﻿114 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. ']'] 



extensive study of the ethnology and language of this little known 

 tribe, said to number some 50,000 souls. 



The Tule Indians, also known as Cunas, Comogres, and San 

 Blasenos, live along the Caribbean coast of Panama from Murru 

 (San Bias Point) to Armila (Port Obaldia), a distance of 120 miles. 

 They still have their own tribal government from Kwibgandi to 

 Cacardia, a strip of coast 30 miles in length. They formerly held 

 the coast from the region of Eskarban (Port Escribanos), 15 miles 

 west of San Bias Point, to include the delta region of the Rio Atrato, 

 a strip of coast 220 miles long. The tribe also holds the San Bias 

 range, which parallels the coast at a distance varying from 5 to 20 

 miles, from San Bias Point to the region about Tacarcuna Mountain, 

 including portions of the Pacific slope of the range. The linguistically 

 related Coiba held the isthmus to the west, including Colon and 

 Panama. The linguistic stock to the south was the Choco Indians, 

 who now inhabit much of the Savana, Chucunaque and Tuira river 

 drainages. 



The tribe, according to the informants, is divided into six sections 

 as shown on the accompanying map (fig. 122.) The Negroid popula- 

 tion is closing in on the Indians and will soon work their extinction. 



The Tule language has, with the Choco, the distinction of being 

 the most southerly Indian language of North America, and with the 

 Huaimi of Panama that of extending from the Atlantic to the 

 Pacific coast. 



The informants are: (i) James Perry, Alice Perry and Margarita 

 Campos from Yantuppu (A of map), a small island in front of 

 Nargana, 22 miles east of San Bias Point; (2) Niga (Felipe) from 

 Tigandikki island (B of map), 31 miles east of San Bias Point; (3) 

 Igwa Nigdibippi. who is chief over 20 islands, and Olo Piniginya 

 from Agligandi island (C of map), 64 miles east of San Bias Point; 

 (4) Alfred Robinson and Tcippu from Ustuppu island (D of map), 

 71 miles east of San Bias Point. Alfred's father is Nele, chief of 

 the island. 



Three of the party, Margarita. Olo and Tcippu, are examples of 

 Ibegwa or White Indians, of whom Wafer writes in 1699: " There 

 is one complexion so singular among a sort of people of this country, 

 that I never saw or heard of any like them in any part of the world. 

 They are white and there are of them of both sexes. Their skins 

 are not of such a white as those of fair people among Europeans, 

 but 'tis of a milk white, lighter than the color of any Europeans, and 

 much like that of a white horse. For there is this further remarkable 



