proceedings: anthropological society 407 



who ascended the Potomac River as far as Little Falls and made notes 

 on the fauna of the region, and the accounts of other early explorers 

 and travellers, down to recent times. The speaker gave many enter- 

 taining quotations from the writings of these early naturalists, told 

 about the early societies interested in the natural history of the District, 

 and described the faunal and floral lists that have appeared, mention- 

 ing the number of species in each and calling attention to the fact 

 that the District of Columbia is the type locality for many species. 

 Mr. McAfee's communication was discussed by the Chair, and by 

 Messrs. L. O. Howard, D. E. Lantz, and William Palmer. 



M. W. Lyon, Jr., Recording Secretary. 



THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



At the 496th meeting, held March 7, 1916, Dr. C. L. G. Anderson 

 read a paper on Old Panama. After reviewing the voyage of Colum- 

 bus along the Panamanian coast and incidents of the early history of 

 the Isthmus, especially the settlement of Balboa, Pizarro, and others 

 on the Gulf of Darien in 1510, he spoke particularly of early accounts 

 of the aborigines. West of the colony of Darien came the Indian 

 Province of Cueva, and west of that the province of Coiba, which ended 

 at Limon Bay and the Chagres River. Darien or Cueva is a better 

 name than Cuna for the Indians commonly known as San Bias, Mandin- 

 gas, etc. These, of course, do not include the Chocos of Columbia. 

 The natives of Uraba, east of the Gulf of Darien, were always called 

 Caribes; they fought with bows and poisoned arrows. The Dariens, 

 at the time of the Conquest, did not poison their weapons or make war 

 with bows and arrows, but with wooden swords, long lances, and jave- 

 lins hurled by the use of throwing sticks. Unlike the Mexicans and 

 Peruvians, they had no belief as to the coming of the white Messiah, 

 and fought the Spaniards from the start. 



Oviedo mentions the following among the tongues between Uraba 

 and Cape Gracias a Dios: Cueva, Coyba, Burica, Lengua de Paris, 

 Lengua de Veragua, Chondales, Nicaragua, Chorotegas, Oroci, Orotina, 

 Giietares, and Maribios. 



There were four kinds of houses: (1) quadrangular, (2) circular, 

 (3) communal dwellings similar to those among the San Bias today, 

 and (4) dwellings in the tops of trees. The first whites exaggerated 

 the nudity of the natives, for pages are devoted to descriptions of their 

 clothing. They possessed both ordinary and ceremonial garments. 

 Females wore a short skirt and often added a shirt. Chiefs wore 

 long white robes on ceremonial occasions. According to the same early 

 chroniclers the tribes believed in a supreme being, and worshipped 

 the sun, moon, and many spirits. They had medicine men and priests 

 who told the people what they should do. Puberty was attended with 

 ceremonies. There was much drinking of chicha at weddings and a 

 house was built for the young man by his friends. After confinement 

 a woman bathed herself and babe in the river and the newborn was 



