The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-30
AMONG The J|VAR()S
About the Savagest Savages
in All South America.
MUMMIFIED HUMAN. HEADS
Colossal Statuary on Easter
Island Described.

San Francisco, May 27.-Daniel A. Busby
has come up the coast, after two years
scientific work in Ecuador and Bolivia
He and four assistants. have been seek
ing fauna for the Field museum at Chi
cago. and also for Cornell university, and
the story Of the party in the wilds Of
South America, especially along the head
waters of the Amazon, is as interesting
as any tale of adventure.
There were some parts of Ecuador that
we visited where only three or four white
men had ever been before U.s." said Mr..
Busby. eve went there to collect fauna
not to be found elsewhere. The region
abounds in poisonous reptiles and fierce
beasts. the climate is hot and miasmatc,
and the Jivaros live there I doubt if a
ffercer race of people live in South Amer
lea, not even excepting the savages at
Cape Horn.
In our pursuit Of fauna ne went far
back from the Pacific shore 10 the source
Of the Amazon in that part of the Andean
range known as the Cordilleras. 1t was
the country of the Jivaros, but we found
them not so inimical to kindness as we
had been led to expect. A great many
Jivaro men and women had never seen
white people before, and band Of about
sixty Jivaros came down from the noun
tains and forded streams purposely to see
US. They had missed seeing a party of
white men who went through there some
years ago, and they did not propose to
miss the show this time. They asked per-
mission to feel of US, to see whether our
light-colored flesh was part Of our anat-
omies or an ingenious contrivance. You
would have smiled to see how gravely
and curiously they one by one approached
and felt of our bare arms and chests We
had a native Ecuadoran with US as a
guide and translator, and he said that
they believed we had bleached our skin
by some strange process that they would
like to try on themselves.
The JivarOs generally live along the
banks of rivers. The mortality is naturally
great from malarial poisoning, and that is
why there are few oil men among them
and the race does not grow. There are no
roads nor trails. Nature is so vigorous
and luxuriant in that hot and moist region
that trails would be covered with vegeta-
ton in few months. So the natives do
the next best thing to following paths
they take to the rivers. 1t is astonishing
how splenddly they make canoes with an
old axe from some distant trading post
across the Andes. They don't understand
metals, but with the cocoabean as an arti-
Gle Of merchandise they go hundreds of
miles and return with metal spear heads,
hatchets and knives. They cultivate the
plantain, banana, mango root, and live
on them with the game they get. Their
staple in game is a species Of wild hog
that lives in the darkest and thickest
places of the forest
"A Jivaro house or hut Is an ingenious
affair. There is really no difference be-
tween a Jivaran hut of low degree and
one occupied by a chief. Many, but by no
means all, are raised several feet from the
ground, by means Of a solid stone founda-
ton, over WHICH mass of dried grass is
laid for softness. ANTS are then scattered
about and the floor is completed. This
method of raising avoids the dampness.
On series of pillars in even rows on each
side, planted deep in the ground and ele-
waited from four to six feet above the
floor level, are placed heavy beams, Sc
curely fastened by cocoanut fibre. A
ridge pole of very great weight usually
made Of one trunk Of the cocoanut tree,
so as to extend unbrokenly the full length
of the building. is held in its central and
lofty position by numerous cross timbers,
respectively dovetailed at each end into
beams and ridge pole.
The framework Of the walls and roof,
(Which usually slants at an angle of As
degrees), is then completed. Twisted reeds
fill up the space between the many pillars
and various smaller crosspieces. The ex-
terror is OF matched grass, cane and heavy
leaves. The three doors, one in front and
one on either side, are very narrow and
low, and on account of their elevation from
the ground slanting logs with fattened
surface is required TO permit entrance. All
light and air must make their entry
through these openings, as there are no
windows Of any description.
'In one corner the stone foundation is
left exposed, and this forms the fireplace.
The cooking IS done in huge earthen pots,