The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-10-09

humed at Mouth of the Amazon
River-lnterior Tribe Which Has
Semitic Features - Adventures With
Huge Alligator and Wolflike Fish.
Returning from his South American
voyage in the first years of the seven
teenth century, we are told Sir Walter
Raleigh reported to the queen that a
landing party from his ship had been
attacked near the mouth of stupen-
dous river by a swarm Of women war
r1ors. Accordingly he suggested the
name Amazon for the stream.
DR.. Algot Lange believes that he has
redfscovered this lost tribe, among
whom the burden of war and industry
was borne entirely by the female DR.
Lange recently returned from second
voyage of exploration through this
mighty river jungle. He started about
eighteen months ago on tour of in
vestigation for the University of Penn
sylvania. He was commissioned by
the Brazilian government to make sur
yeys. investigations and reports. Ar
ri1ting in the state of Para. he made
his way to the mouth of the Amazon
and began his interesting work of ex-
ploratiOn.
Never Saw a White Man Before.
At the headwaters of the Moiu. one
of these rivers, he found his unknown
tribe. the Ararandewara Indians, Il
peaceable. semiagricultural group of 100
or more stark nude savages. who had
never seen white man before and
stood in terror of the explorer and his
party.
THE most significant thing about the
tribe" said DR.. Lange, was the entire
ly Semitic character of the physiog-
nomy."
The Ararandewaras treated the ex-
plorer as best they knew how and
let him go his way when the visit
was over, teaching him first the ways
through the fearful jungle and pointing
out TO him the wonderful woods TO be
found there.
The most interesting of DR.. Lange's
discoveries were at the mouth of the
Amazon. on u big. fat island. browsed
on by vast herds of cattle in the dry
season and washed over by the sea in
the wet. This is the island of Marajo,
of about 100 by 100 miles The ANA
zon, which is over 200 miles wide at
this point, has built the island there
from its mighty store of alluvial de-
posits, and the sea. fighting to hold its
own, is embarrassing the island even
as the river builds it,
Asiatic Race In America.
1.-The island is never more than a
few inches out of the water" DR..
LANCE reported. "At high tide it
shrinks considerably. and when the
Amazon is at food no island is visible
save for the mounds, on one of which
my principal story plays One of
these ! excavated pretty thoroughly
and found the bones and pottery of q
tribe which has struck me as distinct
ly Asiatic.
Moreover, the pottery | dug up on
this mound has another and stranger
characteristic. If you will look at the
vases and idols. the burial urns and
bowls, you will find all feminine sym
bos The absence of male tiguration
is striking"
The Original Fig Leaf.
In these urnS, too, DR.. LANCE diScOv-
cred the original fig leaf, made of hard
baked and marvelously engraved pot
terry, called the tanga.
Think of the patience and skill of
these people," DR.. Lange said in show
ing the tangas, vases. platters. basins
cups. ornaments and kitchen utensils.
all marvelously wrought in clay and
burned TO fine pottery. The engrav-
ing of these pieces must have taken
an enormous time. Most of the forms
are geometrical. All are of the most
intricate character, and believe see
Asiatic symbolism looking from all Of
the decorations"
1.-THE alligator" said DR.. LANCE. sis
so abundant all through the Amazoni-
an waters that there is n bounty on
its head. The alligator is a rank cow
ard. took few chances with him my
self, but my old Indian guide told me
he wouldn't be afraid to swim the
river as long as he splashed loudly
enough. Often when | went into the
shallow water to gather pottery the
guides kept beating the surface to keep
off the alligators. They never came 2
near.
But piranyas are different These
fish are only about eight or ten inches
long. but they are ferocious They
attack in shoals and bite chunks the
size of a dollar out of the victim No
splashing and noise scares them off
Once ] saw a water hog start to swim
one of the narrower Amazon contribu-
taries. He cot about halfway when
the piranyas got to him. In minute
It was over. He was drowned and the
voracious fish were eating him.