The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-30

South America, and the petri-
fed stump Of the Tree OF Life
still stands on its site. DR.. William c.
Farabee, curator of the American Sec
ton Of the University of Pennsylvania
and leader Of the Amazon expedition,
which sailed from Philadelphia on
March 10, 1913, and is still forcing its
way through hitherto UNEMPLOYED
South American regions. has found
both It and several different tribes
Of Indians SO isolated, so remote from
the rest Of the world that they are es-
sential primitives living in their stone
age and handing down from father to
son in the way Of all primitives, myths
and legends that have an oddly IA
mil!ar ring.
These tribes live In the Businesses
OF the mountains on the border line
between British Guiana and Brazil,
and their small settlements are about
ten miles apart. Thus they have had
accidental converse with one another
ami have acquired certain customs In
common. Some HAD heard Of white
men: some had even seer a white
man. But there were tribes so mac
cessib.e, SO set apart and hidden by
nature that they live in another era
and. until DR.. Farabee and his party
struggled through weeks Of indescrib-
able hardship and suffering to get to
them, they did not know that white
men existed.
When the expedition set out from
Philadelphia in its own vessel 1t was
most completely equipped for every
e~xigency that might arise in the prose-
cution Of its project. Later it was
deemed lnexpedient to travel with so
much impedimenta and the load was
lightened hat the party might not
Re restricted to water routes.
Arriving at Para they proceeded by
commercial craft up the Amazon, its
northern ~affiuent, the Negro. and from
the Negro into the Branco. arriving
at Boa Vista on October II. 1913.
From thence they travelled indie
pendently by canoes or overland. The
way became exceedingly difficult when
they tried 10 get through the Urara-
Guerra River, as it wound further up
the mountains. and the explorers
turned back eastward on foot through
British Guiana.
on this trip DR.. Farabee discovered
three new tribes-the P~orocatos, the
Ajamaras and the Zapacas-who were
primitive men never before visited by
twentieth century whites. Vocabular-
les were made Of their languages and
notes taken Of manners. customs, re-
ligious beliefs, myths and legends.
Specimens Of prehistoric pottery.
h4u.g Hrv.a oI,,ha 6ohtnD nnd d..
nestle implements, native cloth and
jeweiry, archaeological bits from an
Gent burial places. were brought away
and are now in the museum. Like
most Of these primitive Indians, their
bamboo houses are Immediately
clean and not unattractive. nor is a
woman averse to posing in her home,
as may he seen from the illustration.
The return Of this stage Of the x
petition vas accomplished without
m.shap and late in October they
reached the southern outpost in Brit
ish Guiana at Melville's ranch, where
they sought the cooperation Of the
British Magistrate, II. p. c. Melville,
and his able associate. John Ogilvie.
Both these gentlemen are Scotchmen,
efficient, Studious. Of retrospective and
conten'od aspect of mind. Mr.. Mel
vile IS Ia charge of the entire section
running nearly to the coast, an area
two-thirdS the size Of Pennsylvania,
'hhahited by Indians and negroes. His
rule is simple and p%aternal. al fits his
prlmeval subjects.
Thank God we have no law here"
ne says only Justice"
Inc Magistrates ranch includes golf
INKS On which the two Scotchmen
play together, or with any white man
VINO chances their way. Visitors are
rev and far between, and the men live
largely in books, Mr.. Ogilvie went
mere twenty years ago from the Uni
,uSty ni Edinburgh, bringing with
nun a natural aptitude for languages.
nNhaS become an adept in the various
,nu!ah ~t"n"lcs Of the country and is
n'd'ua'.' as an interpreter. DR..
,Sraoe" ~rrrsuaded him, with much
a"ncu'} % Join the expedition in the
asuuou' task it nov p~roposed-an in
JASON '' the Tumac-Humac range
VI noun .as which divide Brazil from
~eru'aHfs and which up t that time
ut nv. been penetrated. And al
mouEh NJ pgilvie has spent so many
,a's IN nth America and had rea-
20 .ilcve himself fully accli-
,eu' De- Uttered more from disease
n'D 'hs' bites than did DR.. Fara-
ct. .e" two and DR.. Franklin
ma ''" ~ Bonneville, n. Y. physician
/, I, were the only white men
fn,, t"e ~ which presently Jared
n. .'ember 10, 1918.
on, go. ."'S chief desire in setting
IN A." Iimac-IIumac range was
rsca what remnant Of Indian
a,,,,, there and what was It's
,ba ward other tribes. When
' rds first came to South