Fane and ARCHEOLOGY IN BRITISH GUIANA 243 
“Tohi” and “Kushar’s Village,” both of which he describes. He also 
made a number of observations on Taruma culture and made a col- 
lection of artifacts now in the University Museum, Philadelphia. 
About a decade subsequent to this visit, the Taruma were decimated 
by disease, leaving only a handful of survivors. One of these had 
been adopted by the Wai Wai chief and was living with the Wai Wai 
at the time of our visit to the upper Essequibo in 1952-53. 
No attempt will be made here to repeat or even to summarize all of 
Farabee’s comments on the Taruma culture. The major portion of 
the published data is mythology (Farabee, 1918), and this cannot be 
checked archeologically. However, certain of his comments on settle- 
ment pattern, subsistence, and material culture will help to round out 
the archeological record. Since much of this data is unpublished 
(Farabee, MS., Notebook A), its inclusion here will enlarge the 
published documentation of this extinct tribe. 
Agriculture.—At “Tohi,” the field was estimated as 5 or more acres, 
the major portion of which was devoted to manioc. Scattered about 
were a few banana trees, papayas, cashews, sugarcane, sweetpotatoes, 
and cara. There was no maize. Clearing involved cutting down all 
the trees, which did not burn and so remained scattered over the field. 
A field was productive for 2 or 8 years, after which a new one had to 
be cleared. Fields were sometimes 2 hours’ travel from the village. 
Settlement patiern.—Both Farabee (MS., Notebook A) and W. E. 
Roth (1929) describe Taruma villages as occupying high land along 
the riverbank. A creek frequently runs along one edge of the 
elevation. 
House.—The description of the Taruma house is very similar to 
that of the Wai Wai. Those at “Tohi” were circular, 35 feet in 
diameter. Vertical posts supported the roof poles, which radiated 
around a tall central post. In one house, the roof came almost to 
the ground, and the sides were open; in the other there was a 414-foot- 
high sidewall. The covering was tightly braided palm thatch, leav- 
ing no smoke hole. A single door provided access. The interior was 
not subdivided, but each married couple occupied one section. Ham- 
mocks were suspended between posts, the husband’s above the wife’s. 
Each woman had her own fire. Dogs were kept tied on platforms 
about 3 feet high along the wall. Racks and baskets suspended from 
the rafters or crosspoles held food and miscellaneous items. Bows 
and arrows were kept tucked into the thatch on top of the rafters. 
Pottery—tThree forms of pottery vessels are mentioned: griddles, 
and two shapes of cooking pots. The griddles were flat, sometimes 
with turned-up edges. They were three-quarters of an inch thick 
and 24 to 30 inches in diameter. To bake cassava bread, the griddles 
were placed on three stones or pottery supports. The latter are de- 
scribed as 7 inches high and 5 inches in diameter, in the form of 
