Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-03-01
AMAz0NIAN PYGMIeS.
Facts About South American
Race o. .Dwaris.

U a Boston man. lately returned froI
4 South America. has brought strans
!, tale of a race of pygmies inhabiting tn
! valley of the Amazon He has not onl
e seen them. but stayed in their villages
) entered their houses, sat about thei
| camphres, been with them on the hun
! ana witnessed some of their religion
l ceremonies.
Mr. Eben j. Sullivan, who was calie,
TO south America two years ago for com
mercial purposes which necessitated hi
travelling in little known regions. became
an explorer of no common order. Fo
months, accompanied only by natives n,
roWed up the mighty Amazon and its
tributaries in dugout canoe. In this
way he penetrated to the headwaters OF
the Rio Negro. which mngles with tho
tributaries of the Ornoco in Southern
Guiana. Here it was that he came upo,
q nomadic race of pygmies. says the Bos-
ton Transcript.
Mr. r. G. Halliburton of Boston. fellow
of the Royal Geographical Society, has
taken Il great interest in Mr. Sullivan S
discovery. Mr.. Halliburton is one of the
best authorities in the world on pygmy
races. lie thinks ii Of the greatest value
to anthropOlOgistS to have the tradition
| of pygmy races in South America record
ed by Humboldt in the first years of this
century strkingly verified. Humboldt
| said these pygmies were supposed to in
| habit the country at the headwaters of
| the OrinocO, but he did not visit that re-
| SiOn. and suggested that the rumorS Of
| this strange race of men Were unfounded
| Mr.. Halliburton states that Martins saw
"A racial dwarf at Para and that but lit
| tie further hs been learned on the sub
| ject, though Markham gives the names of
| two dwarf tribes with the list of Indian
| tribes in the valley Of the Amazon, pub
| lished by the AnthrOpological Institute
of London, January. 1895.
IN Mr.. llalihurtcn's opinion Mr.. Suli-
vans observations clear up the subject
ana leave no doubt rs to the existence Of
numerous py2my tribes in Guiana and
Venezuela
81 VIII ask you to excuse the limited
information 1 possess on the subject of
pygmy races" said Mr. Sullivan recent
lq. for my trip to South America was
not for scientific purposes. but purely
commercial. ! met while on the Rio
, Negro. one Of the tributaries of the upper
Amazon. a RAGE Of remarkab bly, small peo-
pie who were more likely Of an Indian
than of 4 negro origin. Judging from their
hair ana peculiar color OF the skin. which
was 4 brilliant lIvid reddish yellow.
THEY are very ugly IN shape: their
stomach, which is distended in the back
as well front Is big ana out OF al pro-
portion 90 Iheir Imy spndiin@ arms and
legs. think this is caused by their
an7coHda-lke practice of gurgins After
" hHHt they Will "at. like animals. anc
then bay about detiessiy in me hot trop-
i,tl suu fnr days. til hunger again impels
Them tp @.t more game.
"turipU~lE enough. they appear 10 hc
aI7t.tll workers fl.Tl
Bits oF hardened iron ar steel nlHdp from
uatil,, ores Th,Sc DARTS ar, protected
fron q lIoW-.lfr. H1. L bows fn, int
ts!rf deadly .Ua.t 'Thas- can actually
prVnei - light dart severed hundred feet
i>. l1,. 7l,r. mower Of ir.ir. lire.s i'm iIo,--
j.-s ,Mr.i.A a ttlbs They, ar,. 90 r,r.. nf
rowing hunters and Warriors. They are !,
vain And aaaettni raanl4 hi conyarSiu3
NltH tut'n a~ a. the extent oi their tribes
hty make gesture az impress one ,sItn
sh..t ,.4Sf itI9,l.4r.- .,la ,..i,5+ -, tr ,,...,
,-f .nIi,bv... H.. ttt, bn,n, T,hjs
,,,r;lH f.,if,..t. trnln tr. ,oif,t u.h,,'.
. f,,... r XIII I,,t
t. til,t 1.,,. l.,,,,.l,,t XIX. xxx, - ~
t...,..fii ~. t.t.,. ~; ~ - wv
,,.I.' ILi,, .t.i, .t,-,. -" l. ~ NJ.
. ~, .,,..',, ,,,i '''' a. ''''E '''''''"'i
.l-I -
~ .''' ~. ''"I l'lt
i'' ~. ~ ~" ""hlyi .
~ '4i'ii ,t'''' t"tHLiI- i9 1"tN ""lH
~ "dultS and consists q merely y cloth
pN,' l!!f l"Iii9. H'F ntiF = cone W ,tIl1
9tuch t'SttHtI ~ LllV ~ iioSt PRO-
rS4u" dAo itPuiSlNt ldaHl9h' lheF nave
uIn,u marks th%t cover thr upper body
anu H'du HStte NN SltS IN iHe SKIN.
helr nuts are sometimes constructed
OF mud III "nlch case theN are low and
resemble Il half egg, with an opening at
one end, called massongos The same
name dpPiltS to thelr nuts when made
from poles and woven grass.
They are. believe, all pagans. al
though | am Informed that some of them
nave some tltl Oh Il supreme spirit or
power. They have many fetish gods or
idols which represent animals and are
very ugly specimens Of clay pottery.
They have fetish doctors also who
uftss III 'he worst iaSnioh possible ana
perform cures or anything thelr patient
WISHES bE applying 10 q particular Sod
dCcorulhS TO the patient : ablllty TO pay
II WAS my misfortune Whlle gong ny
sea 10 the citE OF Nlokerl, TO lose over
poaro Il traVennS paS containing many
photographs ana Vaiuaole DATA as TO my
entlre Journey. We're 1t not Tor TINS mis-
nap. Snould pc able TO give more definite
ana undoubtedly valuable information on
TINS suhJect AS TO the names OF these
pSsmy people tney We're as | remember
them Makaiak; Malaka and Malakrat. l
saw tnem IN dlHerent parts or Surlnam
Ihey an appear to be OF the same race,
give the same location Tor their homes
ana try TO impress one with the greatness
OF lheir people
Inc OBJECT OF MI Sulllvan on his trip
was the exploration and discovery of new
rubber ana mahogany regions, IN which
ne was eminently successful He states
lhai Whlle rubper gathering IS now con-
nheu ldfSeiy TO the forests on the lower
Amazon. ~ can pc EXTENDED lndennitely
along the vast valley reaching almost up
TO ihe ANDES
me native rubber gatherers are very
Huolen'. anu az present VIII work onlH