492 
ON THE ABORIGINES 
laios,” 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 of 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, hol- 
lowed 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 pre- 
ferred. 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 loins. 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 de- 
part. 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. 
They pour the juice of a tree, which stains a deep 
