18T5.] 4o7 [Gabb. 



politically, and religiously, but differing markedly in language. The 

 Cabecars occupy the country from the frontiers of civilization to the 

 western side of the Coen branch of the Tiliri or Sicsola River. Adjoin- 

 ing them, the Bri-bris occupy the east side of the Coen, all the regions of 

 the Lari, Uren, and Zhorquin and the valley lying around the mouths of 

 these streams. The Tiribris, now reduced to barely a hundred souls, live 

 in two villages on the Tilorio or Changinola River. It is said that on the 

 head waters of the Changiua, a large fork of this latter stream, there are 

 yet a few individuals of the Changiua tribe, but the other Indians report 

 them as implacably hostile and their very existence is only known by 

 vague reports of their savage neighbors. The Shelaba tribe, formerly 

 living on the lower part of the same river is now entirely extinct. A few 

 half-breeds are all who perpetuate the blood, and their language is utterly 

 lost. Still further down the coast, beyond the Costa Rican boundaries is 

 another allied tribe, partly civilized, in so far as that they trade and work 

 a little and drink a great deal of bad rum, spending most of their earnings 

 on that bane of the race. They are called by foreigners Valientes. Cross- 

 ing over to the Pacific slope, the Terrabas are tribally identical with the 

 Tiribis. The tradition still exists in a vague form, that they are emigrants 

 from the Atlantic side ; but wh^n or why the emigration took place, is 

 forgotten. The home of the tribe is in a very narrow, rough canon, 

 traversed by a river that might better be called a torrent, a country 

 strongly contrasted with the fertile plains and broad savannas of Terraba, 

 and it is not improbable that under the press of a crowded population 

 several migrations took place. They still tell how, twenty or thirty years 

 ago, a priest came over from Terraba, bai^tized all who would submit to 

 the rite, and by glowing stories of the abundance of meat and other in- 

 ducements that he shrewdly imagined would tempt them, carried off over 

 a dozen of their best men, who never i-eturned. A glance at the vocabu- 

 lary will show how little separated are these two branches of the tribe in 

 language. The Borucas or Bruncas, who occupy a little village, not far 

 from the headquarters of the Terrabas, are apparently the older occu- 

 pants of the soil ; perhaps crowded into a corner by the invaders. 



Other tribal names are mentioned by various authors, such as Bicei- 

 tas, (fee. The name Biceita is not known in the country, and, although 

 used to the present day outside of the Indian country, is unknown to 

 them, or at best, is supposed to be a Spanish word. The district of that 

 name is probably the western part of Bri-bri, the most eastern point to 

 which the slave-hunting expeditions from San Jose Cabecar penetrated. 

 The Blancos are properly the Bri-bri tribe, but this word is rather loosely 

 used, and is often applied alike to the Cabecars and Tiribis. 



But little can be gathered of the history of these people. What hap- 

 pened in the times of their grandfathers is already ancient history and 

 partly forgotten. All recollection of the first arrival of the Spaniards is now 

 lost. They have no traditions of the use of stone implements before the in- 

 troduction of metal. When asked what they did for axes before the traders 



