THE GRAN CHACO.
APPEARANCE--WEAPONS--CHARACTER.
THE GRAN CHACO AND ITS INHABITANTS -- THEIR LOVE OF FREEDOM --
CONTRAST OF THE TWO RACES IN SOUTH AMERICA -- THE VARIOUS TRIBES IN
THE COUNTRY -- APPEARANCE OF THE INHABITANTS -- ERADICATION OF THE
EYEBROWS AND EYELASHES -- HAIR DRESSING -- COSTUME OF THE SEXES --
EQUESTRIAN HABITS -- THE NAKED MAN ON THE NAKED HORSE -- WEAPONS --
THE MACANA CLUB, AND MODE OF USING IT -- THE LONG SPEAR -- CURIOUS
ARMOR -- THE FOOT-BOW -- ATTACKING A VILLAGE -- HUTS OF THE GRAN
CHACO INDIANS -- CROSSING A RIVER -- CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE.
To the east of the Araucanian territory, and extending to the Paraguay
and Panama rivers, lies a tract of mountain country, of indeterminate
northern and southern boundaries, called the Gran Chaco. This great
district is inhabited by a series of tribes who deserve a short notice.
Not the least remarkable point in their history is the manner in which
they have preserved the freedom of their own land, despite the attacks
of various white nations. Both the Spaniards and the Portuguese have,
at different times, seized on a few positions in the Gran Chaco, but
have not been able to retain them except on the indefinite western
frontier line. On the east, where the great Paraguay River forms the
natural boundary, the native is left unmolested in his freedom.
In the eloquent words of Captain Mayne Reid: “On its eastern side,
coinciding almost with a meridian of longitude, the Indian of the Gran
Chaco does not roam; the well-settled provinces of Corrientes, and
the dictatorial government of Paraguay, presenting a firmer front of
resistance. But neither does the colonist of these countries think
of crossing to the western bank of the boundary river to form an
establishment there.
“He dares not even set his foot upon the Chaco. For a thousand miles,
up and down, the two races, European and American, hold the opposite
banks of this great stream. They gaze across at each other--the one
from the portico of his-well-built mansion, or perhaps from the street
of his town--the other standing by his humble ‘toldo,’ or mat-covered
tent, more probably on the back of his half-wild horse, reined up for a
moment on some projecting promontory that commands a view of the river.
And thus have these two races gazed at each other for three centuries,
with little other intercourse passing between them than that of a
deadly hostility.”
As the territory of the Gran Chaco is very extensive, being about
three times as large as that of Great Britain, and extends north and
south through eleven degrees of latitude, it naturally follows that
the tribes which inhabit it differ from each other in many details,
those of the warm north and cold south being in many points strongly
contrasted with each other. Still, there are many points of similarity,
and these we will select in the following brief account of the Gran
Chaco tribe, omitting, from want of space, those wherein they differ
from each other.
In the first place, the aborigines of the Gran Chaco are of a much
paler complexion than those of the more northern tribes, known from
their color by the name of Red Men, and more nearly resemble the
rich olive of the inhabitants of Southern Europe. The nose is rather
aquiline, the mouth well formed, the cheek-bones high, and the eyes and
hair jetty black. The latter is singularly abundant, and though coarse
and without curl is smooth and glossy when properly dressed.
The men have but little beard, and the scanty hairs which grow upon
the chin and face they completely eradicate, using for that purpose a
pair of shells until they are rich enough to purchase iron tweezers.
Even the eyebrows and lashes are pulled out, the natives saying that
they only hinder the sight, and comparing those who wear them to the
ostrich--_i. e._ the rhea, or American ostrich, which is plentiful in
their country.
To an European, the loss of these appendages to the eyes has a very
unsightly effect; but the native takes a very different view of the
case, and looks upon a countenance wherein the eyebrows and lashes are
permitted to grow much as a gentleman of George the Second’s time would
have regarded a head which was decorated by its own hair, and a face
from which the beard and moustache had not been removed.
The masculine mode of dressing the hair has some resemblance to that
which is practised by the warlike tribes of Northern America. The hair
is shaved from the forehead, as well as from a band extending behind
the head from one ear to the other. The remainder is allowed to grow to
its full length, and carefully cherished and tended.
The Gran Chaco Indians only use paint upon great occasions, when they
decorate themselves as fantastically as any savage tribe can do; but,
as a rule, their faces and bodies are allowed to retain their normal
olive hue. Neither do the men use the tattoo, this being restricted to
the women, who mark themselves with a variety of patterns upon their
arms, cheeks, and breasts, each having a line of blue dots extending
from the corner of each eye to the ears, and a pattern of some kind
upon her forehead.
The dress of these people is very simple. In warm and fine weather, it
consists merely of a piece of cotton or woollen fabric, woven in the
brightest hues of red, white, and blue. It is little more than a mere
strip of cloth, and in this respect the dress of the women scarcely
differs from that of the men. In cold and stormy weather, both sexes
wear a warm cloak made of the skin of the jaguar, or, if so valuable a
material cannot be obtained, of that of the nutria, or South American
otter. Earrings are worn by both sexes; but the hideous ornaments which
so many savage tribes wear in their lips and noses are utterly unknown
to them.
The Gran Chaco Indian is essentially a horseman, and no inhabitants
of America have made more use of the horse than he has. He differs,
however, from those which have been already mentioned in one important
particular. He utterly despises the costly spurs, stirrups, and
headstalls which have been described in the account of the Araucanians,
and, almost naked himself, he rides upon an entirely naked horse. He
uses no saddle, no stirrups, and no bit, guiding his steed by voice and
touch, and not by the power of the iron curb. The only representative
of a bridle is a slight rope of plaited hide passed round the lower jaw
of the horse.
The weapons of the Gran Chaco Indian are very few. He carries the
bolas and lasso, but cares little for them in war, preferring, as
his most efficient weapon, his spear. This instrument is sometimes
fifteen feet in length, and in the hands of a skilful rider, mounted
upon a perfectly trained steed, is a most formidable instrument of
war. The warrior uses his spear, not only for battle, but as a means
for mounting his horse. He stands on the right hand of the animal,
places the butt of the spear upon the ground, and, using the shaft as a
leaping pole, swings himself upon the back of the horse with scarcely
an effort.
A rather peculiar club is also used by these people. This weapon
is called “macana,” and exists throughout a very large portion of
Southern America. It seldom exceeds two feet in length, and in form
somewhat resembles a square dice box, being smaller in the middle,
and increasing in diameter to each end. It is used both as a missile,
and as a hand weapon, and when used is held by the middle. The young
warriors pride themselves on the force and accuracy with which they
hurl this instrument, and during their leisure time vie with each
other in throwing it at a mark. The specimen which is shown in the
illustration was presented to me by H. Bernau, Esq., together with
several other weapons and implements of South America.
[Illustration: THE MACANA.]
Sometimes the macana is armed with a cylindrical piece of hard stone,
which projects from one end like the blade of an axe. It is fastened
into the wood by a very ingenious process. Having fixed upon a young
branch which he thinks will make a good club, the Indian bores a hole
in it, and hammers into the hole the stone cylinder which has been
previously prepared. He then allows it to remain for two or three
years, by which time the wood has grown over the stone, and become so
firmly imbedded that it will break to pieces rather than be loosened by
any amount of violence.
Another of these weapons in my collection is remarkable for the slight
but elaborate carvings with which it is covered, leaving only a small
space in the centre devoid of ornament. The patterns are scratched
rather than cut, so that they cannot properly be seen unless the weapon
is turned from side to side, so as to ensure the light falling properly
upon it; but the extreme hardness of the wood makes them retain their
integrity in spite of rough usage. The tree from which these clubs are
made is one of those which are popularly called iron-wood, on account
of the hardness and weight of the timber. It belongs to the guaiacums.
The Spaniards call the tree by a name which signifies “axe-breaker.”
The strangest part of war as waged by these natives is, that when they
fight with each other they adopt an elaborate system of defensive
armor, while they discard everything of the kind when they match
themselves against the fire-arms of the whites, knowing that the shield
and costume which will guard them against the club and the spear are
useless against a bullet.
The armor is of a most cumbersome description, and looks nearly as
awkward as that which is worn by the soldiers of Begharmi. (See page
638.)
First of all, the warrior puts on a coat made from the skin of the
jaguar, dressed so as to remain soft even after being wetted. Over this
dress he wears a complete suit of armor, made from the thick and hard
hide of the tapir. Not only the body armor, but the helmet and shield
are made of this material, which is capable of resisting the stroke
of the lance or the point of the arrow. It interferes, however, with
the right management of the horse, and it is very doubtful whether its
defensive powers compensate for its exceeding clumsiness. Still, it may
have a moral effect upon the enemy; and there is no denying that it
gives the warrior a more formidable appearance than he would possess if
he rode without armor. To add to the ferocity of his aspect, he employs
paint on these occasions, and with scarlet and black pigment makes
himself absolutely hideous.
When he goes to attack a village inhabited by white men, he does so in
a very ingenious manner. Usually he fights exclusively on horseback,
being so admirable a rider that he can even stand on the withers of
his horse when at full speed, and feeling himself out of his element
when dismounted. But when he has to attack so formidable an enemy as
the white man, he begins after a different fashion. He takes with him
an enormous bow, far too strong to be drawn in the usual manner, and a
number of long arrows. Dismounting at some distance from the village,
he creeps to some spot within range of his arrows, and then prepares
for action.
He begins by wrapping a quantity of cotton wool round the arrows just
behind the head, and when he has treated them all in this way, he
strikes a light and sets fire to the cotton wool on one of the arrows.
Lying on his back, he holds the bow with the toes of both feet, and,
laying the blazing arrow in its place, he is able to use both his hands
to draw the powerful weapon. He shoots with a wonderfully good aim and
great rapidity, so that when a number of Indians surround a village,
and pour their fiery missiles into it from all directions, the houses
are sure to take fire.
In the midst of the confusion caused by the flames that arise on all
sides, the warriors leap on their horses, dash at the village, kill all
whom they can reach, carry off as much plunder as possible, and then
gallop back to their own districts, where no one dares to follow.
Retaliation is never feared, as the Gran Chaco Indians have no fixed
habitation, and nothing that can be called even a village. The hut or
rather tent of these people is a very simple affair. Two upright posts
are driven firmly into the earth, and another is laid horizontally
across them. Over the horizontal pole is hung a large mat, the ends
of which are pegged to the ground, and the tent is then complete. The
mat is made of the epidermis of young palm leaves. In order to prevent
water from flooding the tent in rainy weather, a trench is dug around
it. The only furniture is the hammock in which the inhabitant sleeps,
and in fine weather, this is much more often slung between two palm
trees than between the upright posts of the tent. In fact, the only use
of the tent is as a shelter in rainy weather, the whole of the life
being passed in the open air.
As may be imagined from this mode of life, the Gran Chaco Indian is
essentially a rover, passing from one part of the country to another
when game begins to be scarce in that district which he temporarily
inhabits. Illustration No. 1, on the 1218th page shows the manner in
which a community of these natives cross rivers. Swimming with perfect
ease themselves, they merely with one hand guide their horses in the
water without caring to get on their backs, while with the other hand
they paddle themselves across the stream, or hold the spear with its
light burden of ornaments.
[Illustration: ARROWS AND ARROW-CAP. (See page 1229.)]
The children and household goods are conveyed easily enough. Square
boats or tubs made of bull’s hide are launched, and in them are placed
the children, the puppies, of which there are always plenty, and the
heavier goods, such as the kettles and cooking vessels. A rope is
tied to the “pelota,” as this primitive boat is called, and the cargo
is towed across the stream either by being attached to the tail of a
horse, or held in the mouth of a good swimmer. The lighter articles,
such as dress and ornaments, are fastened to the head of the spear,
which is held upright, so as to keep them out of the water.
The dogs which have just been mentioned are extremely useful to the
Gran Chaco Indians, who employ them in the chase. They give but little
trouble to their masters, living for the most part in holes which
they scratch in the ground, and feeding contentedly on the offal and
scraps of food, which in an uncivilized community are more than scanty.
Without the dogs the hunter could scarcely bring to bay the jaguar, the
peccary, and similar animals, which are so annoyed by the perpetual
and noisy attacks of the little curs that they stop in their flight in
order to revenge themselves, and so give the hunter time to come up
with them.
Although so essentially a warrior, and living much upon the proceeds of
his plunder, the Gran Chaco Indian is in one respect far superior to
the North American tribes. He does not torture the prisoners whom he
takes in war, and the women and children he treats kindly, and adopts
into his own tribe.