AN
ACCOUNT
OF
THE ABIPONES,
AN EQUESTRIAN PEOPLE
OF
PARAGUAY.
FROM THE LATIN OF MARTIN DOBRIZHOFFER,
EIGHTEEN YEARS A MISSIONARY IN THAT COUNTRY.
_IN THREE VOLUMES._
VOL. II.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1822.
London: Printed by C. Roworth,
Bell-yard, Temple-bar.
CONTENTS
OF
VOL. II.
PART II.
_Page_
Chap. I. Of the Territory, Origin, and various
Names of the Abipones 1
II. Of the natural Colour of the Americans 8
III. Of the Persons of the Abipones, and the
Conformation of their Bodies 12
IV. Of the ancient and universal Methods of
disfiguring the Person 19
V. Of the Perforation of the Lips and Ears of the
Savages 24
VI. Of the Strength and Longevity of the Abipones 31
VII. Why the Abipones are so vigorous and
long-lived 41
VIII. Of the Religion of the Abipones 57
IX. Of the Conjurors, or rather of the Jugglers
and Cheats of the Abipones 67
X. Conjectures why the Abipones take the Evil
Spirit for their Grandfather, and the Pleiades for
the Representation of him 88
XI. Of the Division of the Abiponian Nation, of
their Paucity, and of the chief causes thereof 95
XII. Of the Magistrates, Captains, Caciques, &c.
of the Abipones, and of their Forms of Government 100
XIII. Of the Food, Journeys, and other particulars
of the Economy of the Abipones 110
XIV. Of the Form and Materials of Clothing, and of
the Fabric of other Utensils 127
XV. Of the Manners and Customs of the Abipones 136
XVI. Of the Language of the Abipones 157
XVII. Concerning other Peculiarities of the
Abiponian Tongue 183
XVIII. Of the Weddings of the Abipones 207
XIX. Of the Marriage of the Abipones 210
XX. Games on the Birth of the Male Child of a
Cacique 216
XXI. Of the Diseases, Physicians, and Medicines of
the Abipones 219
XXII. Of a certain Disease peculiar to the
Abipones 233
XXIII. Of Measles, Small-Pox, and the Murrain in
Cattle 238
XXIV. Of the Physicians and Medicines of the
Abipones 248
XXV. Of the Rites which accompany and succeed the
Death of an Abipon 265
XXVI. Of the Mourning, the Exequies, and Funeral
Ceremonies of the Abipones 273
XXVII. Of the customary Removal of the Bones 281
XXVIII. Of the more remarkable Serpents 286
XXIX. More on the same Subject; and respecting
other Insects 295
XXX. Of Remedies for the poisonous Bites of
Insects 303
XXXI. Of other noxious Insects, and their Remedies 312
XXXII. Continuation of the same Subject 324
XXXIII. Of the Military Dispositions of the
Abipones 347
XXXIV. Of the Arms of the Abipones 352
XXXV. Of the Scouts, and War Councils of the
Abipones 363
XXXVI. Of the hostile Expeditions, Provisions, and
Camps of the Abipones 369
XXXVII. Of the Assault, and the Measures preceding
it 375
XXXVIII. By what Means the Abipones render
themselves formidable, and when they are justly to
be dreaded 385
XXXIX. Of those who go under the Name of Spanish
Soldiers in Paraguay 395
XL. What is the Fate of the Slain amongst the
Abiponian Victors 408
XLI. Concerning the Arms of the Abipones, and
their Battle Array in fighting with other Savages 413
XLII. Of the Anniversary Memorial of Victories,
and the Rites of a public Drinking-Party 428
XLIII. Of the Abiponian Rites on occasion of any
one's being declared Captain 440
HISTORY
OF
THE ABIPONES.
PART II.
CHAPTER I.
OF THE TERRITORY, ORIGIN, AND VARIOUS NAMES OF
THE ABIPONES.
The Abipones inhabit the province Chaco, the centre of all Paraguay;
they have no fixed abodes, nor any boundaries, except what fear of their
neighbours has established. They roam extensively in every direction,
whenever the opportunity of attacking their enemies, or the necessity of
avoiding them renders a journey advisable. The northern shore of the Rio
Grande or Bermejo, which the Indians call Iñatè, was their native land
in the last century. Thence they removed, to avoid the war carried on
against Chaco by the Spaniards of Salta, at the commencement of this
century, and migrating towards the south, took possession of a valley
formerly held by the Calchaquis. This territory, which is about two
hundred leagues in extent, they at present occupy. But from what region
their ancestors came there is no room for conjecture. Ychamenraikin,
chief cacique of the Abipones in the town of St. Jeronymo, told us,
that, after crossing the vast waters, they were carried hither on an
ass, and this he declared he had heard from ancient men. I have often
thought that the Americans originally came, step by step, from the most
northern parts of Europe, which are perhaps joined to America, or
separated only by a narrow firth. We have observed some resemblance in
the manners and customs of the Abipones to the Laplanders, and people of
Nova Zembla, and we always noticed in these savages a magnetical
propensity to the north, as if they inclined towards their native soil;
for when irritated by any untoward event, they cried in a threatening
tone—_Mahaik quer ereëgem_, I will go to the north; though this threat
meant that they would return to the northern parts of Paraguay, where
their savage compatriots live at this day, free from the yoke of the
Spaniards, and from Christian discipline.
But if the Americans sprung from the north of Europe, why are all the
Indians of both Americas destitute of beard, in which the northern
Europeans abound? Do not ascribe that to air, climate, and country, for
though we see some plants brought from Europe to America degenerate in a
short time, yet we find that Spaniards, Portugueze, Germans, and
Frenchmen, who in Europe are endowed with plenty of beard, never lose it
in any part of America, but that their children and grandchildren
plainly testify their European origin by their beard. If you see any
Indian with a middling-sized beard, you may be sure that his father or
grandfather was an European; for those thinly-scattered hairs, growing
here and there upon the chins of the Indians both of North and South
America, are unworthy the name of beard.
Paraguay is indeed near Africa, yet who would say that the inhabitants
migrated from thence? In that case, the Paraguayrians would be of a
black, or at any rate of a dusky leaden colour, like the Africans. The
English, Spaniards, and Portugueze know that if both parents be Negroes,
the children, in whatever country they are born, will be black, but that
the offspring of a male and female Indian are of a whitish colour, which
somewhat darkens as they grow older, from the heat of the sun, and the
smoke of the fire, which they keep alive, day and night, in their huts.
Moreover, the Americans have not woolly hair like the Negroes, but
straight, though very black locks. The vast extent of ocean which
divides Africa from the southern parts of America, renders a passage
difficult, and almost incredible, at a time when navigators, then
unfurnished with the magnet, dared scarcely sail out of sight of the
shore. The Africans, you will say, might have been cast by a storm on
the shores of America; but how could the wild beasts have got there?
Opposite to the shores of Paraguay lies the Cape of Good Hope, inhabited
by Hottentots which, in the savageness of their manners, resemble the
Paraguayrian Indians, but are totally different in the form of their
bodies, in their customs, and language. Many may, with more justice,
contend that Asia was the original country of the Americans, it being
connected with America by some hitherto undiscovered tie; and so they
may, with my free leave; nor, were I to hear it affirmed that the
Americans fell from the moon, should I offer any refutation, but having
experienced the inconstancy, volubility, and changefulness of the
Indians, should freely coincide in that opinion. The infinite variety of
tongues amongst the innumerable nations of America baffles all
conjecture in regard to their origin. You cannot discover the faintest
trace of any European, African, or Asiatic language amongst them all.
However, although I dare not affirm positively whence the Abipones
formerly came, I will at any rate tell you where they now inhabit. That
vast extent of country bounded from north to south by the Rio Grande, or
Iñatè and the territories of Sta. Fè, and from east to west by the
shores of the Paraguay, and the country of St. Iago, is the residence of
the Abipones, who are distributed into various hordes. Impatient of
agriculture and a fixed home, they are continually moving from place to
place. The opportunity of water and provisions at one time, and the
necessity of avoiding the approach of the enemy at another, obliges them
to be constantly on the move. The Abipones imitate skilful
chess-players. After committing slaughter in the southern colonies of
the Spaniards, they retire far northwards, afflict the city of Asumpcion
with murders and rapine, and then hurry back again to the south. If they
have acted hostilities against the towns of the Guaranies, or the city
of Corrientes, they betake themselves to the west. But if the
territories of St. Iago or Cordoba have been the objects of their fury,
they cunningly conceal themselves in the marshes, islands, and reedy
places of the river Parana. For the Spaniards, however desirous, are not
able to return the injuries of the savages, from the difficulty of the
roads, or their want of acquaintance with them. It sometimes happens
that a lake or marsh, which the Abipones swim with ease, obliges the
Spanish cavalry to abandon the pursuit.
The whole territory of the Abipones scarcely contains a place which has
not received a name from some memorable event or peculiarity of that
neighbourhood. It may be proper to mention some of the most famous of
these places; viz. _Netagr̂anàc Lpátage_, the bird's nest; for in this
place birds resembling storks yearly build their nests. _Liquinr̂ánala_,
the cross, which was formerly fixed here by the Spaniards. _Nihírenac
Leënerer̂quiè_, the cave of the tiger. _Paët Latetà_, the bruised teats.
_Atopehènr̂a Lauaté_, the haunt of capibaris. _Lareca Caëpa_, the high
trees. _Lalegr̂aicavalca_, the little white things. Hail of enormous
size once fell in this place, and killed vast numbers of cattle. Many
other places are named from the rivers that flow past them. The most
considerable are the Evòr̂ayè, the Parana, or Paraguay, the Iñatè, the
Rio Grande, or Vermejo, the Ychimaye, or Rio Rey, the Neboquelatèl, or
mother of palms, called by the Spaniards Malabrigo, the Narahage, or
Inespin, the Lachaoquè Nâuè, Ycalc, Ycham, &c. the Rio Negro, Verde,
Salado, &c.
In the sixtieth year of the present century, many families of Abipones
removed, some to the banks of the Rio Grande, others to the more distant
northern parts. The last Abiponian colony was nearly ten leagues north
of the Rio Grande, in which situation we found that the Toba savages,
who call themselves Nataguebit, had formerly resided.