The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-25
EXPLORERS MAKE
 JOURNEY INTO
 SAVAGE JUNGLE
Formally Adopted Into, Chocoi Indian Tribe
 In Darien

Oarien scientific expedition, seeking white Indians in the Darien region of eastern Panama, have penetrated into the heart of the unknown Chucunaque valley, and were last night formally adopted into the Chocoi Indian tribe of Indians. The adoption was marked by . strange, barbaric ceremony, in which the scientists, their bodies elaborately painted, played leading roles. They were the first white men ever to wit ness this ceremony. There was a sue cessful invocation of Indian spirits, who gave the word that the explorers should be welcomed in the Darien.
 The invitation to be present 9. the ceremony was given us last Monday by Avellino, the chief of the Darien Chocoi Indians, and he specified that only whites be present, and that we bring none of our colored servants with us to the ceremony. Breeder, Baer and Brin had been staying with Avellino since last Saturday, to enable Baer to make an extensive study of the daily life of the Indians. Yesterday morn- ing, Marsh, Townsend, Charleston, Johnson and I went up the river, ar E viving at Avellinos big "casa" or house about o'clock, and finding some % Indians and their families from the AuACO anu 1uplSd TlNeTS dlFeduy AS- sembled, with more arriving every moment.
 Found Old Images
 Within the big house we found that all the old images, carved from the light balsa wood, of birds, fish, animals and grotesque little statuettes, had been taken down and replaced by new ones, which the tribal artist had passed sev- GTal days hic cola tool bo;rr, the razor-edged "machete" The posts inside the house were freshly decorated with bouquets of split palmetto leaves, twisted into a conventional design.
 In the center of the floor two girls. wearing all their finest clothes and ornaments, were grinding the corn mash, which already had been chewed by the women of the tribe, in cere- mony so old that it's origin is lost in the mists of antiquity. Their kits were the showiest and newest they owned, they wore the heavy necklaces contain Ing scores of coins, which constitute Athe dowry of the Indian belle, across their chests were bandoliers of intricate " designed beadwork, heirlooms handed down from mother to daughter for heaven knows how many generations ot jungle aristocracy, and in addition N s-ASJ4 "OAC iCdFy SllNer DanRleS, fOtlr and five inches wide, on their wrists These "chfcha" makers, who are ali female relatives of the chief, also wore ceremonial crowns made of plainted straw, woven into a set design and set all around with pointed pieces of balsa wood, painted alternately black and red.
 After the grinding the "chicha," to which water was added was set aside and the other preparations for the cere- mony continued. The greater part of the work was done by the girls previ- ously mentioned, who retained their gay attire until all had been completed.
 While the girls were busy the men had built with poles and bamboos a sort Of bower about 12 feet square which was roOfed with bamboos bent dlagonally from corner to corner, the poles and bamboOs being completely hidden by the palmetto leaf decorations. BeH-shaped ornaments made of reeds also were hung from the bamboos. forming the roof of the bower. and as q final touch, the 'chicha" and various other articles of food were carefully placed on the floor, which had been swept, in front of little tent shaped house of balso wood, perhaps three feet high
 The men were all dressed up in their best beads, breech slonts and cross belts for their chests. Some of them wore balsa wood crowns, and all of them were freshly painted, blue black on the body and with red stripes on the face
 About z o'clock everything was ready for the ceremony, and then the chief lnumated that If we wanted to see the rest of the ceremony we would have 70 be painted. There was nothing for so we stripped off our shirts and tne Chocol ladies, with considerable elgglng, got busy on our somewhat snnburned hides. The designs, when we were all finished and compared notes, were very tasty, quite the latest and snappiest thing in Chocoi summer styles-but when the pigment they used began to dry it itched most confounded- ly. We were wild looking lot when we gathered in one corner of the big house to witness the start of the med. icine ceremony.
 1hls, we understand, is held every year Tn the middle of the dry season. Wnlcn the natives call summer. and which runs from December to May. Just what its significance is we can not say, as Chief Avellino. although perfectly willing to talk about it. was unable to enlighten us. However briefly, it consists in an invocation of the higher spirits who rule the Indian world, These spirits are imponderable. ana are not represented by any tural phenomenal. They apparently have no worship of the sun, moon or stars. and equally no settled demonology. Their religion appears to us to be as closely akin to modern spiritualism as could we'll be imagined. There seems also to pc no ancestor worship among the Snocol. As stated, the chief, who is also the tribal medicine man, found nimseh unable to describe the spirits" he invoked more accurately.
 AnOinted Weapons
 First the chief very carefuIIv anolnted his weapons, which had been laid by his place, with the ceremonial ehicha," and bore them to the other side of the bower. Then the only sick member of the tribe, a little girl. per haps two years old, was brought bv her mother and laid on a little bed prepared for her inside the tiny house in the bower.
 The chief then resumed his position. and carefully cautioning us not to pray while he was invoking the spirits, be- cause he feared the white mems prayer would annoy the spirits" began his in vocation.
 This consisted of a sing-song prayer. nasally intoned, running up and down. up and down, with never a change of Infection. With one of the rustling palm leaves he beat a sort of crude ac- compartment to his chant. After per- haps 20 minutes of this, the four most