292 A NATURALIST IN THE GUIANAS 



water and cane-juice. If allowed to ferment for more 

 than three days it becomes intoxicating. Large quantities 

 of yaraque are consumed during the dances that form 

 part of almost every) celebration among the Indians. On 

 these occasions the stuff is prepared on a big scale, 

 generally in dug-outs. The cane-juice used in sweetening 

 the yaraque is obtained by pressing pieces of cane with 

 a long pole let into the stump of a tree, the pole being 

 used as a lever. Sometimes the juice is boiled until it 

 thickens into a syrup, but as a rule it is used in the raw 

 state. 



The work in which the Indians excel is the making 

 of baskets. At Mura all basket-work is made of the split 

 stalks of a plant closely allied to that producing arrow- 

 root. This plant is called tirita and belongs to the 

 order of the Scitaminese. Its stem is arundinaceous, 

 terminating in several rosulate leaves. It is this arundi- 

 naceous stem that is used in the manufacture of the baskets 

 and sieves one sees in every Indian house. Quantities of 

 these stems having been collected are split in the first 

 place into four long strips by running two pieces of thin 

 wood through them crosswise. Each strip is then split 

 into two so that every stem produces eight long strips, 

 which are ready for use after the pith adhering to them 

 has been removed by pulling them along one of the finger 

 nails. The baskets are made on frames and are of 

 different sizes and shapes. There are shallow ones used 

 for storing cotton, beads, and other ornaments, as well as 

 the fish-hooks, lines, and arrow-heads used by the men in 

 their fishing and hunting excursions. The Indians always 

 carry their loads in a deep basket by means, as I have 

 already said, of a broad band of pliable bark passed over 

 the head. If they go on a long journey the cassava and 



