MAUHES INDIANS 



325 



The institution seems to be common to all tribes of Indians, 

 and to be held to more tenaciously than any other. 



The opposite (western) shore of the Tapajos for some 

 distance beyond the falls, and the country thence to the 

 channels behind Villa Nova, are inhabited by the Mauhes 

 tribe, of whom I have spoken in a former chapter. These 

 are also a settled, agricultural people, but speak a totally 

 different language from that of the Mundurucus. I saw 

 at Aveyros several men of this fine tribe, who were de- 

 scending the river in a trading canoe, and who, on being 

 confronted with a Mundurucu were quite unable to 

 understand him. There are many other points of differ- 

 ence between the two tribes. The Mauhes are much 

 less warlike, and do not practise tattooing. Their villages 

 are composed of a number of small huts, tenanted by 

 single families, whilst the separate hordes of Mundurucus 

 generally live together, each in one large dwelling. The 

 Cupar i horde do not form an exception in this respect, 

 as they also lived together in one of these large huts 

 until very recently. The Mauhes are undistinguishable 

 in physical appearance from their neighbours, being of 

 middle size, with broad muscular chests, and well-shaped 

 limbs and hands. But the individuals of both tribes can 

 be readily distinguished from the Muras ; less, however, 

 by the structure and proportions of the body than by 

 the expression of their countenances, which is mild and 

 open instead of brutal, surly and mistrustful, as in those 

 savages. They are invariably friendly to the whites ; 

 as I have already mentioned, they use the Parica snuff, 

 a habit quite unknown to the Mundurcus. They are the 

 only tribe who manufacture Guarana, a hard substance 

 made of the pounded seeds of a climbing plant (Paullinia 

 sorbilis), which they sell in large quantities to traders, 

 it being used throughout the whole of the interior pro- 

 vinces of Brazil, grated and mixed in water, as a remedy 

 in diarrhoea and intermittent fevers. The Mundurucus 

 have a tradition that they and the Mauhes originally 

 formed one tribe ; the two peoples were formerly bitter 

 enemies, but are now, and have been for many years, at 

 peace with each other. Many centuries must have 

 elapsed since the date of their first separation, to have 

 produced the great differences now existing in language 

 and customs between the two tribes. I fancy the so- 

 called tradition is only a myth, but it doubtless conveys 



