The Indians of the North Western District. 331 
for Bakéra-hanna: Peccary Creek) and moreover the language itself 
deteriorates for reasons stated below as it spreads eastwards. ‘The 
statement that it consists of but 300 words is incorrect, as Mr. Thulin, of 
Lund University, Sweden, in two days succeeded in collecting more than 
that number, excluding names of birds, beasts and fishes and trees, and 
restricting himself to a vocabulary which should be common to all races. 
The principal home of the Warraus for centuries has been the delta 
islands of the Orinocco (Warrau: Wirrinoko, the place of strenuous 
paddling) and the Ité swamps up the greater creeks of the North 
Western District and Amakura and the higher tributaries of the Orinoco. 
All formerly lived on fish and Ité starch and the Venezuelan Indians 
are still commonly called in consequence “ Ité bucks.” The presence of 
large communities of Akawois on the Mabaruma or Aruka Hills drove 
many Warraus to take refuge in remote spots and creeks like the Morebo 
Itabu and its branches, and isolated them from one another. As a con- 
sequence in-breeding and isolation reduced their numbers and led to 
physical degeneracy and inferior speech; and thus those who came first 
into contact with travellers from Georgetown were judged to be inferior 
to other races. 
The true Ité buck is however a very different man: in youth and 
middle age he is a cheerful and remarkably fat personage ; in old age he 
becomes very withered and at apparently about 60 years of age is quite 
grotesquely ugly. On the extermination of most of the Aruka Akawois 
(probably by the Waini Arawaks) and the withdrawal of the remnant to 
the Kaituma an influx of Warraus took place from the Amakura over 
the Yarakita portage and the Wauno-Itukomabo trail and by corial up 
the Barima. Cassava then took the place of Ité starch and the separation 
ot the two classes caused a partition which has led to slight differences 
of speech already, and a partial disregard of the duty of saying “Sé~ 
or “thank you” for a gift or a visit; a nicety of civilisation rarely 
found in any other Indian tongue but the old Warrau. The visitor when 
going says *‘ Marian dian”: (1 am going now) and his host responds 
*Sé” or thank you, the gratitude expressed being for the visit and not 
ironically for the impending departure, as it might be suspected to mean 
in a higher social scale. With their change of * habitat” they are 
becoming less retiring and may be seen as labourers all about the district. 
Many Arawaks came amongst the British Warraus, and inter- 
marriage with a new stock increased and improved their children. The 
Warraus and Warrau-speaking Arawaks may now be found up the Wain 
to Barama mouth and at Waibra or Waida, and on the large and beautiful 
settlement at Warrapoko Anglican Mission, at Santa Maria and 
Kumanubali creeks on the upper Waini, and at Kanubali and other 
creek all along the greater Waini and at Assacotta of the Baramanni 
river. The remnant of the degenerates of the Morebo are scattered in 
the creeks of the Barima near Mount Everard and are more shy and 
unreliable than any other Indians. 
