< 546 



(Hie cmpoo, maize giomu, the plantain paratuna, 

 cassava peibe. I shall mention one of those des- 

 criptive compounds, that seem to characterize 

 the infancy of language, though they are retained 

 in some very perfect idioms * Thus, as in the 

 Biscayan language, thunder is called " the 

 noise of the cloud (odotsa) ? the Sun bears the 

 name in the Saliva of mume-seke-cocco, the man 

 (cocco) of the earth (seke) above (mumej. 



The most ancient abode of the Saliva nation" 

 appears to have been on the western banks of ■ 

 the Oroonoko, between the Rio Vichada f and 

 the Guaviare, and also between the Meta and 

 the Rio Paute. Salivas are now found not only 

 at Carichina, but in the missions of the province 

 of Casanre, at Cabapuna, Guanapalo, Cabiuna, 

 and Macuco. The number of inhabitants in this 

 last village, founded by the Jesuit Father Manuel 

 Roman, in 1730, amounts to one thousand three 

 hundred. The Salivas are a social, mild, almost 

 timid people ; and more easy, I will not say to 

 civilize, but to subdue, than the other tribes on 

 the Oroonoko. The Salivas, in order to escape 

 from the dominion of the Caribbees, willingly 

 joined the first missions of the Jesuits. Accord- 

 ingly these Fathers every where in their writings 



* See above, chap, ix, vol. m, p. 289. 

 t The Saliva mission, on the rio Vichada, was destroyed 

 by the Caribbees. (Casani, Hist.geru, cap. 26, p. 168.) 



