﻿966 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  time 
  with 
  their 
  feet, 
  the 
  man 
  following 
  the 
  woman 
  and 
  making 
  turns 
  

   about 
  her. 
  Then, 
  as 
  today, 
  both 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  carried 
  a 
  red 
  

   handkerchief 
  or 
  a 
  bunch 
  of 
  rooster's 
  tail 
  feathers. 
  The 
  dance 
  steps 
  

   were 
  short. 
  One 
  step 
  forward 
  for 
  the 
  woman, 
  with 
  one 
  step 
  double, 
  

   like 
  a 
  limp; 
  and 
  one 
  oblique 
  and 
  two 
  straight 
  steps 
  for 
  the 
  man. 
  

  

  ESTHETIC 
  AND 
  RECREATIONAL 
  ACTIVITIES 
  

  

  Games. 
  — 
  The 
  only 
  sport 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  old 
  and 
  entertaining 
  ball 
  game, 
  

   played 
  on 
  Sundays 
  in 
  an 
  open 
  waste 
  space 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  church 
  or 
  

   the 
  school. 
  It 
  is 
  played 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  city 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  mountain 
  vil- 
  

   lages. 
  It 
  remotely 
  resembles 
  the 
  Basque 
  ball 
  game, 
  and 
  a 
  little 
  

   money 
  is 
  bet 
  and 
  much 
  exercise 
  gained. 
  The 
  Indians 
  play 
  cards 
  or 
  

   other 
  games 
  of 
  chance 
  or 
  gambling. 
  

  

  Songs. 
  — 
  The 
  Indians 
  state 
  that 
  once 
  they 
  had 
  their 
  own 
  songs, 
  

   but 
  these 
  have 
  all 
  been 
  forgotten 
  in 
  recent 
  years, 
  because 
  no 
  one 
  un- 
  

   derstood 
  the 
  meaning 
  of 
  the 
  words. 
  When 
  somewhat 
  intoxicated 
  

   at 
  a 
  festival, 
  they 
  sing 
  songs 
  that 
  they 
  learned 
  in 
  the 
  city, 
  uttering 
  a 
  

   penetrating 
  shout 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  and 
  always 
  prolonging 
  the 
  final 
  

   notes. 
  

  

  They 
  are 
  very 
  fond 
  of 
  music, 
  particularly 
  the 
  melancholy 
  Ecua- 
  

   dorean 
  tunes, 
  which, 
  however, 
  are 
  also 
  being 
  forgotten. 
  An 
  old 
  

   man 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  musicians 
  of 
  olden 
  times 
  knew 
  how 
  to 
  play 
  well, 
  

   but 
  that 
  modern 
  music 
  is 
  harrowing. 
  The 
  little 
  bands 
  of 
  musicians 
  

   now 
  play 
  only 
  the 
  airs 
  of 
  the 
  city. 
  These 
  are 
  learned 
  by 
  ear 
  and 
  

   played 
  ad 
  libitum, 
  with 
  the 
  final 
  notes 
  of 
  the 
  musical 
  phrase 
  pro- 
  

   longed 
  in 
  the 
  style 
  which 
  distinguished 
  the 
  ancient 
  tunes. 
  

  

  MEDICAL 
  PRACTICES 
  AND 
  BELIEFS 
  

  

  Sanitation. 
  — 
  Good 
  health 
  habits 
  are 
  unknown. 
  Baths, 
  for 
  ex- 
  

   ample, 
  are 
  virtually 
  unthinkable, 
  although 
  the 
  region 
  has 
  many 
  

   excellent 
  streams. 
  Some 
  young 
  Indians 
  may 
  bathe 
  once 
  or 
  twice 
  a 
  

   year, 
  but 
  one 
  person 
  more 
  than 
  70 
  years 
  old 
  does 
  not 
  remember 
  having 
  

   bathed 
  since 
  childhood, 
  although 
  he 
  has 
  remained 
  comparatively 
  

   healthy. 
  During 
  childhood, 
  i. 
  e., 
  under 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  3 
  (after 
  which 
  the 
  

   child 
  is 
  called 
  guambra, 
  young 
  boy 
  or 
  girl), 
  a 
  child 
  is 
  bathed 
  by 
  its 
  

   mother 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  without 
  soap. 
  Young 
  marriageable 
  women 
  

   wash 
  their 
  faces 
  and 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  streams 
  before 
  entering 
  the 
  city 
  

   as 
  a 
  form 
  of 
  coquetry, 
  and 
  men 
  wash 
  their 
  feet 
  when 
  they 
  go 
  to 
  buy 
  

   new 
  sandals, 
  but 
  never 
  their 
  hands, 
  even 
  though 
  they 
  are 
  dirty 
  at 
  

   mealtime. 
  When 
  shaking 
  hands 
  in 
  the 
  city 
  they 
  wrap 
  their 
  hands 
  in 
  

   their 
  ponchos 
  as 
  a 
  sign 
  of 
  respect 
  rather 
  than 
  of 
  embarrassment. 
  

   Women 
  comb 
  their 
  hair 
  rarely 
  and 
  men 
  not 
  at 
  all. 
  They 
  cut 
  it 
  only 
  

   for 
  some 
  religious 
  function, 
  and 
  trim 
  their 
  fingernails 
  only 
  when 
  nec- 
  

   essary. 
  

  

  