Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-08-10
Eusenics In the Jungle.

Tribes we class as Savage" may
possibly be headed for some desir-
able things in more direct fashion
than we who cali ourselves civil
lied. This is the conclusion Of a
writer in Good Health Battle
Creek, Mich.), who describes some
of the customs Of the Caingang In
dams Of Brazil. We read
I'm the interior of Brazil, in the
midst Of dense tropical vegetation
and animal life, including swarming
clouds of mosquitoes, dwell the
Caingang Indians. They are a
primitive tribe, coming into contact
with civilization only casually and
at intervals. But many Of their Gus
toms compare, at least in results at
tanned, very favorably with those
or peoples who pride themselves on
their high civilization. They are
a sturdy race, the Caingangs, al
though their numbers have been
greatly depleted by malaria and
by certain of the white mans dis
eases-the common head cold, for
instance. and measles, etc. regard
ed comparatively lightly by the
white man, are invariably fatal to
the Caingangs.
The most interesting feature of
the Caingang tribal organization.
from our point of view, are the
curiously democratic manner of as
ISOLATION of the family units within
the tribe, and what can only be
called a eugenic tendency mani
rested in their custom of classifying
their children at an early age in
respect TO their future matrimonial
possibilities. The family unit APP
pears to be the most stable link be-
tween individuals Of the tribe. The
custom OF polygamy obtains, as in
most barbarous land in not few
so-cailed civilized) southerly peo-
pies, but the beginnings of femin-
lst movement are not unknown to
the Caingangs. Contact with the
disturbing civilization of the white
man ; supposed to be the cause of
q certain turbulence among the In
dian women that occasionally trou-
bles the calm Of tribal married life.
The women. perceiving that the
Brazilian white woman Is privileged
to have mate all to herself, have.
IN certain instances, rebelled at be-
ing compelled to share their hus-
bands. Ordinarily, when a Cain
gang woman evinces dislike to the
man chosen for her, to the extent
or actually repelling his advances,
she is chained inside a hut until she
changes her mind. This is, as a
rule, regarded as good old tribal
custom, by the women as we'll as
the men, but recently an instance oc-
Cured where woman--contamin-
ated, as we have said, by a realiza-
ton of the white woman's superior
Enthusiastically committed sui
eide rather than share her husband
with another. This is said on
good authority to be the first single
instance of manifestation of jeal-
ousv in the history of the tribe,
We are accustomed to thinking
of Indian tribes as centering around
a chief. primarily a war leader. The
Caingangs acknowledge no ruler or
leader, although they are no eXcep-
ton to other Indian tribes so far as
being in perpetual state of war
with neighboring tribes is concerned
They are really quite modern, not |
to say orthodox, in this respect.
Their declarations Of war are
couched in terms of extreme dis
appreciation of their enemies, who
are sincerely considered by them as
the lowest, most vllainous of hu-
man creatures. Indeed. their |
method of declaring war, if adopted |
by civilized nations, would do away !
at one sweep with our widely con- |
demned practice of secret diplom- |
acv The chosen emissary of war |
among the Caingangs, selected for |
mis- physique and powerful lungs. |
strides forth into the forests and |
IN loud and sincere accents cata- |
'ogues the vices of those particular
nelghbors upon whom il has !
been decided to wage war. If the
enemy chances to be in the -immedi- |
ate neighborhood, results follow |
rapidly. But if--as not infreuuentIv |
happens-the Objectionable tribe is |
pursuing its villainous course 10
miles or more in the distance. the
performance has to be repeated at |
intervals until the words are at last |
overheard, or until the edge has
worn off the Caingang anger, in |
which case the projected war lapses
automatically.
, When war actually takes place. |
however, the procedure is no less |
interesting and neutrality-suspicious. |
me braves fight with long, polished |
pores, prepared especially for the |
purpose, until they are either ex- |
hausted or extinct. At the psycholo-
gai moment the women of the |
lrlpes rush in and separate the war
riors, and such as the vanouished !
as are capable of SO doing, depart. |
30 far as our informant-a Brazil |
ian doctor, who spent some time
among the Caingangs studying their |
tuSlOnS-knn"C wi
taken except the children. The en-
phasis on the children is what pri- |
marty arouses our interest in this |
amazing Indian tribe. They are for |
ever recruiting th/' ranks from |
among the children of their enemies. |
ihey bring these foreign children |
INTO the tribe-not, after all, so !
dlfIerent from their own children,
out sufficiently unlike to stand out |,
ulstlnctly among the regular Cain |
gang offspring, both as children and
ADULTS, even to the eye of the casual |
white observer-and bring them up
as their own. The small strangers
are evidently well treated by their
apductors, for the latter seem to
nave no difficulty in persuading
lhem eventually to go into battle
against their own relatives when the
heed arises.
This practice of : the Caingangs
or recruiting their numbers can not
De considered as any sort of slave
making. 1t seems far more likely
that the custom arises from a
genuine concern for and interest in
the future Of the race. The classifi-
catlon of children that we mentioned
before supports this theory. All
Dables are looked over shortly after
birth and placed in certain groups
IN regard to their future matings
Members of one favored group may
marry a member of any of the other
groups. But no individual may
marry within it's own group, in
spite of the fact that the units are
formed Independently Of the family