(^ooPEu] BIBLIOGRAPHY OF TRIBES OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO 41 



That the Chonos spoke a language quite distinct from the Araucanian 

 seems amply testified. That they spoke a Tehuelchean dialect is 

 very unlikely indeed. That their language was distinct from that 

 of the natives farther south, presumably Alacaluf, is perhaps slightly 

 more probable than not, but such a conclusion is suggested with the 

 greatest reserve. Much more light is needed, hght that may come 

 either from the recovery of the Estevan or Ferrufino manuscripts, 

 or from investigation among the modern Gulf of Penas natives or the 

 possibly surviving descendants of the Chono family found by Capt. 

 Enrique Simpson on the Guaitecas Islands in 1875 (114). 



Leaving the uncertain ground of Chonoan and Alacalufan lin- 

 guistic relations, we may now pass to the consideration of their fairly 

 clear somatological and cultural relations. 



B. Chonoan Somatology 



Physical appearance. — The early sources do not, unfortunately, 

 give us much information regarding the physical appearance of the 

 Chonos. 



The "Gabiotas" or Caucaus encountered by the 1641 expedition 

 were reported to be of gigantic stature (Rosales, a, vol. i, 105). 

 Father Pietas, too, who had seen one of the Caucahues, describes them 

 as giants (Gay, Doc, i, 504), while Frezier was told (Fr. 1717 ed., 

 I, 148; de Brosses, ii, 212) that the "gigantic" Caucahues used to 

 come at times with Chonos to ChUoe. Father Falkner's Vuta- 

 Huilhches, or larger-bodied Huilliches, lived on both sides of the 

 Cordillera to the Strait (96, 99). Finally Mr. Bynoe met some large, 

 stout Indians in the Gulf of Trinidad (Fitz-Roy, a, 197). 



May we accept the above testimonies as evidence for the former 

 existence of a very taU people in the southern Chdean archipelagos ? 

 It seems not. No concrete measurements were taken. Then, too, 

 the Chonos, hke the Fuegians, very probably differed individually in 

 stature and stoutness or robustness. Moreover, reports of giants are 

 too common a feature of early Magellanic literature to be taken 

 very seriously. 



There may be question of possible sporadic visits of Tehuelches 

 across the Cordillera to the coast — Mr. Bynoe (Fitz-Roy, a, 199) 

 saw horse tracks near the upper part of Obstruction Sound — but 

 even this is doubtful. 



In fact the Caucahues are elsewhere described (Molina, b, 340; 

 Alex. Campbell, 62) as of middle stature, while Moraleda says (124) 

 that the natives — some of them at least Caucahues as Father Garcia 

 calls them — brought back by the missionaries to the Chilotan mis- 

 sions, should rather be described as ''parvulLUos" as compared with 

 the Patagonian giants of whom Byron wrote. 



