﻿Vol. 
  2] 
  THE 
  URU-CHIPAYA 
  — 
  LA 
  BARRE 
  577 
  

  

  Uru, 
  who, 
  at 
  best, 
  are 
  an 
  inhospitable, 
  apathetic, 
  and 
  hate-filled 
  group 
  

   which 
  has 
  been 
  condemned 
  and 
  harassed 
  throughout 
  its 
  history. 
  

  

  The 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  Uru 
  is 
  now 
  largely 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Aymara, 
  with 
  

   whom 
  they 
  have 
  recently 
  extensively 
  intermarried, 
  but 
  it 
  preserves 
  

   several 
  interesting 
  archaic 
  features 
  of 
  altiplano 
  culture. 
  

  

  CULTURE 
  

  

  SUBSISTENCE 
  ACTIVITIES 
  

  

  Fishing. 
  — 
  The 
  Uru 
  depend 
  primarily 
  on 
  fishing 
  (pi. 
  115, 
  top), 
  

   secondarily 
  on 
  hunting, 
  in 
  the 
  waters 
  and 
  totora 
  reed 
  swamps 
  of 
  Lake 
  

   Titicaca 
  and 
  the 
  Rio 
  Desaguadero. 
  The 
  dry 
  land 
  they 
  own 
  is 
  so 
  

   restricted 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  little 
  agriculture, 
  although 
  they 
  have 
  some 
  

   livestock. 
  

  

  Fishing 
  by 
  moonlight 
  is 
  much 
  favored. 
  They 
  frequently 
  use 
  a 
  

   V-shaped 
  weir 
  made 
  of 
  reed 
  bundles 
  thrust 
  into 
  the 
  mud 
  of 
  the 
  swamp 
  

   bottom, 
  with 
  a 
  removable 
  net 
  at 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  V; 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  

   driven 
  into 
  the 
  converging 
  fences 
  by 
  agitating 
  the 
  water 
  with 
  a 
  bundle 
  

   of 
  reeds 
  tied 
  to 
  a 
  pole. 
  The 
  Uru 
  also 
  use 
  three- 
  and 
  eight-pointed 
  

   spears, 
  but 
  lack 
  the 
  bow 
  and 
  arrow. 
  They 
  have 
  several 
  kinds 
  of 
  nets. 
  

   Large 
  dip 
  nets 
  attached 
  to 
  a 
  frame 
  are 
  handled 
  by 
  one 
  fisherman; 
  the 
  

   netting 
  is 
  placed 
  over 
  a 
  conical 
  frame, 
  the 
  partially 
  closed 
  base 
  of 
  which 
  

   is 
  10 
  ft. 
  (3 
  m.) 
  in 
  diameter. 
  Another 
  framed 
  net 
  is 
  rectangular, 
  a 
  scoop 
  

   net 
  with 
  a 
  pole 
  handle. 
  Bottom 
  and 
  dragnets 
  also 
  exist; 
  these 
  are 
  

   weighted 
  with 
  perforated 
  stones 
  at 
  the 
  bottom, 
  and 
  require 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  persons 
  to 
  drag 
  them 
  behind 
  several 
  balsas. 
  Small 
  fish, 
  salted 
  and 
  

   toasted, 
  are 
  carried 
  and 
  eaten 
  dry 
  on 
  journeys. 
  Larger 
  varieties 
  are 
  

   salted, 
  scaled, 
  boned, 
  and 
  stretched 
  out 
  between 
  stones 
  in 
  a 
  slow, 
  

   smoky 
  fire 
  ; 
  thus 
  smoke-dried, 
  they 
  are 
  preserved 
  for 
  periods 
  of 
  scarcity. 
  

  

  Hunting. 
  — 
  Hunting 
  is 
  next 
  in 
  importance 
  to 
  fishing. 
  The 
  river 
  

   marshes 
  abound 
  in 
  water 
  hens, 
  ducks, 
  geese, 
  loons, 
  herons, 
  various 
  

   diving 
  birds, 
  and 
  gulls, 
  of 
  which 
  only 
  the 
  loon 
  is 
  not 
  eaten, 
  because 
  of 
  

   its 
  rank 
  oily 
  flesh. 
  A 
  kind 
  of 
  red 
  duck 
  (pana-sohna) 
  is 
  most 
  frequently 
  

   hunted. 
  Hunting 
  methods 
  are 
  varied. 
  The 
  Uru 
  are 
  skillful 
  with 
  

   slings, 
  which 
  are 
  woven 
  and 
  braided 
  of 
  varicolored 
  llama 
  and 
  sheep 
  

   wool. 
  They 
  also 
  use 
  bolas, 
  which 
  have 
  two 
  large 
  wooden 
  floats 
  for 
  

   balls 
  and 
  a 
  small, 
  grooved, 
  ovoid 
  stone 
  for 
  a 
  handgrip. 
  One 
  use 
  of 
  

   disguises 
  has 
  been 
  reported. 
  Early 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  a 
  man 
  conceals 
  

   himself 
  in 
  a 
  bunch 
  of 
  reeds, 
  slowly 
  approaches 
  the 
  birds 
  which 
  are 
  

   still 
  stupefied 
  by 
  the 
  cold 
  of 
  the 
  night, 
  then, 
  grabbing 
  them 
  by 
  the 
  

   feet, 
  quickly 
  kills 
  them 
  by 
  biting 
  the 
  head 
  or 
  twisting 
  the 
  neck. 
  In 
  

   communal 
  hunts, 
  nets, 
  sometimes 
  hundreds 
  of 
  meters 
  long, 
  are 
  set 
  in 
  

   slightly 
  curved 
  lines 
  on 
  reed 
  supports. 
  Hunters 
  in 
  balsas 
  make 
  a 
  noisy 
  

   drive 
  and 
  frighten 
  the 
  birds 
  into 
  the 
  almost 
  invisible 
  nets 
  and 
  dispatch 
  

   them 
  with 
  clubs. 
  The 
  Uru 
  also 
  eat 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  aquatic 
  birds, 
  and 
  sun- 
  

   dry 
  strips 
  of 
  their 
  flesh 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  charqui. 
  

  

  