NO. 1817 INDIANS OF PERU — IJBERHARDT 189 



The Nahumedes 



This tribe, now almost extinct, is remarkable only for the tradition 

 which clings to it of having been responsible for the naming of the 

 great Amazon. It was they who attacked the Spaniard Arellano 

 on his journey down the great river after he had deserted the Pizarro 

 expedition. The Indians, because of their cushmas and the manner 

 of wearing their hair flowing loosely down their backs, were thought 

 to be women warriors or "amazonas," and from that incident, as 

 history also asserts, the river has retained to this day the name of 

 Amazonas. 



The Orejones 



This name is given to the tribe which inhabits the Napo and its 

 branches, from the fact of their enlarging the lower part of the ear 

 by a process which is begun when they are children, until sometimes 

 the ear hangs down almost to the shoulder. This custom is attrib- 

 uted by some to the Incas, who in this manner indicated the families 

 and descendants of Incas of "royal" blood. 



The Tribes as a Whole 



The average traveler through the Amazon lowlands would prob- 

 ably notice little difference between the various tribes further than 

 that some wear the cushma, others a short covering from waist to 

 knees, and others go entirely nude. Several reasons are apparent 

 by which the Indians have been driven to wear clothing at times: 

 First, the moral ; second, climatic conditions, such as cold in the 

 mountainous regions, and third, the abundance of flies, mosquitoes, 

 and other insects which abound in a hot country. 



The student would immediately note other differences, probably 

 the first and one of the important ones being that in the regions on 

 the right bank of the Amazon, from Urubamba and Ucayali to the 

 Maraiion, all the Indians, with the exception of the Aguarinas, use 

 the bow and arrow, while those on the left bank use the lance and 

 blow-gun with poisoned arrows. These and many other items in 

 detail would probably be interesting, but there has been no oppor- 

 tunity for systematic study of the subject, so general information 

 regarding the Indians of Peru is all that can be furnished. 



Form of Government 



All of these tribes of Indians seem to be aggregations of 

 numerous families, with one leader or chief, who is recognized as 

 such by all the tribe. Among these families are subtribes, which in 

 turn have their leaders or subchiefs, though the entire group in that 



