546 



NATURE 



[April 9, 1896 



and richly illustrated monographs, in which much new informa- 

 tion is given on those two previously ill-known tribes.^ 



The Chamacocos, of whose singular long-handled stone axes 

 and stone chisel I published an account some years ago in the 

 Archives Internationales cT Ethnographic of Leyden, inhabit the 

 neighbourhood of Puerto Pacheco, on the right bank of the 

 Paraguay River, now ceded back to Bolivia, their territory lying 

 between 20° and 21° S. lat. They are, however, true nomads, 

 and wander north and south along the main river, but generally 

 from that inland. Their affinities appear to be with the lost 

 Zanmcos, who formed part of the Chiquitos confederate missions, 

 which flourished about 150 years ago ; but up to a quite recent 

 date i^circa 1885), the Chamacocos were quite unknown. The 

 origin of this name is obscure ; it is not that by which the tribe 

 calls itself, if such a collective name exists. Boggiani found 

 that the names Mtiria, Ibitessa, and Ennima were given to 

 sections of the tribe. 



The first Hispano-American settlers at Puerto Pacheco, who 

 dubbed the natives as Chamacocos, became aware of the exist- 

 ence inland of a wilder people, whom they called Chamacocos 

 bravos. These were not infrequently raided upon by the 

 Chamacocos manzos (i.e. civilised), who carried off their 

 children to sell as slaves, and pillaged their camps. Boggiani 

 has found out that this is a kindred but distinct tribe 

 from the Chamacocos, speaking a different language ; their true 

 name is Tumana, and it appears that the singular long-handled 

 stone axes, which have come into European hands through the 

 Chamacoccs, are mostly, if not all, taken from them. Further 

 inland, beyond the I'tunana, Boggiani was informed that an 

 agricultural settled tribe, the Titinarti, lived, in whom he 

 suspects the real descendants of the Zamiicos may be found. 



The Bolivian settlement at Puerto Pacheco was formed in 

 :885 ; it had hardly begun to prosper when the Paraguayans took 

 possession, and re-named the place Bahia Negra. A few years 

 later, Boggiani and an Argentine friend got a concession from the 

 Paraguayan Government, and formed two wood-felling stations 

 in the neighbourhood. It is thus that my friend came in con- 

 tact with the Chamacocos, most of his workmen belonging to that 

 tribe. Boggiani's descriptions of the country and the natives 

 are vivid, the fruit of a refined artist's genuine admiration of a 

 virgin country and wild men. These he depicts as splendid 

 specimens of humanity ; tall, perfect in shape, with skin of a 

 bronzed reddish tinge ; long black hair, worn tied in a knot 

 behind, in a thick queue, ornamented with feathers, or flowing 

 loose. The women, who, as usual amongst savages, are the 

 beasts of burden, are less handsome, and wear their hair short. 

 No clothing is worn by either sex, except rough sandals of 

 Peccary skin when on the tramp, and a profusion of feather 

 ornaments and necklets of seeds, &c. , on festive occasions. As 

 most of the natives of tropical America, the Chamacocos excel in 

 the "Arte Plumaria," and it would be difficult to describe in 

 words the beauty of their combinations of bright-coloured 

 feathers of the parrots, toucans, and trogons, with the grey of 

 the rhea, the glossy black of the musk duck, the lovely pink 

 of the spoonbill, and the white plumes of the egrett. Amongst 

 other curious ornaments, one of the strangest is the rattle of the 

 Crotahis, for which these people have quite a predilection ; for I 

 have seen it dangling amongst feathers in diadems, armlets and 

 leglets, united in bunches as ear-pendants (Fig. i), and even tied 

 on axes or clubs. I have never heard of other American tribes 

 putting the caudal appendage of the dread rattlesnake to such 

 use. During their dances the Chamacocos, besides small gourds 

 containing stones, use belts made with loosely-strung carapaces 

 of small tortoises, or the hoofs of stags. They make rude 

 pottery with the hand, the potter's- wheel being quite unknown 

 to them. 



Formerly the Chamacocos lived in constant dread of the 

 Mbaya or Caduveos, then a powerful predatory tribe, located on 

 the opposite side of the Paraguay River, but who frequently 

 raided the Chamacoco territory, carrying off young men and 

 women as slaves. Now the white man, with his diseases and evil 

 propensities, is their worst foe. Boggiani, however, appears to 

 have been a general favourite with them. From his descriptions, 

 the Chamacocos appear to be, on the whole, an inoffensive and 

 happy people, and show off their exuberant spirits in frequent 

 dancing and singing bouts. They have various games, one of 

 which may be described as a kind of lawn tennis. 



1 Guido Boggiani, "I Ciamacoco, Conferenza " (Roma, 1894): " Viaggi 

 di un artista nel I'America meridionale, I Caduvei " (Roma, 1895); "X 

 Caduvei, studio" (Roma, 1895). 



Besides the singular stone axes with long, flat hard-wood 

 handles, which appear to belong properly to the Tiimana, are 

 called Nh scico, and may be considered more like war-clubs than 

 cutting implements, the weapons of the Chamacocos are plain 

 clubs, wooden spears, large bows for shooting arrows pointed 

 with hard wood, and small bows with a double string, used for 

 shooting clay bullets ; these for catching birds. 



The women make neat bags and reticules of different kinds of 

 netting, also hammocks, used generally for wrapping and carry- 

 ing larger parcels. The Chamacocos, like most savages, make 

 fine cord of various kinds, using mostly the fibres of the Ybira ; 

 the weaving loom is unknown to them. Their food is hetero- 

 geneous, but they have curious superstitions regarding some 

 kinds ; thus deer-flesh is only eaten by men, whilst women can 

 feed on birds and small game ; children cannot partake of the 

 eggs of the ostrich (Rhea). Boggiani has also collected a small 

 vocabulary of the hitherto unknown language of these people. 



Boggiani spent two months and a half with the Caduveos of 

 the Nabilecche River, mostly at their principal village Nalicche, 

 living as one of them, and enjoying most favourable opportunities 

 for studying the manners, customs, and character of this once 

 powerful and partially civilised tribe, now sorely reduced in 

 numbers and on the wane. It is strange how little has hitherto 

 been known of them and of their country, so much so that even 

 on recent maps the Nabilecche, which runs into the main stream 

 of the Paraguay River some 10 or 12 kilometres north of Fort 

 Olimpo, in Brazilian territory, is not only misplaced but con- 

 sidered a mere branch of the Paraguay. Nalicche is not on the 



NO. 1380 VOL. 53] 



Fig. I.— Cliumacoco c;ir-pendants of rattlesnake tails. 



banks of the Nabilecche, but some distance inland, half- way to 

 the Miranda mountains. It consists of a single row of huts 

 slightly bent, united under a common roof of Yatai palm-leaves ; 

 at the back, separated by boards, are the true huts ; the front 

 forms a kind of covered corridor, continuous right through. In 

 front is a square, kept quite clean, at the lower end of which is a 

 spring, which gives the water supply to the village. The country 

 around is a fine wooded and grassy undulated plain, on which 

 the cattle and horses of the Caduveos graze. In cleared portions 

 of the adjoining forest are the fields, in which each family culti- 

 vates the necessary crops of mandioca, maize, rice, gourds, and 

 sugar-cane, besides papaws and bananas. Poultry and numerous 

 mangy cur-like dogs complete the list of domesticated animals. 



The Caduveos are known also under the names of Mbayas and 

 Gtiaycurii ; this last is erroneous, it is the Guarany for "savage." 

 Boggiani believes that they came across the Chaco, and were 

 once in contact with the civilised tribes of Peru ; I can hardly 

 follow him as far as that. It is evident, however, that amongst 

 the surrounding wild nomadic tribes the Caduveos emerged as a 

 warlike but agricultural people, with fixed residences and certain 

 industrial arts, such as weaving and pottery ; in this they excel 

 even to this day. The beauty and variety of their ornamental 

 designs is truly wonderful ; Boggiani, as an artist, was particu- 

 larly struck with this remarkable development in a savage 

 people, and he gives quite a series of fine drawings in illustration 

 of the artistic taste and invention of the Caduveos, to be seen on 

 their earthenware and in their very elaborate body and face 



