332 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 177 
Macusi by the early part of the 19th century, suppression of such a 
heathen practice is most probable. The presence of a worn 1809 coin 
in one urn proves that the custom of urn burial survived well into the 
19th century. 
The second point of disagreement is in the description of pottery 
making. Both the Macusi and Wapisiana are said by Farabee (see 
p. 324) to use ashes for tempering the clay, whereas the major 
wares of the Rupununi Phase are tempered with coarse to fine sand. 
Occasional sherds from seven sites contained traces of black ash, but 
the addition of this material was by no means typical and its presence 
was considered nonsignificant for purposes of classification and estab- 
lishment of pottery types. Four of the sites showing this feature, 
however, are in the late part of the sequence, with a probable dating 
of post-1900. If this represents the beginning of a trend toward the 
use of ash temper, then Farabee’s observation would be acceptable 
from an archeological standpoint. 
Cattle were introduced into the savannas of the Rio Branco, Brazil, 
and the Rupununi of British Guiana at the end of the 18th century. 
Thus, the lives of the savanna Indians have been touched by this 
EKuropean-introduced economy for the past 150 years, with the result 
that overt expressions of their aboriginal culture have largely disap- 
peared. Macusi and Wapisiana economy is tied to the cattle industry 
by the fact that it constitutes directly or indirectly the primary source 
of monetary income. Proximity to a center of European settlement 
has brought a benefit in terms of improved health, with the conse- 
quence that the aboriginal population in this area is on the increase 
and is likely to maintain itself in the foreseeable future. 
