“El Cerrito”—Small steamer, the _Explorador_—“Taita Crusa”—The
town of Exaltacion—The fifteen missions of the Beni and the
tribes that belong to them—Some numerals and words in Mojeño,
Cayubaba, Canichana, and Yuracaré—Education of the Indians.
June 16th. We started at midnight in hopes of getting to the town of
Exaltacion during the day, but did not get on very well till daybreak,
for having to cross the river several times in the dark, we lost much
way. At 9 a.m. we arrived at “El Cerrito,” a chaco, and clearing with
workshops for building canoes etc., belonging to the National Bolivian
Navigation Company, the sister enterprise of the Railway of the
Cachuelas. Here was a small steamer called the _Explorador_, which had
in 1871 been taken entire up the rapids by Dr. Juan Francisco Velarde,
the energetic agent of the navigation company. The taking of this small
steamer over the rapids was certainly a most arduous task, and Dr.
Velarde, and the American mechanics who accompanied him, deserve every
credit for their pluck and steadfast determination to succeed in getting
their craft over the nineteen cachuelas. The _Explorador_ is a small
steamer about forty feet in length, and was built by Messrs. Yarrow and
Co. of Poplar, specially for the river Mamoré, her hull being made of
the best Lowmoor iron, in order to resist the blows which she must have
received in striking against the numerous rocks amongst the rapids, and
when being hauled over the portages by the Indians, of whom there were
about eighty employed. Her hull stood well, but her engines were not
nearly strong enough, and broke down repeatedly in endeavouring to stem
the currents. This little steamer is now quiet in the upper waters of the
Mamoré, waiting for new engines, when she would be able to carry on a
good business trading amongst the towns of the Beni, a department whose
roads are laid out by nature in the stupendous network of riverine canals
with which it is favoured, and upon which the villages are built.
El Cerrito is so called from its being the only hill that is to be found
on this part of the river for many miles, and it is said to be the only
spot that at exceptionally high floods remains above water. Here we got
some fresh beef, eggs, and yucas, so we made a capital breakfast, that
one did not require much coaxing to attack; for after fifty-three days
since we started from San Antonio, during which time we had to get our
meals when we could, and sometimes off what to many people would seem
uneatable food, it will be believed that the sight of a piece of fresh
beef was cheering indeed.
I started from El Cerrito about 1 p.m., having obtained the loan of five
strong Cayubaba Indians to help my crew, who were glad of assistance;
but just above the Cerrito the river runs straight for a considerable
distance, and the current runs so strongly that I found we were quite
unable to surmount it with paddles, so we had to put out a rope for
towing, which was very difficult work as the bank was very muddy. At
about 8 p.m. we stopped for the night at a hacienda, about five miles
below Exaltacion, sleeping in the canoe, as it was too late to go up to
the house and visit the “patron” that night.
The following morning I went up to the house, and introduced myself to
the patron Señor José Aqurusa, or, as he is called by the Indians of
the district, Taita (Father) Crusa. He was evidently an Indian, but of
very good presence and manners, and being tall and grey-headed, he had
rather a striking appearance. He is said to have great authority over
the civilized Indians, being a “Cacique,” or head man, of the Cayubabas,
and it is supposed that even the wandering Chacobos respect him and his
cattle; while, during a time that he was corregidor of Exaltacion, they
became friendly and visited the village for trading purposes. There were
a good many Indians, mostly Cayubabas, about the house, and of women I
think there must have been about five or six to each man, while children
were running and rolling about in small droves. The house is of the usual
South American up-country construction, open all round and with roof of
palm leaves, of very great size in order to cover the sugar-mill, as well
as certain great cupboard-like constructions which served as sleeping
apartments for the women and children. Underneath this immense roof all
the business of the day goes on, from the cutting up of the bullock to
the cooking of the “chupe,” or soup, for breakfast or dinner, or the
preparation of the national beverage of Bolivia, the “chicha,” without
which few Bolivians, be they Indians or of Spanish extraction, can exist:
but of this chicha we shall have more hereafter. The sugar-mill was of
primitive construction, but seemed to work well, and turned out sugar of
an excellent quality. It was worked by a couple of very fine bullocks,
the simple plan of ladling from the “trapiche,” or mill, to the boilers
being used instead of more complicated appliances. The working parts
of the trapiche were all made of hard wood of excellent quality, the
workmanship of the cogs and rollers speaking volumes for the ingenuity
and skill of the Indian carpenters. There were a few bullocks in a
corral, but they afforded a great contrast to the two fat oxen that
worked the mill and that had evidently been stall-fed, and Señor Aqurusa
set down the thin condition of those in the corral to the fact that
during the past rainy season, in the early part of the year, the floods
had been very high, and had consequently spoiled the greater portion of
the pasturage.
Crossing over to the right bank, I called at the “chaco,” or plantation,
of Señor Francisco Ceballos, who received me very kindly, entertaining
me very hospitably, and offering me free quarters in his house in
Exaltacion, to which town, situated on the left bank of the Mamoré, we
went about mid-day. The “puerto,” or landing-place for the town, is
situated at the apex of a large bend in the river, each arm being at
least a league in length. The wind therefore, blowing up or down the
river, exerts a great force on the craft made fast at the foot of the
bank, which rises more than fifty feet above low water.
The town of Exaltacion is placed about a couple of miles inland from
the river, the road to it being across a pampa, with a few isolated
trees and a rough grass three or four feet in height, which at certain
seasons is burnt, so that new grass fit for the cattle may spring up;
the burning has to be done when the wind is quiet, and can be only done
in patches, for if the fires were not kept under control, the villages
and plantations would be greatly endangered. The town is built on this
flat pampa, and consists of about a hundred houses, built of adobe walls,
with tiled roofs, arranged in square blocks in the usual South American
fashion. I had to stay in Exaltacion about ten days, as it was necessary
to find a new crew, the men that I had brought with me from San Antonio
being either from Exaltacion, or from the other villages on the Magdalena
and Baures rivers; they consequently were very averse to continuing the
journey up the river to Trinidad, and, as they sadly stood in need of
rest, I determined to suffer the delay, and seek a new crew rather than
oppress my old one by forcing them to take me on further.
The following is a list of the fifteen principal missions of the
department of the Beni, which appears to have been one of the great
fields of Jesuitical missionary effort in the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries.
Exaltacion, on the Mamoré, peopled by Cayubabas (1).
Santa Ana, on the Yacuma, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by
Mobimas (2).
San Xavier, on the Mamoré, peopled by Mojeños (3).
San Ignacio, on the Tijamuchi, an affluent of the Mamoré,
peopled by Mojeños (3).
Trinidad, on the Ybari, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by
Mojeños (3).
Loreto, on the Ybari, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by
Mojeños (3).
San Pedro, on the Machupa, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled
by Canichanas (4).
San Joaquin, on the Machupa, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled
by Itonamas or Machotos (5).
San Ramon, on the Machupa, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled
by Itonamas or Machotos (5).
San Carlos, on the Itonama, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled
by Baures (6).
Magdalena, on the Itonama, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled
by Baures (6).
N. S. del Concepcion, on the Baures, or Blanco, an affluent of
the Itenez, peopled by Baures (6).
N. S. del Carmen, on the Baures, or Blanco, an affluent of the
Itenez, peopled by Baures (6).
Reyes, on the Beni, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by
Maropas (7).
San Borja, on the Apiri, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by
Maropas (7).
There are seven tribes of Indians in these fifteen villages, each tribe
having a language of its own. There are also differences in the dialects
of villages speaking the same mother tongue, such as Trinidad and San
Xavier, or Magdalena and Nuestra Señora del Concepcion; but while these
differences serve to render the Babel of tongues in the Beni still more
confusing, one is only able to detect the seven leading languages as
numbered in the list. There is another tribe (of whom more hereafter)
that inhabit the lands on the highest waters of the Mamoré; this tribe is
called the Yuracarés, but they are never reckoned amongst the Indians of
the Beni.
Of the seven languages, the following numbers and words are all that I
had an opportunity of obtaining:—
Mojeño, or Trinitario. Cayubaba. Canichana.
One Etona Carata Merca
Two Apina Mitia Calila
Three Mopona Curapa Carajaca
Four Chata
Five Mitaru
Six Tariduboi
In endeavouring to follow the sound of these words I have used the
Spanish alphabet, that is to say, _a_ broad, _i_ to be _e_, _e_ a short
_a_, _u_ like _oo_; _j_ to be _h_, _c_ hard before _a_ and _o_, etc.,
etc. The Mojeños and Canichanas do not appear to be able to count beyond
three; arriving at that, they commence again, and have to arrange
all their calculations in sets of threes, which seems to be a most
complicated proceeding; thus, for a peso, or dollar, that contains eight
reales, they count “apina mopona” and “apina”, or two threes and two; how
they get on in the higher numbers I could not understand, but as most
of the Indians have learned the Spanish numerals, I observed that they
invariably counted the first three numbers in their own language and
then went off into cuatro, cinco, etc. I managed to get the Cayubabas
up to “tariduboi,” or six, and then they would go on with siete, ocho,
nueve, etc. The Trinitarios have a peculiarity with regard to their
first numeral which is worthy of mention; if they are counting they will
say “Etona,” but if there is only one article or thing to be spoken of,
they say “Etonaricha,” the addition of “icha” appearing to be a kind of
diminutive. The following are a few words that I noted.
Mojeño, or Trinitario. Cayubaba. Yuracaré.
Man Jiro Yasi
Woman Seni Atoñanes
People Chani
Father Taita, or Pilla Taita, or Apana Atata
Mother Meme Apipi Ameme
Son or Daughter Chicha Chiromi
Wife Atoñanes
Husband Até
My Ni Ni and Ma
Boy Miji
Girl Mijiasi
Sun Sachi Maca Puyne
Moon Cóje Injani Chuvi
Star Reyje Pusichi
Day Sachi Carachu
Night Yoti Garra (_g_ soft)
Fire Yuco Doré Ayma
Water Uni Quita Sama
Earth Motaji Datu
Horse Cuoyo
To eat Pinica Pañani
Come and eat Pi ana pinica Aviro pañani
To drink Nero Pacogucoi (_g_ soft)
Bring fire Piuma yuco Picha doré Cuncayama
Bring water Piuma uni Picha quita Cuncayamsama
I go to drink water Nero uni
Little Paisarini Irique
Very little Paisarichi Padetai
Go to sleep Piana tinoca
Many people Psinto poiachani
Let us go Yánavori
Deep Tupano
River Cosará
Here Pfjóca
Take hold Anoca
There is not (no hay!) Tajina
The above words I have set down as near to the sounds as I could. It
seems that many years ago the Indians had a method of writing by short
strokes, signs, and hieroglyphics; but that method is now almost entirely
forgotten, and those who can write use the ordinary Roman letters. I
have seen many excellent writers amongst them. All of them who had done
service in the churches as sacristans and choristers are able to write;
they also can read music, for which they use the ordinary five-line
system. There are small schools in all the principal Indian villages in
which reading, writing, and Catholic prayers are taught in the Castilian
language; and I was rather surprised to see the amount of rudimentary
knowledge that is drilled into the Indians, who, as a race, are not at
all deficient in natural intellect, being, I believe, of a much higher
grade than the Brazilian negroes of African descent.