52 



PARA 



the names of the ancient Tupinambas.. The Indians of 

 the interior, still remaining in the savage state, are called 

 by the Brazilians, Indios, or Gentios (Heathens). All the 

 semi-civilized Tapuyos of the villages, and in fact the 

 inhabitants of retired places generally, speak the Lingoa 

 geral, a language adapted by the Jesuit missionaries 

 from the original idiom of the Tupinambas. The language 

 of the Guaranis, a nation Uving on the banks of the 

 Paraguay, is a dialect of it, and hence it is called by 

 philologists the Tupi-Guarani language ; printed gram- 

 mars of it are always on sale at the shops of the Para 

 booksellers. The fact of one language having been spoken 

 over so wide an extent of country as that from the Amazons 

 to Paraguay, is quite an isolated one in this country, 

 and points to considerable migrations of the Indian tribes 

 in former times. At present the languages spoken by 

 neighbouring tribes on the banks of the interior rivers 

 are totally distinct ; on the Jurua, even scattered hordes 

 belonging to the same tribe are not able to understand 

 each other. 



The civilized Tapuyo of Para, differs in no essential 

 point, in physical or moral qualities, from the Indian of 

 the interior. He is more stoutly built, being better fed 

 than some of them ; but in this respect there are great 

 differences amongst the tribes themselves. He presents 

 all the chief characteristics of the American red man. 

 The skin of a coppery brown colour, the features of the 

 face broad, and the hair black, thick, and straight. He 

 is generally about the middle height, thick-set, has a 

 broad muscular chest, well-shaped but somewhat thick 

 legs and arms, and small hands and feet. The cheek 

 bones are not generally prominent ; the eyes are black, 

 and seldom oblique like those of the Tartar races of 

 Eastern Asia, which are supposed to have sprung from 

 the same original stock as the American red man. The 

 features exhibit scarcely any mobility of expression ; this 

 is connected with the excessively apathetic and undemon- 

 strative character of the race. They never betray, in fact 

 they do not feel keenly, the emotions of joy, grief, wonder, 

 fear, and so forth. They can never be excited to en- 

 thusiasm ; but they have strong affections, especially 

 those connected with family. It is commonly stated by 

 the whites and negroes that the Tapuyo is ungrateful. 

 Brazilian mistresses of households, who have much' ex- 



