The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1913-04-25

lips are sewed up and the head is
then shrunk until It is hardly larger
than a child's fist. In certain tribes
no man is allowed to marry unless
he can show one of those little heads
as evidence OF his valor."
Another ghastly thing which you
see now and then is a ladle whose
handle is made up of a dried human
arm. This does not mean that the
Indians are especially cruel and muir
derous. The white man has little to
fear from them, provided he finds out
all about a tribes habits and Gus
toms before venturing into an Indian
settlement, II you see three round
stones at the entrance to a hut it
means: Keep out, the master is out;
there are only women and children
within
Disregard the warning, let the
chief find you in his hut and soon
after your head, conveniently shrunk,
may adorn the door Of his tent.
Three sticks laid on one another
at a certain angle in front Of the hut
means: Everybody out Again death
would be the penalty for trespassing.
Shoot some Of the Indians domestic
animals and a little poisoned arrow
will soon dispatch you into eternity
1t is the lay Of the forest, and much
as we may object to such a code OF
laws, II must be confessed that the
Indians are very lawabiding people.
"A rubber tree bearing the brand
Of one Taper is never tampered with
by another Taper, Masses Of coagu-
lated rubber may be left in the forest
unprotected The owners mark
stamped upon each piece is enough
10 keep thieves away.
while forest Indians are not like
ly 10 molest a white man who OBJ
serves all the rules of the jungle
code, they seem to abhor the sight
of a black man. Many of the difficult
ties which arose in the Putumayo be-
tween Indians and rubber traders and
led to acts of brutality on the part
of the latter were due to the fact
that the Engiish-Amazon company
employed Barbados negroes as fore
men. The Indians called them
'Taife' or devils, and only worked
under them when compelled by sheer
violence.
The Huitoto tribe, from which
most of the rubber tappers are re-
cruited, presents curious characteris- /.
tics. AS many as a hundred families |
live in common under a strange-look- /
ing edifice called tombo, or tolpa. 1t |
Is a sort of a cross between a hut |
and a tent, rising to a height OF 40 |
or so feet. Jungle creepers are |
stretched upon a light conical timber .
frame, and then the whole thing is .
covered up with bamboo. From a dis .
tance it gives the impression of a
circus tent. 1t has no win
1ows, and the doors are so low that
one has to stoop considerable to pene-
rate into the tolpa Around the cir
oular space covered by the tolpa are
separate groups of hammocks for the
various families. Every family has
It's fire. on which a large kettle is
Kept simmering continuously 1t con
aims a sort Of meat stew which
never seems to become exhausted, for.
lfter every meal the women refill the
lettle with fresh meat and season.
ng, without ever emptying it. Over
he fire hang pieces of fish or vonison
which are being cured by smoke
The Huitotos have no definite
'orm of worship. They believe in
he existence of a superior being call
I'd Usinamu and of a lower element
,alled Taife. They admit future ex-