The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1893-06-22

WHITE INDIANS.
Tribe Known to Exist In South America
Lost Expeditions,

Tribe known to Exist In South America
Lost Expeditions.
There exists at the AK seminary. in
The French department of Bouches-du-
Rhone, a Latin manuscript containing
The description and itinerary of an
anci ent journey per formed by Jesuit
missionaries from the river Orinoco to
the river Plate, through South Amer
Ca. Father Nicolino, Brazilian,
while studying at AK, found in the
document referred to the description of
vast plains to the south of the Tumul1-
Humak range, and of British, Dutch
and French Guiana, in the Amazons
valley. In this manuscript tribe of
white Indians is spoken of, which was
also found there by NJ. Coudreau in
1885. Guided by the AK manuscript
Father NicOlino started on November
20, 1875, from the lower Trombetas or
oriximina, the fluent of the Amazons
above Obidos, got view of the plains
1t the base of the Tamuk-Humak on
January 25, 1877, but did not find any
Indian village and had to turn back for
the lack of provisions. He tried to re.
turn the following October, travers-
ing the forest, but was again obliged
to retrace his steps. In 1882, while en-
gagged in a third expedition, Father
Nlcolino died of yellow fever. The
River Trombetas beyond the confiu
ence of the Kuminyan, is very little
known. Within the last twenty years
some five or six expeditions, besides
those we have mentioned, set out from
Obldos to explore it, but never re-
turned. The River Trombetas appears
to be formed by the confluence of two
considerable systems, one to the north
west, the other to the northeast. The
higher system, that to the northwest,
was explored in 1885 by NJ. Henri A.
Coudreau, starting from the Rio Branco
(confiuent to the Rio Negro.) The
furthest branch is, in this direction,
the kurukuri. An affiuant almost par
allel with the Kurukuri, the Apiui,
connects the Trombetas, and therefore
the Amazons valley, with the Essequi-
bo, which runs northward and, as is
well known, discharges near Deme-
rara, as in like manner the Rio Negro,
IONS, comm unicates farthest west with
the Orinoco by means of the Casiquiare.
In 1890 vast overflow of the Anna
IONS devastated the plains whereon the
cattle of the Obidos district are reared.
The government of the Brazilian prov
ince of Para thought at that time, to
rediscover the means of communication
with the plains found in ancient times
by the Jesuits, and it despatched an
expedition under the Engineer Con
calves Tocantins. On October 6, 1890,
the expedition set out from Obidos to
reach the mouth of the river from
0etas, ascended the river as far as the
mouth of Kuminyan (the Portuguese,
Spanish and Brazilian orthography is
Cimina, Cuminhan, and Cumina). The
first section of the Kuminyan is of al
most impossible navigation on account
Of the rocks and waterfalls, whereon
the expeditions canoes were broken
up. They then jo urneyed through the
forest until able to construct a canoe
from the bark of the Tapari tree. In
this they travelled by way of the Uruk-
uriana ian affiuent of the left margin
Of the Kuminyan) for a period of ten
days. The banks of that river were
covered with den Sc forests and colossal
trees which had fallen across the
stream and had frequently to be cut
away with hatchets to enable the ex-
pedition to advance. AS fever began
to assert itself the expedition returned
as far as the Kuminyan, which it con-
tinued to ascend. Then it was that,
on the left bank, they saw an Indian
village, the inhabitants of which fed as
they approached. When it returned
the presents had been secured, but the
Indians continued hidden. In the vii
lage there were tools, evidently OBJ
tanned from the Dutch colony of
Surinam to the north.
On November 2S the expedition at
length arrived at the sought-for plains
Adjoining the Kuminyan, and arising
1000 feet above it, was hill, from the
summit of which could be seen grassy
plains, free of forest for a great ex-
panse. To the north the Tumuk-
Humak Mango was seen to stretch east
and west. To the south the forest ex-
tended as far as the Amazons, and east
ward the plains seemed boundless.
Senior Tocantins judges them to
stretch as far as the rivers Aporuna
Arapuari, Auspa and Oyapok-that is,
as far as the slopes whence rivers flow
direct to the Atlantic. Westward, also,
the confines could not be discerned, and
Senior Tocantins believes the plains to
stretch beyond the Rio Branco. On
these highlands several treeless but
grassy hills rise. The entire plateau is
watered by numerous streams. At this
point the Kuminyan is 800 feet wide,
and is perfectly navigable, being inter
cepted by no waterfalls. At the period
of Senior Goncalves Tocantinss jour-
ney northerly winds were prevalent
the climate was temperate and to all
appearance salubrious. The plains ap-
peared to be suitable for the rearing of
enormous herds of cattle.--Journal
Geographigan.
Hard Work.
81 wish" sighed the man at the desk,
that were rich and respectable and
didn't have to work.
I L