l86 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 52 



The Campas 



Though less numerous than the Huitotos, the Campas, with their 

 subtribes, numbering in all some 15,000, are much the more intelli- 

 gent and in many respects the most interesting of any of the tribes 

 of Peru. They inhabit the vast region from Rosalina, on the Upper 

 Urubamba, to the junction of that river v^^ith the Tambo, and from 

 that point the left bank of the Ucayali as far as the Pampas del 

 Sacramento. All of the subtribes speak the Campa dialect and 

 generally wear the traditional cushma, a sort of sleeveless shirt, 

 crudely woven from the wild "cotton" which grows in abundance 

 on a large tree in those regions. 



The Chonta-Campas and the Cashibos are the least advanced of 

 the subtribes, and still use the light bark of a certain tree for the 

 scant covering they wear when any is used at all. They are gener- 

 ally hostile to the whites and at times have been known to eat human 

 flesh, believing that by so doing they imbibe the strength, physical 

 and intellectual, of their victim. The Cashibos are almost con- 

 tinually at war with the neighboring subtribes. They inhabit the 

 region of the Pachitea and Pampas del Sacramento. They num- 

 ber approximately 3,000, though the continual intertribal wars and 

 frequent excursions of the whites into their territory in quest of 

 workers (when, if resistance is shown, they are often taken by 

 force and practically enslaved) are causing a steady decrease. 

 Men and women alike go naked or use the bark of the tree in the 

 form of a long shirt, as above mentioned. Because of the isolation 

 of their position, the machete and other arms so commonly used 

 by other tribes are almost unknown to them, and they still use, as 

 they have for centuries past, the stone axe and the bow and arrow, 

 and defend the entrance to their homes by concealing sharpened 

 spears in pitfalls. 



The Indians of the head tribes of the Campas are generally of 

 rather noble features, friendly to the whites and willing and quick 

 to learn their habits and customs. They are excellent canoeists, 

 learn readily the use of firearms, and are sometimes employed in 

 rubber-gathering. They spin and weave and cultivate quite exten- 

 sive tracts of corn, yucca, bananas, peppers, and a species of potato. 



The Machigangas, another subtribe of the Campas, live in the 

 Upper Urubamba and Pachitea districts, and with few exceptions 

 are friendly toward the whites. They are rather small of stature, 

 with regular features, and men and women alike wear the cushma. 

 They are polygamists. Their numbers are also steadily decreasing, 



