148 PICTURE-WRITING OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
and forms, but their execution, like that of the latter, is rude. Though greatly 
weathered by the influence of rain and the atmosphere, the figures can still be per- 
fectly distinguished and gigantic patience, such as none but Indians possess, was 
surely needed to carve them in the hard granite mass by means of a stone. 
Dr. G. Marecano (a) gives an account translated as follows, which is 
connected with Fig. 108: 
Fic. 108.—Rock near Caicara, Venezuela. 
A tradition, the legend of the rock of Tepumereme, has been preserved by Father 
Gili. Some old writers, adhering to the Tamanak acceptation of the word, say 
indifferently tepumeremes or rocas pintadas (painted rocks). Usage has converted 
Tepumereme into a proper noun. At the present day it is applied exclusively to the 
rock situated some leagues from Encaramada, in the midst of the savanna, this rock 
having been the Mount Ararat of the Tamanaks. 
Supposing that it is authentic, this legend, which we will relate further on [see 
page 33, supra], yields no information that might aid us in interpreting hieroglyphs, 
and so we are reduced to describing its principal characters. 
Not all our pictographs correspond to the region of the Raudals, but in our igno- 
rance of the peoples who carved them we see no harm in bringing them together so 
long as they all come from the banks of the Orinoco, and so long as the localities 
where they exist are indicated. The copies which we give of them have been very 
carefully made and reduced to one-tenth. 
The first thing that strikes one on looking at them is that, despite differences in 
detail, the design presents a general common character. In fact, there is question not 
of figures with undecided forms, but with sure lines perfectly traced and combined in 
one and the same style. They are geometric designs rather than objective repre- 
sentations. The illustration [Fig. 108] came from a rock in the vicinity of Caicara, 
a town situated on the right bank of the Orinoco, close to its last great bend. It 
represents three jaguars, one large and two small, the former being separated from 
the latter by an ornamented sun placed at the level of their feet. The spotting of 
their hides is rendered by means of angular lines arranged in so regular a manner 
that one might take them to be tigers did he not know that these felines never ex- 
isted in these regions. The jaguars differ in insignificent details which, however, 
must have a purpose, in view of the general regularity. The largest shows six radi- 
ating lines on the muzzle and a circle in one of the ears. The second shows two 
hooks on the lower part of the body. ‘The third is preceded by an isolated head, 
which is unfinished, without ears, inclined differently from the others. Some differ- 
ences are also noted in the limbs. 
Placed in the attitude of marching, these animals seem to descend from a height 
and to follow the same direction. Perhaps there is question here of a mnemonic 
whole, and, we might add, of a totem, if we knew that that system had been em- 
ployed by the Indians of the region. 
The same author (p. 205) gives a description of the petroglyphs of the 
rapids of Chicagua, here presented as Fig. 109. 
This interesting collection includes the most varied ideographs. 
Alongside of representations analogous to the preceding there appear new charac- 
> eh ae 
(ulbelianemecienineibiabenmatahininserenien 
amit Nia te 
sail 
