OF THE ANNIVERSARY MEMORIAL OF VICTORIES, AND
THE RITES OF A PUBLIC DRINKING-PARTY.
The Abipones, not satisfied with celebrating their victory, as soon as
they return, and whilst their hands are yet bloody, renew the memory of
it by public festivities every year. The whole of these festivities
consists in singing, dancing, and extravagancies. When they have all
collected plenty of honey in the woods, a day is appointed for this
anniversary ceremony, and a large house equal to the number of guests
fixed upon. The last three days before that appointed for the
drinking-party, one of the public criers, covered with an elegant cloak,
goes up and down all the tents; at the entrance of each he is saluted by
the women with a festive percussion of the lips; his spear, to which a
little brass bell is affixed, the mother of the family receives, by way
of honour, from the hands of the comer, and restores to him again on his
departure. The crier, on entering the house, sits down upon a cushion
prepared for him, of saddles, or some wild animal's skin. He then, in a
set speech, invites the father of the family to the public celebration
of victories. On his departure, he is dismissed by the women with the
usual percussion of the lips. In the same manner he enters the dwellings
of the other hordesmen, always accompanied by a crowd of boys. The
office of crier, which the noble Abipones despise, is generally
performed by some juggler of advanced age and low birth. Meantime they
furnish the house, appointed for the meeting, with a hasty apparatus.
The floor is covered with the skins of tigers and of kine, upon which
the guests sit. A temporary erection is made of reeds, upon which they
place the hairy scalps of their slain enemies, as trophies. When they
prefer celebrating the victory without the tent in the open air, they
hang these trophies upon spears fixed upright in the circle in which
they sit. At sun-set, the persons invited all flock to the appointed
place, where they sit down on the ground, having leathern vessels of
mead set in the midst of them, though the drinking does not commence
till about morning, the whole night being spent in chaunting their
victories.
They never sing all at once, but only two at a time, always greatly
varying their voices from high to low, one either taking up, or
following, or interrupting the other, and sometimes accompanying him.
Now one, now the other is silent for a short interval. The tones vary
according to the subject of the song, with many inflexions of the sound,
and, if I may so express myself, a good deal of shaking. He who, by a
quicker motion of the throat, can now suspend the song for a while, now
protract, and now interrupt it with groans, or laughter, or can imitate
the bellowing of a bull, or the tremulous voice of a kid,—he will gain
universal applause. No European would deny that these savage singers
inspired him with a kind of melancholy and horror, so much are the ears,
and even the mind affected by that deadly chaunting, the darkness adding
greatly to the mournful effect. One of the singers rattles a gourd
filled with maize seeds, to the time of the music. Sometimes the gourd
alone preludes the singing, as in a band of musicians; at others, it
follows the voice of the singer, and very seldom rests for ever so
little a while. When two are singing at a time, it is wonderful to hear
so much concord in such discordant voices. You never observe them
hesitate or pause: for they do not sing extemporaneously, but what has
been long studied beforehand. The songs are restricted by no metrical
laws, but sometimes have a rhythmical sound. The number of verses is
regulated, not according to the pleasure of the singer, but according to
the variety of the subject. Nothing but warlike expeditions, slaughters,
and spoils of the enemy, taking of towns, plundering of waggons and
estates, burning and depopulating colonies of the Spaniards, and other
tragedies of that kind furnish the savages with subjects for singing and
rejoicing. These events, together with the place, and time, where, and
when they happened, they describe; not rudely, but with considerable
elegance. Struck, as it were, with poetic rage, by appropriate words,
and modulations of the voice, they contrive to express indignation,
fear, threatening, or joy. Though, in order not to damp the hilarity,
they scarce make any mention of the deaths, and wounds of the Abipones,
and employ themselves exclusively in exaggerating the slaughter of the
enemy. During the time that these songs are chaunted, a period of many
hours, not one of the auditors dares utter a word, and though night
itself persuades sleep, you will not see one of them even yawn.
As all singers have the fault which Horace complains of in them, namely,
that when they once begin, they will never leave off; the two chaunters
are admonished to conclude their song, by women who stand around,
separated from the men, and who signify to the vocal pair, after they
have sung about a quarter of an hour, that it is time to desist, by
repeated percussion of their lips, and by pronouncing the little words
_Kla leyà_, it is enough. With this admonition, they immediately comply,
and conclude the magnificent commemoration of their mighty deeds with
_Gramackka aka`m_: Such then we are. Another pair then succeeds to the
former, and in this manner the singing is protracted till the morning.
Then, indeed, the scene is changed, the drinking commences, and their
dry and weary throats are refreshed with that American nectar made
either of honey, or the alfaroba. The women, and the unmarried men are
excluded from these drinking-parties, though the latter are allowed to
drink mead in private, as the women to drink pure honey, and eat the raw
alfaroba.
To seek honey in the woods for making this drink, is the business of the
men, but the whole labour of preparing it falls upon the women, who have
to knock down the alfarobas from the trees, to carry them home on
horseback, to pound them in mortars, to pour water on them, and to dress
the hides which serve to hold the liquor. The method of their
construction is this: the feet are cut off, the hide is made square; its
four sides are then raised to the height of two spans, so that it
receives at the bottom any liquor that you may pour in, and holds it
without spilling a drop. Honey, or the alfaroba steeped in water,
obtains the desirable degree of acidity quicker, or slower, according to
the state of the atmosphere, and ferments, in a certain way, without the
addition of any thing else. The Abipones approach those vessels every
now and then, and ascertain, by the smell, whether that honeyed beverage
has attained its proper state. _Layam ycham_; It will soon ferment, they
cry as they go away. Till at length some one comes, who, judging by his
nose, declares that it has gained the necessary acidity. This being
given out, they all flock to the appointed place. Those leathern
vessels, full of foaming mead, are each brought by the hands of six or
eight girls, who lay down their burden, and return home without speaking
a word to the drinkers. Before the first vessel is quite exhausted,
another is brought, to that is added a third, then a fourth, and so on.
I did not in the least wonder to see the women so alert and industrious
in performing these useful offices, because the more diligent they are,
the higher character they obtain amongst their countrymen, and the
greater favour do they gain from their husbands. It must be confessed,
however, that the Abipones, when they sup and dine in private, drink
nothing but water. I _have_ known Abipones who abstained from fermented
liquors altogether; but these persons were contemned by the rest as
cowardly, degenerate, and stupid; and indeed, I observed that they who
excelled the rest in birth, military glory, and authority, were
generally the most given to drinking. You can scarce see a circle of
drinkers, at which the chiefs of the Abipones do not attend and preside.
For cups they use either the skulls of their slain enemies, or gourds,
or horns. They are unacquainted with the European fashion of drinking
healths. When any one suggests the idea of a warlike expedition, they
cry _Là_, now; and snatching up their cups, express that they have
ratified his proposal by a hearty draught. It is also remarkable, that,
though extremely voracious at other times, they take scarce any food
when they pass the day and night in drinking; from which it is evident
that honey and the alfaroba possess great nutritive qualities. For my
part, I never could prevail upon myself to taste that nectar of the
Abipones, having often observed them chew the alfaroba, or honeycomb
with their teeth, put it out of their mouths, and keep it to mix with
the future beverage; for they think that, being mixed with saliva, it
will serve for a ferment, to make the rest of the mass obtain a grateful
acid more quickly. On the same account, the Indians and Paraguayrian
Spaniards have their maize, which is intended for drink, chewed by old
women; they will not intrust this office to the younger ones, who, they
say, abound in bad humours. Could any person, aware of this
circumstance, though of no very delicate stomach, swallow the beverage
without nausea? Yet this filthy drink has more lovers amongst the
Americans, than Helen had amongst the Greeks.
They always have many causes for celebrating a public drinking-party;
the most frequent are, the gaining of a victory, an impending fight,
funeral rites, festivities on the birth of a Cacique's son, the shaving
of widowers or widows, the changing of a name, the proclamation of a
lately appointed captain, the arrival of a guest of consideration, a
wedding, and, what is most common, a council of war. If materials for
preparing the liquor be at hand, occasion, and inclination for drinking,
will never be wanting. As honey is always to be had, they are never, at
any part of the year, in want of mead; but as it is seldom to be got in
sufficient quantities, for the number of partakers, parties of this kind
are generally of short duration. From December to April, when the woods
abound with the ripe alfaroba, is the chief season for drinking. During
these months they drink without pause or intermission. They join the
night to the day, with scarce any interval for brief meals, or sleep:
before they have slept themselves sober they stagger back to the party
of drinkers. During all that time you scarce ever find them in
possession of their senses; to live, with them, is to drink, and you
would say that the more they drank the more thirsty they grew. To show
that they do not tremble at the sight of blood, and that they take
pleasure in wounds, they emulously prick their breast and arms, and not
unfrequently their tongue, with crocodiles' bones, and the sharpest
thorns. Disputes too are frequent among them concerning pre-eminence in
valour, which produce confused clamours, fighting, wounds, and
slaughter. "In that skirmish you basely turned your back on the enemy,"
one perhaps will say to the other; who, not choosing to endure the
reproach, replies "What? What do you say?" till from words they proceed
to blows, to arrows, and to spears, unless other persons interfere. It
often happens that a contention between two implicates and incites them
all, so that snatching up arms, and taking the part, some of one, some
of the other, they furiously rush to attack and slay one another. This
is no uncommon occurrence in drinking-parties, and is sometimes carried
on for many hours with much vociferation of the combatants, and no less
effusion of blood.
Intoxication affects the Abipones in various ways. Some laugh violently,
merrier than hilarity itself; others seem oppressed with melancholy;
others, inflated with the remembrance of their mighty deeds, grow more
threatening and boastful than the Thraso of Terence, or the _Miles
Gloriosus_ of Plautus. I knew a man, who, whenever he was drunk,
threatened to kill his little son, and as he lay stretched upon the
ground, spoke in such loud and angry tones to his wife, that he was
heard throughout the whole neighbourhood. There was one man, who, when
he was drunk, always requested to be baptized, continually exclaiming,
"Make haste, Father, and wash my head!" though, when sober, he never
thought anything about baptism. An Abipon, of no reputation amongst his
countrymen, entered our house furnished with a bow and arrows, and
demanded of me, in a threatening tone, whether I did not think him a
captain, that is, a man distinguished for great actions; alarmed at the
fierce countenance of the interrogator, and at the bundle of arrows
which he bore, I made him a fine panegyric by way of reply, though he
was a man universally despised for his cowardice. An old man in the town
of St. Ferdinand, inglorious alike in birth and actions, on being called
by his drinking associates, _Lanařaik_, plebeian, vainly endeavoured
with arms, and absurd clamours, to avenge the insult; for his wife, a
sturdy old woman, always watched over her infuriated husband, that he
might not fall by the fists or weapons of his companions. On this
occasion she caught hold of him by the legs, or girdle, dragged him
through the street, and when got home, vainly exhorted him to sleep and
silence; for he, ever recurring to the flouts of his comrades, could
take no rest, constantly ejaculating with a hoarse voice, _Tà yeega`m!
Aym Lanařaik? Tà yeega`m! Là rihè lahè!_ "What! I a plebeian? I
ignoble? I demand vengeance." Enraged by these reflections, he
endeavours again and again to raise himself on his feet, and snatch up a
spear, when his angry wife as often knocks him down upon the floor. This
sport continued for many hours, to the incredible annoyance of all that
dwelt in the neighbourhood. Few could repress indignation, none
laughter. Almost all the women have the same task when they labour to
disarm their husbands, and take them out of the hands of their drunken
comrades. The whole Abiponian nation would come to destruction, if the
women and youths attended these drinking-parties, as well as the married
men.
You will sooner eradicate from the minds of the Americans any vice
belonging to them, than this wicked and pernicious intemperance in
drinking. You will sooner persuade them to live content with one wife,
to abstain from slaughter and rapine, to scorn their ancient
superstitions, or to employ themselves in agriculture and building
houses, notwithstanding their aversion to labour. To abolish the custom
of drinking-parties is indeed a most arduous work, a labour of many
years, and a business to perfect which no eloquence or industry of those
whose care and wish it was to convert the savage nations to
Christianity, and conform them to the divine laws, was ever equal. At
length, however, we have had the satisfaction of beholding this wicked
custom of drinking yield to our unwearied toils, and almost all the
savages submit to the law of God.
CHAPTER XLIII.
OF THE ABIPONIAN RITES ON OCCASION OF ANY ONE'S
BEING DECLARED CAPTAIN.
Even amongst savage nations, virtue has its reward. Though almost
ignorant that they are men, they delight in honourable titles. The
Abipones do not account that the best nobility which is inherited as a
patrimony, but that which is obtained by their own merits. Amongst them,
as no one is distinguished by his father's name, in like manner no one
is ennobled by the famous deeds of his father, grandfather, or great
grandfather. The nobility of valour and probity, not that of birth, is
what they prize and honour. By a kind of natural propensity they respect
the sons and grandsons of their Caciques and Captains; yet if they be
stupid, cowardly, of unpleasant manners, or a foolish understanding,
they make them of no account, and never prefer them to the government of
the horde, or of military expeditions. They choose for rulers and
leaders others of the common people, whom they know to be active,
sagacious, brave, and modest. Whoever has given proofs of warlike valour
is initiated into warlike honours with ceremonies which I shall
presently describe.
The names of the Abipones who are not distinguished by military rank,
end in various letters; but when, on account of their services in war,
they are admitted into the rank of the nobles, they drop the name which
they bore in youth, and receive another which always terminates in the
syllable _In_. They who are solemnly inaugurated, according to the
custom of their ancestors, are called _Höcheri_, and have a dialect of
their own; for though they use the common words, yet, by insertion and
addition of various syllables, they transform and obscure them in such a
manner that they can hardly be understood. I shall now briefly describe
the rites by which they are promoted to this dignity. When, by the
arbitration of the rest, such an honour has been decreed to any one,
they make a previous trial of his fortitude, by an experiment common to
all. A black bead being placed upon his tongue, he is ordered to sit
down at home for three days, and during that time to abstain from
speaking, eating, and drinking. This is indeed a harsh law, but it
appears mild in comparison with the torments endured by certain Indians
at the river Orinoco, when candidates for military honours. They are
laid on a hurdle, beneath which are placed burning coals, and, that the
heat and smoke may be the more intolerable, the poor wretches are
completely overwhelmed with palm leaves. They anoint the whole of the
body of others with honey, tie them to a tree, and expose them to the
stings of bees, wasps, drones, and hornets. But let me now return to the
Abipon who is fasting and keeping silence at home. On the evening
preceding this military function all the women flock to the threshold of
his tent. Pulling off their clothes from the shoulder to the middle, and
dishevelling their hair, they stand in a long row, and with confused
shouts, accompanied with the sound of gourds, and with the continual
agitation of their arms and legs, lament for the ancestors of him, who
is, next day, to be adorned with a military dignity. These lamentations
continue till it is dark. As soon as morning dawns, our candidate,
elegantly dressed in the fashion of his nation, and holding a spear in
his hand, leaps upon a horse laden with feathers, small bells, and
trappings, and gallops northward, followed by a great troop of Abipones.
Presently, returning with equal speed, he approaches the tent, where
sits an old female juggler, the priestess of the ceremonies, who is
afterwards to inaugurate the candidate with solemn rites. Some woman of
noble birth officiously holds his spear and the bridles of his horse,
while he dismounts, the rest of the matrons continuing to strike their
lips, and applaud; when the candidate listens to a short address from
the old woman seated on a hide, with as much veneration as if it was an
oracle from a Delphic tripod. Then mounting fresh horses, he rides out
in the same manner as before, first to the South, then to the East, and
then to the West, and after each journey alights at the same tent, where
that Pythian, like a female Apollo, pours forth her eloquence. The four
excursions being performed, and the horses dismissed, they all betake
themselves to that sacred tent, to witness the usual ceremony of the
inauguration. This ceremony consists of three things: first the hair of
the candidate is shaven by an old woman, so that from the forehead to
the back part of the head she leaves a baldness or streak, three inches
wide, which they call _Nalemřa_. The business of the hair being
finished, the old woman pronounces a panegyric, setting forth the noble
actions of the candidate, his warlike disposition, knowledge of arms and
horses, intrepidity in difficulties, the enemies that he has
slaughtered, the spoils that he has taken, the military fame of his
ancestors, and so on; in order that he may appear, on many accounts,
worthy to be declared a captain and a noble warrior, and to enjoy the
rights and privileges of the Höcheri. His new name is immediately
promulgated, and festively pronounced by a band of women striking their
lips with their hands. The male spectators do not like dry ceremonies to
be protracted to a great length, but joyfully fly to skins full of
honeyed liquor, and conclude the business with a famous drinking-match.
It is remarkable that many of the women arrive at this degree of honour,
and nobility, enjoy the privileges of the Höcheri, and use their
dialect. The names of these females end in _En_, as those of the men in
_In_. What circumstances entitle women of low birth to this degree of
honour, I do not know, but it appears to me most probable that the
merits of their parents, husbands, or brothers, not age, or beauty,
bestow this prerogative upon females. I have often heard very young
women conversing in the language of the nobles, and matrons remarkable
for years and wrinkles speaking the vulgar tongue.
The Abipones think it a sin to utter their own name. When either of them
knocked by night at my door, though I asked him a hundred times, "Who
are you?" he would answer nothing but, "It is I." Unknown persons, when
I enquired their name, would jog their neighbour with their elbow that
he might answer for them. It is also reckoned a crime to utter the name
of a person lately dead. If any one in his cups forgets the law, and
utters the name of the deceased, he will give occasion to a bloody
quarrel. Many women have no name at all. When I was making out a list of
the inhabitants of a town, I used to call upon all the men who were best
acquainted with their hordesmen to give me information on the subject,
and when interrogated respecting women, they used often to say: "This
woman has no name."
Moreover, the Abipones change their names as Europeans do their clothes.
The reasons of this alteration are either some famous action, or the
death of a father, son, wife, &c. when all the relations, to signify
their grief, change their old name for a new one. I have known persons,
who, in process of time, changed their names six or more times. Others
are named from some quality of mind or body; as _Kauirin_, lascivious,
_Oaherkaikin_, mendacious. Children have names quite different from
their parents. Amongst the Christian Guaranies, sons generally took the
names of their fathers, and daughters of their mothers. In the third
part of this history, which is yet to come, we shall relate the
slaughters committed, and undergone by the Abipones, the progress and
vicissitudes of the colonies which we founded for them, and the
advantages which the Spaniards derived from those colonies.
END OF VOL. II.
London: Printed by C. Roworth,
Bell-yard, Temple-bar.
Transcriber's notes.
1. Variations in hyphenation, accentuation and punctuation have been
retained as they were in the original publication.
2. Variations in the spelling of proper nouns have been retained as they
appear in the original publication.
3. Possible printer and typographical errors have been changed silently.
4. Italicized words and phrases are presented by surrounding the text
with _underscores_.