28 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 94 



interest to science. In many points he sees their striking resemblance 

 to types of the southern seas, particularly those of New Guinea, both 

 the Negritos and the Papuans. 



In 1930 Wegner states further his belief that he had also seen in 

 the Qurunga traces of an older and lower race, which reminded him 

 of the Papuans or South Sea islanders. 



The above reports have drawn attention anew to the triljes men- 

 tioned, especially to the Siriono. These groups, however, were not 

 unknown before. They are dealt with rather thoroughly, in fact, 

 by Father Cardus, one of the Franciscan missionaries among the tribes 

 of eastern Bolivia. Writing of the years 1883-4, Father Cardus says : 



The Sirionos are of the Guarani race, and their language is very much like 

 that of the Guarayos. They are very savage and ferocious, and live dispersed over 

 the forests and pampas along the streams and about the lakes of the region 

 between the lands of the Bibosi, Guarayos, Carmen y Loreto de Mojos, and the 

 Piray River " 



The Sirionos are dark in color like the Guarayos, or possibly somewhat paler, 

 for the reason that they are nearly always in the shade of trees. Some few 

 were encountered who could be taken for Whites and with blue eyes, but this 

 is due to the fact that such individuals were taken as children from some 

 ranch or settlement of the Whites. There has also been seen among them a 

 Negro, a son, we suppose, of some Negro deserter of the army in the time 

 of the " independencia ". There are also among them some families of differ- 

 ent origin, whose language the Guarayos cannot understand. They are proba- 

 bly of the Mojo race and live in every way as the others.^ 



What we are most sure of is that formerly the Sirionos did not do such 

 harm as at the present and that at various places they came to beg something 

 from travelers, without molesting the latter. It appears that the Whites were 

 the first to hurt them, especially the traders, who through fear and cowardice 

 started to shoot at them with their guns to drive them away from the forests 

 and the roads ; which certainly could not have been very agreeable to these 

 savages who, like all the rest, are so suspicious and revengeful. The fact is 

 that at present the Sirionos are very inimical to all the Whites as well as to 



" " Los sirionos son de raza guarani, y su lengua es muy parecida a la de los 

 guarayos. Componen una tribu muy salvaje y feroz, y viven diseminados por 

 los bosques, pampas, rios, arroyos y lagunas comprendidos entre las cercanias 

 de Bibosi, Guarayos, Carmen y Loreto de Mojos, y el rio Piray." (Pp. 279, 

 280.) 



*'^ " Los sirionos son de color moreno como les guarayos, y tal vez un poco 

 mas palidos, por razon de estar casi siempre bajo la sombra de los arboles. Se 

 han encontrado unos pocos que podrian decirse blancos y con ojos azules, pero 

 esto se debe a que siendo chicos han sido llevados de alguna estancia 6 pueblos de 

 blancos. Tambien se ha visto algun negro entre ellos, que suponemos ser hijo 

 de algun negro desertor de la tropa en tiempo de la independencia. Hay tambien 

 entre ellos algunas familias de diferente origen, cuya lengua los guarayos no 

 pueden entender. Probablemente son de raza mojena, y viven en todo como los 

 demas." (P. 280.) 



