NO. 1817 INDIANS OF PERU — EBERHARDT I9I 



serves as a substitute for bread ; fried or boiled, it is as good as our 

 potato; kneaded into a dough and baked with minced meats, fruits, 

 etc., it makes a splendid pastry, while the juice, after treatment by 

 certain processes, is made into masato, the beverage common to 

 nearly all the tribes of Peru. To make this drink, baked yucca, 

 crushed and ground till it forms a sort of a meal, is placed in earthen 

 jars, mixed with the raw article likewise crushed (or sometimes 

 chewed by the Indians till, mixed with saliva, a considerable portion 

 is liquid), which serves to ferment the mixture, thus producing a 

 greater or less amount of alcohol. The preparation of this drink is 

 usually the occupation of the older women. Great quantities of it 

 are drunk at the celebrations of marriage ceremonies, births, the 

 beginning of a tribal war or at its successful termination. On jour- 

 neys a certain amount is always carried, which, mixed with water, 

 furnishes a very refreshing drink. The juice of the banana, pre- 

 pared in more or less the same manner and mixed with water, is also 

 refreshing. 



Physical Characters 



In the color of his skin the pure-blooded Indian of Peru 

 is practically the same dark brownish color as the North American 

 Indian. The most of the tribes, however, seem to have become 

 mixed at some time or other with whites or blacks, and many varia- 

 tions in color are therefore to be noted, from the very dark tribes of 

 the Putumayo, in whom may be traced strains of blood of escaped 

 negro slaves from Colombia and Brazil, to the very light Huarayos 

 of the Madre de Dios, of an ancestry of mixed Indian and Spaniard. 

 In stature they may be said to be below the average in height, 

 though usually very stockily built, and strong and muscular. 



Mental Traits 



When brought from their native haunts into contact with civiliza- 

 tion, these Indians are as a rule very quick to adopt the customs of 

 the whites. It is admirable to see the manner in which they learn 

 in a short time to use firearms. As pilots on the smaller boats ply- 

 ing the tributaries of the Upper Amazon many are rendering excel- 

 lent service, while the crews are often made up entirely of men born 

 and reared in the wilderness. A few of the more aggressive have 

 become shrewd business men and wealthy exporters of rubber. 



Polygamy 



All of the tribes of this region practice polygamy, a man's 

 standing and wealth beifig determined by the number of wives he 

 may have, though this number rarely exceeds ten, the wives ranging 



