342 



ON THE ABORIGINES 



The furniture consists principally of maqueiras, or hammocks, 

 made of string, twisted from the fibres of the leaves of the 

 Mauritia flexuosa : they are merely an open network of parallel 

 threads, crossed by others at intervals of a foot ; the loops at 

 each end have a cord passed through them, by which they 

 are hung up. The Uaupes make great quantities of string of 

 this and other fibres, twisting it on their breasts or thighs, 

 with great rapidity. 



They have always in their houses a large supply of earthen 

 pots, pans, pitchers, and cooking utensils, of various sizes, 

 which they make of clay from the river and brooks, mixed 

 with the ashes of the caripe bark, and baked in a temporary 

 furnace. They have also great quantities of small saucer- 

 shaped baskets, called "Balaios," which are much esteemed 

 down the river, and are the subject of a considerable trade. 



Two tribes in the lower part of the river, the Tarianos and 

 Tucanos, make a curious little stool, cut from a solid block of 

 wood, and neatly painted and varnished ; these, which take many 

 days to finish, are sold for about a pennyworth of fish-hooks. 



Their canoes are all made out of a single tree, hollowed 

 and forced open by the cross-benches ; they are very thick in 

 the middle, to resist the wear and tear they are exposed to 

 among the rocks and rapids ; they are often forty feet long, 

 but smaller ones are generally preferred. The paddles are 

 about three feet long, with an oval blade, and are each cut 

 out of one piece of wood. 



These people are as free from the encumbrances of dress 

 as it is possible to conceive. The men wear only a small 

 piece of tururi passed between the legs, and twisted on to a 

 string round the lions. Even such a costume as this is 

 dispensed with by the women : they have no dress or covering 

 whatever, but are entirely naked. This is the universal custom 

 among the Uaupes Indians, from which, in a state of nature, 

 they never depart. Paint, with these people, seems to be 

 looked upon as a sufficient clothing ; they are never without 

 it on some part of their bodies, but it is at their festivals that 

 they exhibit all their art in thus decorating their persons : the 

 colours they use are red, yellow, and black, and they dispose 

 them generally in regular patterns, similar to those with which 

 they ornament their stools, their canoes, and other articles of 

 furniture. 



