River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1916-07-06


PORT OF ]
vt WAS my good fortune to spend
the first part of the year 1915 upon
the little-known island of Mar
4 garita, lying off the north coast
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
BODY in the Bulletin of the Pan-Amer-
lean 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 1893, |
might mention that pearl fisheries in
the waters surrounding Margarita
and Coche we're 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
Guaiquefi 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, 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 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 mere song, a 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
khread for future hammocks and
| Steadily talking all the while on sub
iects of local interest.
Three Towns of Importance.
There are three towns Of impor-
lance on Margarita island-Porlamar
Pampatar and Asuncion. The entire
| island has a population Of about 49,
| 900 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-
certain. A biweekly service is main
| tanned by sloop with the town of Caru-
PIANO on the mainland, and intending
| travellers for Margarita are advised to
make Carupano their objective, and
| TO there await the departure Of some
orif a
| island. While this method may be
more uncomfortable, it is far prefera-
BILE to a long wait on an uncertain
| coastal steamer, and one is certain
of having to remain in Carupano for
| not over three days at the most.
Pampatar is the official port of the
island, and it Is here that all vessels
! flying a foreign flag have to enter. A
monthly service Of small cattle
steamer, with limited passenger ac-
commodations, plying between La
| Guayra and Trinidad and taking in
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 service
is liable to change in it's itineraries
and cannot be relied upon. There is
but little commerce in Pampatar, and
the town is fast falling into decline.
The population of Pampatar is about
| 1900 souls Nearby can be found ex-
tensive salt deposits belonging to the
government.
Asuncion, the third town of impor-
lance on the island. is losing the I'm