NO. 1817 INDIANS OF PERU — EBERHARDT 185 



Tribe Number 



Chacobas 



Amigos or Inaperis 



Huaparis 3,000 



Boras 3,000 



Cachiboyanos 



Ticiinas 3,000 



Yuminaguas 



Yahuas 



Pebas 



Zaparos 



116,000 

 Brief Descriptions of Tribes 



Brief sketches of the manners and customs of a few of the 

 stronger of these tribes may be of interest before a general sum- 

 mary is made. 



The Huitotos 



The Huitotos, together with their subtribes, are considered the 

 strongest in point of numbers of any of the Indians of Peru. They 

 inhabit the district of the Upper Putumayo River (called Iga in 

 Brazil) and the regions between that river and the Yapura, or 

 Upper Caqueta, on the north and as far south as the vicinity of the 

 Napo River. The greater part of these are inclined to treat with 

 the whites, and several thousands of them are employed by rubber- 

 gatherers. They speak a distinct language and use the lance and 

 club as weapons, while stone axes are to be found among some of 

 the tribes of the central regions. As is usual with Indian tribes 

 generally, the women do most of the domestic drudgery and hard 

 labor. It is a common sight to see a mother with a babe at her 

 breast bringing in a supply of yucca for the noonday meal in a reed 

 basket hung from her head down her back. 



The houses in which they live are not unlike huge circus tents In 

 shape, constructed of poles covered from peak to ground with a 

 thatching of palm leaves. In one of these houses it was esti- 

 mated that 150 persons were living at the same time. Each family 

 is allotted a triangular space of about 12 feet, and at each point 

 of the triangle poles are erected, from which their hammocks 

 (made of woven reeds) are hung, while in the center of the triangle 

 the cooking for the family is done over a small fire. The rougher 

 work of crushing the yucca, etc., is carried on in the open space in 

 the center of the house, though this space is free to all and is always 

 used for their dances and other celebrations. 



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