Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-02-07
BRAZILIAN CANNIBALS.
How They Eat at n Philadelphia Show
Boarding House

!
When the cannibalistic Botocudo In
dams sat down to supper at the board
| ing house for cranks or ''uniques. =" on
Ninth street above Arch, last evening
! they did not seem to know or care
what day it was. When the repast was
brought in they were served for the
| first time-hash. After poking it over
with their grimy foreiingerS and, find
ing no prizes. they pushed it away with
dissatisfied grunts. Their interpreter
said it was too civilized 8 dish for
them. They liked much better the
tough beef steaks, the rarer the better.
| These they ate with knife and fork,
except when the old hag with the big
| block of wood grabbed an especially
| delicious and gristly morsel in her
| hand. That was q barbarism. howey-
er, on which tie other barbarians
frowned. They seemed TO be passion
ately fond of strong tea with plenty of
sugar. The bucks being upincumbered
| with any labial adocnmentS, drank like
white men, but the beautifully deco
! rated females stuck out their tongue
and used 1t as was the underlip by their
| brothers. The old one catching the
eye of 4 reporter, who was watching
| her, made a flourish as if to say: This
is my great act" placed an oyster
cracker on her wooden lip, and, with
jerk of her head, sent it high in the air.
When it descended there was no escape
| from that cavernous mouth. They had
eaten all the steaks in the house and
were looking with hungry gaze at a
plump young colored waiter when they
were hurried off for exhibition.
These Indians are probably one of
the most uncivilized tribes in existence.
Their home is in Brazil. in the Prov
inces of Espirito, Santo and Minas
Geraes, which are situated along the
banks of Rio Mercury to the north of
Rio Janeiro. They live in the fastness-
es of the forest and are very inaccessi-
BILE because of their savage and rowing
nature. Their name, Botocudo, comes
from the Portuguese word Botouue.
meaning a block, and is given them be-
cause OF the custom of wearing blocks
OF wood in their lips and ears. The wv-
man begins very young wearing a
small piece of wood, and gradually en-
larging it, until the old woman now
here has one three inches in diameter.
about which the red portion of the lip
stretches in a most horrible manner.
When their agent and interpreter was
| asked why they wore the wood he re-
piled that sit was for beauty only.
That is, they considered it 10 be beau
ty."
In their native state those of both
sexes who have not been affected by
the advance of civilization roam about
entirely devoid of clothing. Modesty
is unknown to them. They hunt with q
bow and poisoned arrows, and n long
spear with which they kill all manner
of game. When hunting in pairs they
kill the jaguar with great skill. One
of them kneels in front of his comrade
with the bow and shoots his arrows.
When the beast springs at him he falls
fat, and his comrade receives the spot
ted monarch of the Brazilian forest on
his long spear. They will eat absolute
ly every living creature, bugs, lizards,
monkeys and their brother-men. They
never stay more than month at one
place, living in temporary huts of
straw. They never build villages
Although they are so undeveloped,
never having heard anything better,
some of their work in wood carving
and fancy feather work is very wonder
full, and speculations of the most favor
able results might be entertained for
them if only they could receive little
education and get even partially initia-
ted into the arts of civilization. -PhiId-
ade'Dhin Press