New-York daily tribune., 1859-01-04
4 NATURALIST IN BRAZH-H
TIE BOTOCUDOS.

THE BOTOCUDOS.
Let me send you fr~ notes gu the BotOculos,
the aboriqlnes of the valley of the Mucuri. BY
the Brazans these 'true masters OF the land
are called Indios. Botocudos, Bugres, or Caboclos-
generally Bugres, ii nane whose etymology | could
not clearly make out. The name Caboclos Is more
general in the nelghborhood Of the sea- where 1t is
applied also to the Mestizos, the offspring OF Bo-
tocudos and whites The Indians of the Mucuri
and the Rio st. Matthews comprise the following
tribes: Malaics, almost extinct, only two or three
families remaining. snd they under the protection
of Brazihans Majacalies, Panhames Cnpochies,
Macuinies Nacneuucs OLOrds OF the Land), and
Shiporocas CDwellers beyond the Mountans).
lnguistically. they are of ont one family, which
may be known as the family of the Nacnenucs;
physically, they show considerable differences,
particularly IN contrasting the two extreme types,
which consider 10 be- the Malahes and the Shipo.
rocas. In their mode of living, weapons ana
clothing they are alike. Their weapons consist oil
three kinds of arrows and long, strong bows;
clubs are unknown To them. In the forest they
live entirely naked, except that the women
bav. .on.iiues neck-ornanents OF SWINE :
feet the claws of the ounce, the teeth of
the capwary and various Kinds of seeds: those who
live in the immediate vicinity of settlements pro-
when they visit them but they take them off again
as soon as they 90 back to their "alieas." Those
stocks are diyded into small tribes each under its
own chief, called CGp,tao by the Brazlllans, and
each with Il fixed habtaton, which they leave only
when driven away by enemy. The villages,
aidsas or dld6dmenfOS, are the most miserable palm
leaf huts, and hardly furnish shelter against rain
and sun. Some of them have, of late years plant
ed small fields of Indian cOrn maneoca and bananas
tl., ~ bav.. "a, bod hon
with iron tools with which to clear up the forest
Their principal business is hunting and fishing, the
making OF weapons and little bark bags in which
they carry their food Within two years they have
commenced bringing t0 Philadelphia for sale skins,
black wax made by the bees Of the forest, and pe-
cscuanha. OF their religious faith little is to be
said: they believe in good spirit and in a demon,
without honorng either by any ceremony. Festl-
yals consisting of singing and dancing, they have
only after victory, after a lucky hunt, when for
instance, an ounce or tapr is captured, and at
weddings. The principal requisite for such occa-
-ons is a plentiful feast In m0st of the books the
B"tOcudOs are set down cannbals. | think that
they are so in fact; but not in the horrible blood
thirsty with which this is generally associated.
| think them cannibas. purely out of their unap-
pes.able greednes.. | do not think they kill an
enemy on purpose to eat him, but that they eat
slain enemy because be furnishes them with fit and
can lay their mouths to. All the Indians who live
by hunting in the primitive woods are characterized
by an Unsuitable hunger. Generally, they have
very little food for Wild beasts are not so very
plenty in the primeyal forests and not easily
caught as people in Europe imagine II 4 hunting
party nOw and then secures q rich booty, il Is
greedily deyoured, and as the flesh soon decays,
they must eat as long they possibly crowd il
down Then follows II long fast: often for weeks
hay yatI Itft ff.4 fpa. all 20 nf
Races which live exclusively on flesh are more sub
lect to hunger than such as are accustomed 10
mixed or vegetable diet; they can, however, retain
their strength for long time a very small guam
tity OF their accustomed food, yet they suffer
tlnuslly with hunger This continual hunger the
BOtOcudOs endeayOr 10 satlste by enormous stuflng
on every opportunity, and they Kill the most dis
gustlng objects with the greatest greed. One must
see BotOcudos eat sheep or an OK, IN order 10
form any conception of the capacity Of the human
stomach. II is interesting 10 know, AT the same
time, that an adult vigorous Indian VIII subsst on
w % little wood mice per day.
As after centuries of continued hunting the wild
beasts in the primeya forest learn to discern the
almost silent tread of the BotOcudos, and Il costs
the Indians deal Of trouble TO get near enough To
bring them within the reach OF their arrows, so
IN the Deighborhood of the settlements, they have
learned 10 use hounds IN imitation OF the whites.
Every tribe has one or two grey hounds which are
bought of the settlers at high price. have seen
several Of these poor beasts: they nothing but
skin and bones. The Botocudo is not bold
hunter; he does not hunt the ounce: on the con-
irary, he runs away when be can and only kills
the ounce when he csnnot run. The csprlre Of
one of these beasts makes the captor hero, and
the tribe celebrates it by festival
The Indians near Philadelphia are Nscnenucs.
The RIO de TOdOs SAINTS, IN the valley Of which
they live, they sall 1entsho. :" the muddy water.
1telr principal aides is eight miles from the city
and !. under the Chief Potion. The most intel
heen' OF the Chiefs On the Mucuri Is Poshishs
Biz sdes Is near the Rio &c Saudade. and be be-
longs 10 the Panhsmes. 4 considerable number OF
the Boiocudos about Philadelphia have been bap-
tied, that -, they have been sprnkled with holy
water BY some Catholic priest. Nsny Indian
women bring their children to PhilsdelPhls for
bsptlsm, merely 70 get Il present from the Cod
fstter for they have 40 idea of the Christian NJ
| LglOn.
Earlier travellers, particularly sPiI and Martu',
! the Prince Maximilian de Neuwied and Rugendas,
| have drscrib.d the custom which the BotccudOs
! have Of sticking round pieces Of wood through