the property
of the whole community, built by the labour of all, and used as their
common dwelling--though each family has its own section specially set
apart for itself. It will thus be seen that the Amazonian savage is, to
some extent, a disciple of the Socialist school.
I have not space to enter into a minute account of the architecture of
the _malocca_. Suffice it to say, that it is an immense temple-like
building, raised upon timber uprights, so smooth and straight as to
resemble columns. The beams and rafters are also straight and smooth,
and are held in their places by "sipos" (tough creeping plants), which
are whipped around the joints with a neatness and compactness equal to
that used in the rigging of a ship. The roof is a thatch of
palm-leaves, laid on with great regularity, and brought very low down at
the eaves, so as to give to the whole structure the appearance of a
gigantic beehive. The walls are built of split palms or bamboos, placed
so closely together as to be impervious to either bullet or arrows.
The plan is a parallelogram, with a semicircle at one end; and the
building is large enough to accommodate the whole community, often
numbering more than a hundred individuals. On grand festive occasions
several neighbouring communities can find room enough in it--even for
dancing--and three or four hundred individuals not unfrequently assemble
under the roof of a single _malocca_.
Inside the arrangements are curious. There is a wide hall or avenue in
the middle--that extends from end to end throughout the whole length of
the parallelogram--and on both sides of the hall is a row of partitions,
separated from each other by split palms or canes, closely placed. Each
of these sections is the abode of a family, and the place of deposit for
the hammocks, clay pots, calabash-cups, dishes, baskets, weapons, and
ornaments, which are the private property of each. The hall is used for
the larger cooking utensils--such as the great clay ovens and pans for
baking the cassava, and boiling the _caxire_ or _chicha_. This is also
a neutral ground, where the children play, and where the dancing is done
on the occasion of grand "balls" and other ceremonial festivals.
The common doorway is in the gable end, and is six feet wide by ten in
height. It remains open during the day, but is closed at night by a mat
of palm fibre suspended from the top. There is another and smaller
doorway at the semicircular end; but this is for the private use of the
chief, who appropriates the whole section of the semicircle to himself
and his family.
Of course the above is only the general outline of a _malocca_. A more
particular description would not answer for that of all the tribes of
the Amazon. Among different communities, and in different parts of the
Montana, the _malocca_ varies in size, shape, and the materials of which
it is built; and there are some tribes who live in separate huts. These
exceptions, however, are few, and as a general thing, that above
described is the style of habitation throughout the whole Montana, from
the confines of Peru to the shores of the Atlantic. North and south we
encounter this singular house-village, from the headwaters of the Rio
Negro to the highlands of Brazil.
Most of the Amazonian tribes follow agriculture, and understood the art
of tillage before the coming of the Spaniards. They practise it,
however, to a very limited extent. They cultivate a little manioc, and
know how to manufacture it into _farinha_ or _cassava_ bread. They
plant the _musaceae_ and yam, and understand the distillation of various
drinks, both from the plantain and several kinds of palms. They can
make pottery from clay,--shaping it into various forms, neither rude nor
inelegant,--and from the trees and parasitical twiners that surround
their dwellings, they manufacture an endless variety of neat implements
and utensils.
Their canoes are hollow trunks of trees sufficiently well-shaped, and
admirably adapted to their mode of travelling--which is almost
exclusively by water, by the numerous _canos_ and _igaripes_, which are
the roads and paths of their country--often as narrow and intricate as
paths by land.
The Indians of the tropic forest dress in the very lightest costume. Of
course each tribe has its own fashion; but a mere belt of cotton cloth,
or the inner bark of a tree, passed round the waist and between the
limbs, is all the covering they care for. It is the _guayuco_. Some
wear a skirt of tree bark, and, on grand occasions, feather tunics are
seen, and also plume head-dresses, made of the brilliant wing and tail
feathers of parrots and macaws. Circlets of these also adorn the arms
and limbs. All the tribes paint, using the _anotto, caruto_, and
several other dyes which they obtain from various kinds of trees,
elsewhere more particularly described.
There are one or two tribes who _tattoo_ their skins; but this strange
practice is far less common among the American Indians than with the
natives of the Pacific isles.
In the manufacture of their various household utensils and implements,
as well as their weapons for war and the chase, many tribes of Amazonian
Indians display an ingenuity that would do credit to the most
accomplished artisans. The hammocks made by them have been admired
everywhere; and it is from the valley of the Amazon that most of these
are obtained, so much prized in the cities of Spanish and Portuguese
America. They are the special manufacture of the women, the men only
employing their mechanical skill on their weapons:
The hammock, "rede," or "maqueira," is manufactured out of strings
obtained from the young leaves of several species of palms. The
_astrocaryum_, or "tucum" palm furnishes this cordage, but a still
better quality is obtained from the "miriti" (_Mauritia flexuosa_). The
unopened leaf, which forms a thick-pointed column growing up out of the
crown of the tree, is cut off at the base, and this being pulled apart,
is shaken dexterously until the tender leaflets fall out. These being
stripped of their outer covering, leave behind a thin tissue of a
pale-yellowish colour, which is the fibre for making the cordage. After
being tied in bundles this fibre is left awhile to dry, and is then
twisted by being rolled between the hand and the hip or thigh. The
women perform this process with great dexterity. Taking two strands of
fibre between the forefinger and thumb of the left hand, they lay them
separated a little along the thigh; a roll downward gives them a twist,
and then being adroitly brought together, a roll upwards completes the
making of the cord. Fifty fathoms in a day is considered a good day's
spinning. The cords are afterwards dyed of various colours, to render
them more ornamental when woven into the maqueira.
The making of this is a simple process. Two horizontal rods are placed
at about seven feet apart, over which the cord is passed some fifty or
sixty times, thus forming the "woof." The warp is then worked in by
knotting the cross strings at equal distances apart, until there are
enough. Two strong cords are then inserted where the rods pass through,
and these being firmly looped, so as to draw all the parallel strings
together, the rod is pulled out, and the hammock is ready to be used.
Of course, with very fine "redes," and those intended to be disposed of
to the traders, much pains are taken in the selection of the materials,
the dyeing the cord, and the weaving it into the hammock. Sometimes
very expensive articles are made ornamented with the brilliant feathers
of birds cunningly woven among the meshes and along the borders.
Besides making the hammock, which is the universal couch of the
Amazonian Indian, the women also manufacture a variety of beautiful
baskets. Many species of palms and _calamus_ supply them with materials
for this purpose, one of the best being the "Iu" palm (_Astrocaryum
acaule_). They also make many implements and utensils, some for
cultivating the plantains, melons, and _manioc root_, and others for
manufacturing the last-named vegetable into their favourite "farinha"
(_cassava_). The Indians understood how to separate the poisonous juice
of this valuable root from its wholesome farina before the arrival of
white men among them; and the process by which they accomplish this
purpose has remained without change up to the present hour, in fact, it
is almost the same as that practised by the Spaniards and Portuguese,
who simply adopted the Indian method. The work is performed by the
women, and thus: the roots are brought home from the manioc "patch" in
baskets, and then washed and peeled. The peeling is usually performed
by the teeth; after that the roots are grated, the grater being a large
wooden slab about three feet long, a foot wide, a little hollowed out,
and the hollow part covered all over with sharp pieces of quartz set in
regular diamond-shaped patterns. Sometime a cheaper grater is obtained
by using the aerial root of the pashiuba palm (_Iriartea exhorhiza_),
which, being thickly covered over with hard spinous protuberances,
serves admirably for the purpose.
The grated pulp is next placed to dry upon a sieve, made of the rind of
a water-plant, and is afterwards put into a long elastic cylinder-shaped
basket or net, of the bark of the "jacitara" palm (_Desmoncus
macroacanthus_). This is the _tipiti_; and at its lower end there is a
strong loop, through which a stout pole is passed; while the _tipiti_
itself, when filled with pulp, is hung up to the branch of a tree, or to
a firm peg in the wall. One end of the pole is then rested against some
projecting point, that serves as a fulcrum, while the Indian woman,
having seated herself upon the other end, with her infant in her arms,
or perhaps some work in her hands, acts as the lever power. Her weight
draws the sides of the _tipiti_ together, until it assumes the form of
an inverted cone; and thus the juice is gradually pressed out of the
pulp, and drops into a vessel placed underneath to receive it. The
mother must be careful that the little imp does not escape from under
her eye, and perchance quench its thirst out of the vessel below. If
such an accident were to take place, in a very few minutes she would
have to grieve for a lost child; since the sap of the manioc root, the
variety most cultivated by the Indians, is a deadly poison. This is the
"yucca amarga," or bitter manioc; the "yucca dulce," or sweet kind,
being quite innoxious, even if eaten in its raw state.
The remainder of the process consists in placing the grated pulp--now
sufficiently dry--on a large pan or oven, and submitting it to the
action of the fire. It is then thought sufficiently good for Indian
use; but much of it is afterwards prepared for commerce, under different
names, and sold as _semonilla_ (erroneously called _semolina_), sago,
and even as arrowroot.
At the bottom of that, poisonous tub, a sediment has all the while been
forming. That is the _starch_ of the manioc root--the _tapioca_ of
commerce: of course that is not thrown away.
The men of the tropic forest spend their lives in doing very little.
They are idle and not much disposed to work--only when war or the chase
calls them forth do they throw aside for awhile their indolent habit,
and exhibit a little activity.
They hunt with the bow and arrow, and fish with a harpoon spear, nets,
and sometimes by poisoning water with the juice of a vine called
barbasco. The "peixe boy," "vaca marina," or "manatee,"--all three
names being synonymes--is one of the chief animals of their pursuit.
All the waters of the Amazon valley abound with manatees, probably of
several species, and these large creatures are captured by the harpoon,
just as seals or walrus are taken. Porpoises also frequent the
South-American rivers; and large fresh-water fish of numerous species.
The game hunted by the Amazonian Indians can scarcely be termed noble.
We have seen that the large _mammalia_ are few, and thinly distributed
in the tropical forest. With the exception of the jaguar and peccary,
the chase is limited to small quadrupeds--as the capibara, the paca,
agouti--to many kinds of monkeys, and an immense variety of birds. The
monkey is the most common game, and is not only eaten by all the
Amazonian Indians, but by most of them considered as the choicest of
food.
In procuring their game the hunters sometimes use the common bow and
arrow, but most of the tribes are in possession of a weapon which they
prefer to all others for this particular purpose. It is an implement of
death so original in its character and so singular in its construction
as to deserve a special and minute description.
The weapon I allude to is the "blow-gun," called "pucuna" by the Indians
themselves, "gravitana" by the Spaniards, and "cerbatana" by the
Portuguese of Brazil.
When the Amazonian Indian wishes to manufacture for himself a _pucuna_
he goes out into the forest and searches for two tall, straight stems of
the "pashiuba miri" palm (_Iriartea setigera_). These he requires of
such thickness that one can be contained within the other. Having found
what he wants, he cuts both down and carries them home to his molocca.
Neither of them is of such dimensions as to render this either
impossible or difficult.
He now takes a long slender rod--already prepared for the purpose--and
with this pushes out the pith from both stems, just as boys do when
preparing their pop-guns from the stems of the elder-tree. The rod thus
used is obtained from another species of _Iriartea_ palm, of which the
wood is very hard and tough. A little tuft of fern-root, fixed upon the
end of the rod, is then drawn backward and forward through the tubes,
until both are cleared of any pith which may have adhered to the
interior; and both are polished by this process to the smoothness of
ivory. The palm of smaller diameter, being scraped to a proper size, is
now inserted into the tube of the larger, the object being to correct
any crookedness in either, should there be such; and if this does not
succeed, both are whipped to some straight beam or post, and thus left
till they become straight. One end of the bore, from the nature of the
tree, is always smaller than the other; and to this end is fitted a
mouthpiece of two peccary tusks to concentrate the breath of the hunter
when blowing into the tube. The other end is the muzzle; and near this,
on the top, a sight is placed, usually a tooth of the "paca" or some
other rodent animal. This sight is glued on with a gum which another
tropic tree furnishes. Over the outside, when desirous of giving the
weapon an ornamental finish, the maker winds spirally a shining creeper,
and then the _pucuna_ is ready for action.
Sometimes only a single shank of palm is used, and instead of the pith
being pushed out, the stem is split into two equal parts throughout its
whole extent. The heart substance being then removed, the two pieces
are brought together, like the two divisions of a cedarwood pencil, and
tightly bound with a sipo.
The _pucuna_ is usually about an inch and a half in diameter at the
thickest end, and the bore about equal to that of a pistol of ordinary
calibre. In length, however, the weapon varies from eight to twelve
feet.
This singular instrument is designed, not for propelling a bullet, but
an arrow; but as this arrow differs altogether from the common kind it
also needs to be described.
The blow-gun arrow is about fifteen or eighteen inches long, and is made
of a piece of split bamboo; but when the "patawa" palm can be found,
this tree furnishes a still better material, in the long spines that
grow out from the sheathing bases of its leaves. These are 18 inches in
length, of a black colour, flattish though perfectly straight. Being
cut to the proper length--which most of them are without cutting--they
are whittled at one end to a sharp point. This point is dipped about
three inches deep in the celebrated "curare" poison; and just where the
poison mark terminates, a notch is made, so that the head will be easily
broken off when the arrow is in the wound. Near the other end a little
soft down of silky cotton (the floss of the _bombax ceiba_) is twisted
around into a smooth mass of the shape of a spinning-top, with its
larger end towards the nearer extremity of the arrow. The cotton is
held in its place by being lightly whipped on by the delicate thread or
fibre of a _bromelia_, and the mass is just big enough to fill the tube
by gently pressing it inward.
The arrow thus made is inserted, and whenever the game is within reach
the Indian places his mouth to the lower end or mouthpiece, and with a
strong "puff," which practice enables him to give, he sends the little
messenger upon its deadly errand. He can hit with unerring aim at the
distance of forty or fifty paces; but he prefers to shoot in a direction
nearly vertical, as in that way he can take the surest aim. As his
common game--birds and monkeys--are usually perched upon the higher
branches of tall trees, their situation just suits him. Of course it is
not the mere wound of the arrow that kills these creatures, but the
poison, which in two or three minutes after they have been hit, will
bring either bird or monkey to the ground. When the latter is struck he
would be certain to draw out the arrow; but the notch, already
mentioned, provides against this, as the slightest wrench serves to
break off the envenomed head.
These arrows are dangerous things,--even for the manufacturer of them to
play with: they are therefore carried in a quiver, and with great
care,--the quiver consisting either of a bamboo joint or a neat wicker
case.
The weapons of war used by the forest tribes are the common bow and
arrows, also tipped with _curare_, and the "macana," or war-club, a
species peculiar to South America, made out of the hard heavy wood of
the _pissaba_ palm. Only one or two tribes use the spear; and both the
"bolas" and lazo are quite unknown, as such weapons would not be
available among the trees of the forest. These are the proper arms of
the Horse Indian, the dweller on the open plains; but without them, for
all war purposes, the forest tribes have weapons enough, and,
unfortunately, make a too frequent use of them.