Timehri. 
Oo 
ih) 
At Mabaruma a somewhat degenerate family and its dependents 
reside amongst the Arawaks, and on the main Aruka they appear princi- 
pally in the réle of indentured labourers on the numerous grants and 
homesteads, but their principal stronghold is up the Koriabo creek (a 
branch of the Aruka) and its tributary, the Waun6 (Crane) creek, and 
its branches Akawabi and Aimrakura. 
When the District Commissioners visited Gonzaga Mission, Akawabi, 
Waun6, last year no fewer than 90 men, women and children assembled 
to welcome him out of a population of nearly 200. 
The Venezuelan Warrau or Ité buck comes freely into the district at 
certain periods, and takes his part in its development by indenturing 
himself to the older settlers, especially the Chinese and Chinese half- 
breeds, but only for a short period. They are the most expert fishers, 
and especially successful with the wary moracot. They seem to be 
essentially nomadic but have a sort of headquarters on the outer islands 
of the Orinocco delta. One family from Nuina Island comes regularly 
to Morawhanna and seems to range a long way northward, as they 
recently brought a child to be baptised which had been born in a creek 
off the Gulf of Paria only 15 days before. The Warraus of the 
Amakura, though living on British territory in part, are Venezuelan in 
their trade, labour, kindred and habits and have but little dealing with 
British subjects. Here polygamy has its utmost extension, Waika (or 
Ignacio) the piaiman having no fewer than six wives before his dramatic 
exit from His Majesty’sdominions. Inthe Wauno district the older men 
seldom exceed the possession of two wives whilst the younger ones seem 
to be content with one, even when their connection with Christianity 
is merely nominal or non-existent. Many pagans like Waika have 
Christian names given them by the civil authorities in Venezuela. 
The quasi-religious legends versitied by the Rev. Mr. Brett are 
known to the older people and I hope in time to be able to communicate 
a prose translation to the Society. In sickness of any sort the Warrau 
is isolated in a small benab about ten yards from the patriarchal 
dwelling ; he is attended, if aman, by his wife, if a youth, by his unmarried 
sister. Women are attended by their mothers or mothers-in-law. The 
Levitical and Asiatic ideas of uncleanliness are observed and they are 
isolated for four days in the hospital and enjoy complete rest from the 
work of the house and no one enters their benab even the smallest 
infants in their play avoiding it. This isolation of the sick was of great 
service ina case of tuberculosis. When the case was first reported to me 
I impressed upon the boy’s mother that his spwtwm was infected and 
charged her to see that it was burned or buried. On visiting the case 
a short time after I found that the patient was isolated in a new well- 
built logie. His sister alone attended him and a large heap of wood 
ashes was placed by his hammock on two plantain leaves for him to spit 
upon, these were daily replaced and the old ones buried. The youth has 
now been dead nearly two years but no fresh cases have appeared in the 
place, 
Oi ae LD 
