The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-06-21
The Head Hunters of the Andes


to defend themselves. they sleep in sit
ing posture, each brave having his spear
between his knees. While visiting one
tribe Mr.. Taylor saw three Jivaris who
had just come in from the hunt. They
We're thin and gaunt. They described q
raid that had just been made on their
family during which all had been killed
but themselves. Mr.. Taylor took canoe
and went with a priest to the place of the
killing. There were women and children
and old men lying on she ground. The
heads of all had been cut off, and the
captors We're probably curing them as L
have described.
Another interesting thing about the
Indians of the upper Amazon" said Mr..
Taylor, is their use of the blowgun and
the poisoned arrow. This is common
among most of the tribes between the
Napo and Maranon. Their guns are
long tubes just large enough around for
the arrows, which are wrapped with cot
ton at the ends to make them fit close.
The arrows are small not more than a
foot or a foot and a half in length, and
not much thicker than a wooden tooth
pick. The poison is so deadly that 1t will
kill almost anything that the arrow goes
into. 1t comes form Brazil. The Indians
can send these arrows from 40 to so feet
at a shot. and they can hit monkey
or a bird In a high tree For their fight
ing they use spears much like those of
the knights of the middle ages. There is
a Spaniand who makes these spears and
sells them to the Indians for rubber Some
of the tribes poison their spears with a
venom which they make from certain
plant mixed with the juice from dead
bodies in a state of putrefaction. The
poison is put up in earthenware jars, or
In joint of bamboo, and it forms arti-
clio of commerce among the Indians 1t
is also used on the arrows, and that for
the killing of game. 1t does not injure
the meat.
The Jiyaro Indians are superstitiouS.
They have witch doctors, who make
drink called hiahuasa from the root and
leaves of a shrub, boiled into a tea. This
stuff is something like opium. and it
makes one see visions and dream dreams
Mr.. Taylor tried 1t. Shortly after he had
drunk, spots came in front of his eyes,
and a little later on he saw pictures of
saints. The witch doctors told him to
concentrate his mind on his family. He
did so and saw snakes, out little later
his family actually appeared before his
minds eye, and that far more real than
In any dream he had ever experienced.
Another most interesting man with
whom / have talked about the Indians of
the Eastern Andes, is a German exporer.
named Kroehle, who si,ent three years
in travelling among them. He had
camera with him, and l was able to get
some prints from his negatives Some OF
these / dare not publish, for the figures
are entirely nude, being especially inter
esting from an chronological standpoint.
Mr.. Kroehle was twice wounded with poi
soned arrows, and he had some narrow
escapes from the head hunters in the
neighborhood of the River Napo. He de-
scribes the Napo region as full of queer
people, Some of the Indians there have
in the lobes of their ears plates of
wood or metal, as big around as the bot
tom of an average tumoler The holes for
them are first made when they are chill
dren, and are gradually enlarged by in
sorting bits of grass and twigs until they