﻿580 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  edge 
  of 
  the 
  pontoons. 
  The 
  whole 
  makes 
  a 
  sea-sled 
  type 
  of 
  hull, 
  which 
  

   will 
  not 
  easily 
  overturn 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  fierce 
  storms 
  of 
  Lake 
  Titicaca. 
  

   The 
  balsa 
  is 
  poled 
  along 
  with 
  a 
  stubby 
  trident, 
  the 
  wood 
  for 
  which 
  

   comes 
  from 
  the 
  yungas 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  Real. 
  Iq 
  the 
  open 
  lake, 
  

   a 
  trapezoidal 
  reed 
  sail 
  is 
  rigged 
  on 
  two 
  poles 
  stuck 
  deeply 
  into 
  the 
  pon- 
  

   toons 
  and 
  forming 
  an 
  inverted 
  V. 
  The 
  balsa 
  is 
  unable 
  to 
  tack 
  in 
  the 
  

   wind, 
  however, 
  for 
  it 
  lacks 
  a 
  centerboard. 
  Balsas 
  are 
  dragged 
  onto 
  

   the 
  land 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  lest 
  they 
  become 
  waterlogged 
  and 
  rot. 
  

   Though 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  bought 
  for 
  10 
  to 
  16 
  Bolivian 
  dollars 
  (bolivianos), 
  

   they 
  represent 
  much 
  labor. 
  

  

  MANUFACTURES 
  

  

  Uru 
  material 
  culture 
  is 
  simple. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  trees, 
  the 
  

   giant 
  totora 
  reed 
  (Scirpus 
  tatora) 
  is 
  of 
  extraordinary 
  importance, 
  

   providing 
  material 
  for 
  fishweirs, 
  roof 
  mats 
  (pi. 
  117, 
  top, 
  left), 
  floor 
  

   and 
  sitting 
  mats, 
  rafters, 
  doors, 
  balsas, 
  sails, 
  and 
  even 
  food 
  for 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  and 
  people. 
  Metallurgy 
  is 
  unknown. 
  Pottery 
  making 
  has 
  been 
  

   abandoned 
  in 
  recent 
  times. 
  

  

  Basketry. 
  — 
  Crudely 
  coiled 
  baskets 
  and 
  twined 
  tortora 
  reed 
  baskets 
  

   are 
  made. 
  

  

  Textiles. 
  — 
  The 
  Uru 
  make 
  twine 
  bird 
  nets, 
  mats 
  of 
  various 
  types, 
  

   sails, 
  grass 
  rope, 
  and 
  simple 
  baskets 
  (both 
  coiled 
  and 
  twined) 
  . 
  Women 
  

   spin 
  llama 
  wool 
  as 
  incessantly 
  as 
  the 
  men 
  make 
  grass 
  rope, 
  using 
  a 
  

   wooden 
  spindle. 
  They 
  weave 
  the 
  yarn 
  into 
  cloth 
  on 
  a 
  simple 
  bar 
  

   loom 
  staked 
  taut 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  (pi. 
  116, 
  top), 
  rolling 
  up 
  the 
  finished 
  

   cloth 
  on 
  the 
  end 
  bar. 
  When 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  warp 
  is 
  approached, 
  they 
  

   weave 
  from 
  the 
  other 
  end, 
  and 
  finally 
  fill 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  intermediate 
  strip 
  

   with 
  a 
  needle. 
  Knitting 
  is 
  not 
  pre-Columbian 
  here, 
  but 
  Uru 
  women 
  

   are 
  very 
  skillful 
  in 
  knitting 
  Aymara-type 
  caps 
  (gorros), 
  often 
  with 
  

   amazingly 
  intricate 
  animal 
  figures 
  and 
  other 
  designs. 
  Men's 
  sling- 
  

   shots 
  are 
  very 
  beautifully 
  braided 
  of 
  wool 
  with 
  varicolored 
  diamond 
  

   designs 
  like 
  the 
  markings 
  on 
  snakes. 
  The 
  Uru 
  also 
  make 
  thongs 
  of 
  

   twisted 
  rawhide 
  still 
  retaining 
  the 
  fur, 
  and 
  heavy 
  braided 
  woolen 
  ropes 
  

   for 
  lashing 
  loads 
  on 
  burden 
  animals. 
  

  

  An 
  extremely 
  interesting 
  textile, 
  apparently 
  unique 
  to 
  the 
  region 
  

   southeast 
  of 
  Lake 
  Titicaca, 
  is 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  feather 
  cloth 
  described 
  by 
  

   David 
  Forbes 
  (1870). 
  The 
  down 
  of 
  lake 
  birds 
  was 
  spun 
  into 
  thread, 
  

   and 
  then 
  knit 
  into 
  caps 
  and 
  children's 
  socks 
  and 
  gloves. 
  Only 
  a 
  few 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  these 
  exist 
  in 
  museums. 
  

  

  Weapons. 
  — 
  To 
  make 
  bolas, 
  the 
  Uru 
  buy 
  cotton 
  thread 
  from 
  traders 
  

   and 
  wind 
  this 
  tightly 
  around 
  a 
  cord 
  Y 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  durable 
  bird-hunting 
  

   weapon. 
  A 
  straw-cord 
  bola 
  perdida, 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  Patagonia, 
  is 
  

   also 
  used. 
  

  

  Metals. 
  — 
  The 
  Uru 
  know 
  no 
  metallurgy, 
  although 
  the 
  Aymara 
  of 
  

   Jesus 
  de 
  Machaca, 
  scarcely 
  a 
  day's 
  journey 
  away, 
  are 
  famous 
  for 
  their 
  

  

  