Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-07-14

the first part of the year 1915 upon
the little-known island of Mar
L garita, lying off the north coest
Of Venezuela, in the interests of the
Museum of the American Indian of
New York city, which institution sent
me to this region to make an archeo-
logical survey, writes Theodoor de
Booy in the Bulletin of the Pan-Amer-
ican Union. The various handbOoks
on South America give but scant in
formation about this island, and,
strange to say, one finds great deal
more mention made of Margarita
island in the early historians of the
sixteenth century, such as Las Casas,
Herrera, OViedo ct al than one does
in modern works. Without going eX-
tensively into the early history of the
island since it's discovery in 1898,
might mention that pearl fisheries in
the waters surrounding Margarita
and Coche were of prime importance
during the first 80 years after their
existence had been discovered. The
fisheries, however, were exhausted by
the careless management of the early
Spanish settlers, and Margarita island
became lost to public memory and re-
mains lost to this day.
Margarita was occupied by the
Guaiqueri Indians at the time OF it's
discovery. This fierce race Of people
was not readily subjugated by the
Spanish colonists. Thanks to the war
like qualities of this race, a large per-
centage of pure Guaiqueri blood re-
mains on the island today, more espe-
cially on the north coast in the vii
lagos of Juan Griego and Paraguachi.
1t is in these villages that the locally
renowned Margarita hammocks are
made from the native cotton, and
these hammocks command a ready
sale on the north coast of the main
land and are even exported to the
British island of Trinidad. One sees
| the GuaiQueri women making the
/ thread for these hammocks from the
| native cotton by the ancient spindle
whorl method, and cannot but admire
! the industry of race that will walk
| from Is to 20 miles along mountain
/ paths to the town of Porlamar to sell,
| for a mere song, piece of work that
! took the entire family some three
months to complete. Loaded down
with a couple of completed ham
mocks on their heads and with anoth-
/ er hammock or two carried on the
arm in a native-made basket, these
women present what is indeed an in
teresting sight as they walk along
the roads, busily fashioning new
thread for future hammocks and
steadily talking all the while on sub
jects of local interest.
Three Towns of Importance.
There are three towns of impor-
tance on Margarita island-Porlamar
! Pampatar and Asuncion. The entire
island has a population of about 49,
/ 600 souls, and Porlamar has about
5000. Porlamar is the busiest and
most thriving of all three towns and
the largest. 1t is at Porlamar that the
bimonthly steamers of the Venezuela
company call, although it must be
stated that this service is most un
l
tanned by sloop with the town of Caru
pano on the mainland, and intending
travellers for Margarita are advised tc
make Carupano their objective, and
TO there await the departure of some
small sailing craft for Margarita
island. While this method may be
more uncomfortable, it is far prefera
BILE to long wait on an uncertain
coastal steamer, and one is certain
of having to remain in Carupano fol
not over three days at the most.
Pampatar is the official port of the
island, and it is here that all vessels
flying foreign flag have to enter.
monthly service of a small cattle
steamer, with limited passenger &C
commodations, plying between L
Guayra and Trinidad and taking il
some of the coastal towns en- route
connected Pampatar with Trinidad
during my stay on Margarita, but
like all coastal service of the Vene
zuelan national steamers, this servic'
is liable to change in it's itineraries
and cannot be relied upon. There il
but little commerce in Pampatar, ant
the town is fast falling into a decline
The population of Pampatar is abou
1,500 souls. Nearby can be found e8
tensive salt deposits belonging to tn
government,
Asuncion, the third town of impol
tance on the island, is losing the in