NO. II MELANESIANS AND AUSTRALIANS HRDLICKA 29 



all the other Indians, and that they do not want to talk with anyone nor to 

 see anybody except, if they can, to discharge an arrow at them." 



Koch-Griinberg (1906), referring to the many little-known hordes 

 roaming the primeval forests of eastern Bolivia and neighboring 

 regions, though not mentioning the Siriono, believes that they all 

 belong to the great poorly defined group known by the opprobrious 

 name of " Makis " and representing the remains of the old original 

 population of the territory/^ A portrait of a Maku (p. 180) shows a 

 typical Indian ; but two other pictures — one that of a woman from 

 the same river (Tiquie) as the Maku (p. 179), the other of a youth 

 from the Rio lea — show a decided Negro (African) admixture. 



In 1911 the Siriono and their material culture were briefly dealt 

 with by Nordenskiold. They have a rather wide distribution, are 

 treated roughly by the Whites, and are feared and hated by the sur- 

 rounding Indians. It is not certain whether all that are called 

 " Siriono " in Bolivia belong to one tribe. They have been mentioned 

 in literature since 1839 (D'Orbigny). Their language is said to be 

 corrupted Guarani, but they seem also to have another language. 

 Nordenskiold saw two Siriono youths, one of whom he pictures. His 

 skin was of the same brown as that of the Guarayu Indians. The 

 hair of the second youth was somewhat brownish, and his skin was 

 unusually light, like that of " a strongly anaemic White who has lived 

 long in the Tropics ". 



The Siriono seem to Nordenskiold to belong to the Maku tribes ; 

 they are probably " primitive Indians who as a result of their con- 

 tacts with Guarani-speaking fugitives were largely ' Guaranized '." 



" " Lo que sabemos mejor es, que antes los sirionos no hacian tanto dano 

 como ahora, y que en varios lugares salian a pedir algo a los viajeros, sin 

 molestarlos. Parece que los blancos han sido los primeros en molestarlos a 

 ellos, principalmente los comerciantes, quienes por temor y por cobardia empez- 

 aron a dispararles algunos tiros con armas de fuego, para alejarlos de las pascanas 

 y caminos ; lo cual no podia ciertamente agradar mucho a unos salvajes que, 

 como todos los demas, son tan desconfiados y vengativos. El hecho es que 

 actualmente los sirionos estan muy enemistados con todos los blancos y con 

 todos los demas indios, y que no quieren hablar con nadie, ni ver a nadie sin 

 que, si pueden, no les disparen un flechazo." (P. 282.) 



^^ " In der Tat versteht man unter diesem Sammelnamen eine ganze Anzahl 

 von Horden mit sehr voneinander abweichenden und sehr primitiven Sprachen, 

 die eine ganz neue Gruppe darstellen. Ich mochte alle diese niedrigstehenden 

 Horden, die sich somatisch sehr von den iibrigen Stammen dieser Gegenden 

 unterscheiden, auch kulturell einen durchaus altertiimlichen Charakter tragen 

 und sich iiber ein riesiges Gebiet, sozusagen von Manaos bis zu den Ande aus- 

 dehnen, fiir die Reste einer sehr urspriinglichen Bevolkerungsschicht halten." 

 (P. 180.) 



