The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-13
A TRIP UP THE AMAZON.
Professor steer Returns Home
Bringing with Him Mnny Relics.

Bringing with Him Many Relics.
Prof. J. z. Steer. a Government scient-
ist has lust returned from three
months trip to Brazil, having spent al
most the entire time on the Amazon and
its tributaries in search of fish and other
aquatic animals He was at the National
Museum on Saturday unpacking the
wardrobe of a family OF one Of the
numerous tribes Of Indians that inhabit
the forests in the vicinity of Para An
ordinary golf bag would hold the cloth
ing worn by an entire family and leave
room for a number of Iuxuries besides
Prof. Steer calls them the Jammadi tribe.
and says they are on interesting lot, of
good physique a-3t5 unusually quaint Gus
TOMS.
The dress Of the women consists of 4
red cotton fringe, about six inches in
depth worn across the abdomen and is
embeI1ishcd with a cord and tasseI tied
about the waist a string of shells worn
! through the ears, a necklace of monkey
teeth, a bracelet of bark, and pair Of
bones worn through the nose complete her
, 5oIlet
The men are less extravagant. having
j smaller dress of fringe without the
sash, and no ornaments save the nose
bones They ~Car a disk OF plated cot
ton string about an inch and a half wide
surrounded by fringe of stoucan feath-
eTs, worn upon the head in their dances
and further embelIish themselves with a
rattle or bunch of toucan feathers sus-
pended from the side Both men and wo-
men carry in their dances a wooden bird
that of the men representing gun OF
toucan. and the women a robin, perched
upon the end Of Il stick.
i pair Of bones, tipped off with a scar
! let feather, Prof. Steer bought fresh fr1na
the nostriIs of a noted chief Kittannea
for good cotton handkerchief. The mon
key basket of the collection was in pro-
cess of construction by Chief Kittaunea
as the professor approached him, while
large monkey, that had been shot in the
foreleg by a poisoned arrow. lay stretch
ed at his feet, awaiting the completion of
/ the basket, when it would undergo treat
mcnt for the wound and be tanned as q
family pet Later on. should the family
Of kittannea so short on rations, they
VIII follow the custom of the rest of the
Jammadi tribe and consume the monkey
for food. This same chief sold his "tuca-
ma a crown of toucan feathers, for a
small price, while the sacrifice of the red
fringe that comprised his suit of clothes
and a complete hunting outfit, apparently
ieIL nm little the worse off
This tribe lives on the boiled root OF the
caarava, turtle, fish, game, and corn. their
nTa. bodies being well rounded and nour-
+. isE,-- They are inveterate snuff takers
and Prof Steers collection contains
shell filled with snuff and a pair Of hoI-
-ow bones used for inserting in the nos
sriIs, their method OF snuffing The hunt
ing outfit is complete and comprises a
bow with poisoned arrows for shooting
game that flies or lives low. q bottle OF
poison. a lance such as they use in tiger
hunting and a blowgun, the latter being
about twelve feet long, made of two hol-
low pieces Of wood, the inside polished by
constantly drawing q stone back and
forth through the bore while the outside
IS wrapped firmly with bark smeared with
rosIn- In using this gun the native wraps
a broad belt of bark about his waist as
tight as it can be drawn. and then. in
fiatlng his lungs, prOpels a poisoned dart
by blowing with all his force. Within
reasonable range their craftsmanship is
wonderfully accurate.
This collection, interesting as II is, and
comprising a glimpse Of the life Of a
strange tribe, is not the most valuable
part of Prof. Steers collection. He
! brought eighteen live turtles of a rare and
interesting kind along with q number OF
fish never before seen in this country
To these he added a collection of curious
wasp nests. among them one about two
and half feet long, twelve inches in cir