BORORO CHARACTERISTICS 
that the face in front view was, roughly speaking, of a 
long oval, but inclined to be more angular — almost 
shield-shaped. The lips were medium-sized and firmly 
closed, such as in more civilized people would denote great 
determination. His ears were covered up by long, jet- 
black hair, perfectly straight and somewhat coarse in 
texture, healthy-looking, and uniformly scattered upon 
the scalp. The hair was cut straight, horizontally high 
upon the forehead, which thus showed a considerable slant 
backward from the brow to the base of the hair. A small 
pigtail hung behind the head. The hair at the sides was 
left to grow down so as fully to cover the lobes of the 
ears, where again it was cut horizontally at the sides and 
back of the head. The top of the head was of great height, 
quite unlike a Mongolian cranium. 
The eyes—close to the nose, and of a shiny dark 
brown — had their long axis nearly in one horizontal 
plane. They were set rather far back, were well cut, with 
thick upper eyelids, and placed somewhat high up against 
the brow ridges, so as to leave little room for exposure 
of the upper lid when open. 
None of the other Indians, who had gradually 
assembled, wore a particle of clothing, barring a tight, 
conical collar of orange-coloured fibre encircling their 
genital organs — so tight that it almost cut into the skin. 
Without this solitary article of clothing no Indian man 
will allow himself to be seen by another, less still by a 
stranger. But with so modest an attire he feels as well- 
dressed as anybody. I think that this elegant article of 
fashion must have originated as a sanitary precaution, 
in order to prevent insects of all kinds, and particularly 
carrapatos, penetrating within — or else I was really at a 
loss to understand of what other use it could be. They 
themselves would not say, and only replied that all Bororo 
Indian men wore it. The Indians who had assembled all 
belonged to the Bororo tribe. 
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