﻿964 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  a. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  MANUFACTURES 
  AND 
  TOOLS 
  

  

  Tools. 
  — 
  The 
  Indians 
  use 
  extremely 
  elementary 
  implements, 
  all 
  of 
  

   Colonial 
  types 
  : 
  the 
  plow 
  drawn 
  by 
  a 
  yoke 
  of 
  oxen, 
  the 
  shovel, 
  the 
  ax, 
  

   the 
  machete, 
  and 
  the 
  gualmo, 
  a 
  stick 
  or 
  flail 
  for 
  threshing. 
  They 
  have 
  

   no 
  desire 
  whatever 
  to 
  obtain 
  or 
  to 
  use 
  modern 
  machinery. 
  Gradually, 
  

   but 
  in 
  appreciable 
  quantity, 
  the 
  crowbar 
  and 
  the 
  pickax 
  have 
  joined 
  

   their 
  array 
  of 
  tools. 
  In 
  masonry, 
  they 
  use 
  only 
  the 
  trowel, 
  a 
  long, 
  

   strong 
  horizontal 
  rope 
  to 
  trace 
  walls, 
  and 
  a 
  long 
  board 
  or 
  ruler 
  to 
  

   plaster 
  walls. 
  One 
  who 
  considers 
  himself 
  a 
  ' 
  'master" 
  uses 
  a 
  level, 
  

   carries 
  a 
  folding 
  wooden 
  ruler, 
  and 
  employs 
  a 
  form 
  or 
  mold 
  for 
  con- 
  

   structing 
  mud 
  walls. 
  His 
  instrument 
  par 
  excellence 
  is 
  his 
  plummet, 
  

   which 
  he 
  cherishes 
  with 
  an 
  almost 
  paternal 
  care. 
  The 
  form 
  consists 
  

   of 
  two 
  pieces 
  of 
  wood, 
  each 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  (1.2 
  m.) 
  long 
  by 
  about 
  5}& 
  feet 
  

   (1.8 
  m.) 
  wide, 
  with 
  its 
  respective 
  appliances. 
  The 
  two 
  men 
  who 
  

   actually 
  build 
  the 
  wall 
  use 
  tampers 
  to 
  pack 
  the 
  mud. 
  Two 
  others 
  

   carry 
  the 
  mud. 
  This 
  group 
  of 
  four 
  is 
  called 
  a 
  "cuadrilla," 
  or 
  gang 
  

   of 
  four 
  persons; 
  the 
  tampers 
  are 
  better 
  paid. 
  

  

  Weaving. 
  — 
  A 
  very 
  few 
  Indians 
  weave 
  woolen 
  cloth 
  on 
  looms 
  in 
  

   their 
  homes. 
  The 
  author 
  counted 
  five 
  looms 
  that 
  are 
  operating 
  regu- 
  

   larly 
  in 
  each 
  village. 
  This 
  craft 
  is 
  very 
  old 
  and, 
  according 
  to 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  old 
  people, 
  was 
  introduced 
  long 
  ago 
  to 
  the 
  Guacano. 
  These 
  looms 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  those 
  which 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  Ecuador 
  and 
  

   Peru 
  now 
  use. 
  The 
  loom 
  is 
  of 
  wood, 
  arranged 
  to 
  give 
  easy 
  movement 
  

   to 
  the 
  thread 
  and 
  comfort 
  to 
  the 
  worker. 
  It 
  generally 
  stands 
  in 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  the 
  room 
  in 
  the 
  house. 
  The 
  cloth 
  is 
  always 
  of 
  wool, 
  and 
  is 
  

   made 
  in 
  sizes 
  ample 
  for 
  shawls, 
  ponchos, 
  and 
  blankets 
  of 
  two- 
  and 
  

   three-thread 
  weave, 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  the 
  town. 
  The 
  designs 
  are 
  of 
  simple 
  

   lines 
  of 
  color, 
  the 
  dyes 
  being 
  bought 
  in 
  the 
  city. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  designs, 
  which 
  were 
  generally 
  animal 
  or 
  floral 
  figures, 
  have 
  

   been 
  forgotten, 
  and 
  the 
  dye 
  that 
  used 
  to 
  be 
  brought 
  from 
  Caqueta 
  has 
  

   fallen 
  into 
  disuse, 
  because 
  the 
  Indians 
  of 
  Sibundoy, 
  who 
  carried 
  on 
  

   that 
  business, 
  can 
  no 
  longer 
  obtain 
  it. 
  It 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  present-day 
  

   manufactures 
  do 
  not 
  look 
  like 
  the 
  old 
  ones. 
  

  

  The 
  weavers 
  do 
  not 
  work 
  for 
  themselves, 
  but 
  for 
  other 
  people 
  in 
  

   their 
  own 
  or 
  other 
  communities 
  and 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  city. 
  For 
  each 
  job, 
  

   the 
  client 
  brings 
  the 
  wool, 
  already 
  wound 
  on 
  reels, 
  to 
  the 
  weaver, 
  in 
  

   an 
  amount 
  fixed 
  for 
  each 
  kind 
  of 
  cloth, 
  and 
  the 
  weaver 
  then 
  works 
  it 
  

   into 
  cloth 
  at 
  a 
  low 
  price. 
  

  

  A 
  primitive 
  type 
  of 
  loom 
  (haguanga) 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  

   homes. 
  It 
  consists 
  principally 
  of 
  two 
  round 
  bars 
  (cumueles) 
  on 
  

   which 
  the 
  w<arp 
  is 
  wound. 
  The 
  weft 
  is 
  on 
  a 
  bobbin 
  (sikse). 
  A 
  stick 
  

   of 
  chonta 
  palm 
  serves 
  as 
  a 
  weaving 
  sword. 
  Today, 
  the 
  loom 
  is 
  

   rarely 
  used 
  for 
  ponchos, 
  and 
  is 
  disappearing 
  completely 
  before 
  the 
  

   modernized 
  loom. 
  

  

  