Cuap. IX. THE MAUHES INDIANS. 245 
who suffered much from pains in the head. Senhor Joaé contrived to get 
possession of the supposed worm after the trick was performed in our 
presence, and it turned out to be a long white air-root of some plant. 
The pajé was with difficulty persuaded to operate whilst Senhor Joaé 
and I were present. I cannot help thinking that he, as well as all others 
of the same profession, are conscious impostors, handing down the 
shallow secret of their divinations and tricks from generation to genera- 
tion. The institution seems to be common to all tribes of Indians, and 
to be held to more tenaciously than any other. 
The opposite (western) shore of the Tapajos for some distance 
beyond the falls, and the country thence to the channels behind Villa 
Nova, are inhabited by the Mauhés tribe, of whom I have spoken in 
a former chapter. These are also a settled, agricultural people, but 
speak a totally different language from that of the Munduructs. I saw 
at Aveyros several men of this fine tribe, who were descending the 
river in a trading canoe, and who, on being confronted with a Mundurucut, 
were quite unable to understand him. ‘There are many other points of 
difference between the two tribes. The Mauhés are much less warlike, 
and do not practise tattooing. Their villages are composed of a number 
of small huts, tenanted by single families, whilst the separate hordes of 
Munduructss generally live together, each in one large dwelling. The 
Cupari horde do not form an exception in this respect, as they also 
lived together in one of these large huts until very recently. The 
Mauhés are undistinguishable in physical appearance from their neigh- 
bours, being of middle size, with broad, muscular chests, and well- 
shaped limbs and hands. But the individuals of both tribes can be 
readily distinguished from the Muiras ; less, however, by the structure 
and proportions of the body than by the expression of their countenances, 
which is mild and open instead of brutal, surly and mistrustful, as in 
those savages. They are invariably friendly to the whites; as I have 
already mentioned, they use the Parica snuff, a habit quite unknown to 
the Munduructis. They are the only tribe who manufacture Guarana, a 
hard substance made of the pounded seeds of a climbing plant (Paullinia 
sorbilis), which they sell in large quantities to traders, it being used 
throughout the whole of the interior provinces of Brazil, grated and 
mixed in water, as a remedy in diarrhcea and intermittent fevers. The 
Munduructis have a tradition that they and the Mauhés originally 
formed one tribe; the two peoples were formerly bitter enemies, but 
are now, and have been for many years, at peace with each other. 
Many centuries must have elapsed since the date of their first separa- 
tion, to have produced the great differences now existing in language 
and customs between the two tribes. I fancy the so-called tradition is 
only a myth, but it doubtless conveys the truth. The points of 
resemblance between all the tribes inhabiting the region of the Amazons 
are so numerous and striking, that, notwithstanding the equally striking 
points of difference which some of them exhibit, we must conclude that 
not only the Munduructis and Mauhés, but all the various peoples had 
a common origin—that is, they are derived by immigration from one 
quarter and one stock, the separate tribes subsequently acquiring their 
peculiarities by long isolation. 
