DIALECTS OF BOLIVIAN INDIANS. 681 



green. With this, they build a fire under their hammocks, the smoke of which 

 protects them from the sand-flies and mosquitoes, while they loiter away the time, 

 one in each end of the hammock with their feet hanging out each side as repre- 

 sented in Orton's Andes and the Amazons, a position often criticised as impossi- 

 ble. They practice polygamy, every man having as many wives as he can pro- 

 vide meat for. 



On the river Madidi, a few miles above its junction with the Beni, is the 

 mission of Cavinas — about seventy individuals comprise the mission. Nearly 

 every year they suffer loss from wandering cannibal tribes, probably the Araunas 

 who live on the banks of the river Madre de Dios north and west of them. That 

 the Araunas are cannibals is beyond a doubt. At one of their visits to the mis- 

 sion one of the men went out to hunt, but returned empty handed, whereupon 

 he went up to his wife, who was nursing a child, took it by the feet, dashed its 

 brains out against the earth and cast the body upon the embers. When done, 

 mother and all sat down to the feast. One could readily believe them to be can- 

 nibals, as a more gaunt, ugly, small formed tribe is seldom seen. They wear the 

 hair long and go naked and are greatly feared by the Pacavara and Cavinas In- 

 dians. The Cavinas Indians use the Tacana language. In latitude 14° S., some 

 twenty miles west of the river Beni is the village of Tumupasa and, northwest 

 eighteen miles, that of Ysiamas. The former is the village where the civiHzed 

 Tacana Indians live, the latter that of the uncivilized ones. Rumor says, they, 

 having by chance found a stone bearing a remarkable resemblance to man, ac- 

 cepted it as deity and yearly, during the dry season, assemble there and pass a 

 few days feasting, drinking and dancing. What their ceremonies are, if any, is 

 kept a secret. 



Opposite them, on the east side of the Beni, and some twelve miles from the 

 river is the little town of Reyes. Here the Maropa tribe live, probably related 

 to the Tacanas as the Portugese are to the Spaniards. The Maropas are a well 

 formed and generally intelligent people, there being among the females many 

 beautiful forms and faces. 



Some forty miles up the Beni is the mission of Muchanes ; beyond that Santa 

 Ana; and just above the junction of the rivers from Cochabamba and La Paz, 

 (forming the Beni), and on the former, that of Covendo. These are composed 

 of Mosetena Indians. Their language is Frenchy in its pronunciation. 



Falb, the German scientist, returning to La Paz from a visit to these missions 

 announced that he " had found the origin of language." The women of all these 

 civilized tribes do their own spinning and weaving, in which they become experts. 



Their spindle is a small stick made of black palm pointed at both ends one of 

 which is thrust through leather about a half inch. Seated on the ground with the 

 left leg double up, the leather end is inserted between the large toe and the one 

 next to it and the stick is then rolled down the right thigh or along a stick of 

 woc->d prepared expressly for that purpose. Many of the old women have the 

 skin On the thigh thick like the soles of their bare feet. As soon as a child is 

 born it is plunged into cold water. Among the Maropas, as soon as the mother 



