198 



ENCAMPMENT OF INDIANS. 



as the savage of .the Mississippi described by the 

 philosophical traveller who best knew how to paint 

 man in the various regions of the globe. One would 

 fain persuade himself that these natives of the soil, 

 crouched near the fire, or seated on large shells of 

 turtles, their bodies covered with earth and grease, 

 and their eyes stupidly fixed for whole hours on the 

 drink which they are preparing, far from being the 

 original type of our species, are a degenerated race, 

 the feeble remains of nations which, after being long 

 scattered in the forests, have been again immersed 

 in barbarism." 



Red paint is the ordinary decoration of these 

 tribes. The most common kind is obtained from 

 the seeds of the Bixa orellana, and is called anotto, 

 achote, or roucou. Another much more expensive 

 species is extracted from the leaves of Bignonia 

 chica. Both these are red ; but a black ingredient is 

 obtained from the Genipa Americana, and is called 

 caruto. These pigments are mixed with turtle-oil 

 or grease, and are variously applied according to na- 

 tional or individual taste. The Caribs and Otomacs 

 colour only the head and hair, while the Salivas 

 smear the whole body ; but there prevails in general 

 as great a diversity in the mode of staining as is 

 found in Europe in respect to dress ; and at Para- 

 ruma the travellers saw some Indians painted with a 

 blue jacket and black buttons. Women advanced in 

 years are fonder of being thus ornamented than the 

 younger ladies ; and so expensive is this mode of 

 decoration, that an industrious man can hardly gain 

 enough by the labour of a fortnight to adorn himself 

 with chica, of which the missionaries make an article 

 of traffic. After all, the paintings that cost so much 

 are liable to be effaced by a heavy shower ; although 

 the caruto long resists the action of water, as the 

 travellers found by disagreeable experience; for 

 having one day in sport marked their faces with 

 spots and strokes of it, it was not entirely removed 



