Evening star., 1925-12-13

my lance-Jumper, gun poised above
his head-muzzle to the rear. grunt-
Ing, dancing, running forwards, then
backwards, just Ike a wild bull This
duel of grunts lasted more than half
an hour-after which ny guide took
strong and deep drink OF chicha
saying that he had not seen his
friend (my lance threateneD for more
than two years, and that he had
greeted him for me.
He explained that | did not know
this formal hello" and Furthermore
did not speak the Shuara language
enough to understand such a grunted
hello" Still, to this date / have
never been able to go through one
of these formal savage greetings. My
guides have always had to come to
my assistance in any greeting that |
took part In.
Nor was milady of the jungle lack
ing in interest at this head-reducing
fiesta. The women, who busted them
selves serving chicha, meats or fruits
TO their husband warriors, We're deco.
rated with triangular black figures on
each cheek with a few black or red
dots in each triangle. Over the nose
and across the chin and even on the
teeth a checkerboard of very small
black squares had been designed as
part of the formal dress of the host.
esses.
This artistic ornamental design was
unusually attractive and fascinating
on the teeth because the white showed
through like small strips of bright
pearl. The warriors. however, had
painted their teeth completely black
ito keep them from decaying." as
they explained TO me. And surprising
as 1t may seem, these Savages had a
cOnr0rf11n lyan Ia
teeth preserved, although jet black.
Around their necks the women wore
adOrnmentS of some 10 on 10 strings
of beads made from the Inany-colored
seeds which grow in the Orente
These strings were wrapped snugly
around the neck and held by rainbow.
colored gems. Around their wrist S
and upper parts of their arms one
could see bracelets and broad bands
made from the thorns or long pieces
OF brown bark or red cotton strings
which they made from the cotton
grown on their own plantations.
x II x
HERE l was actually in the fiesta
house on the evening before the
mysterious victory feast was to start
l was TO see the drinking of the magi.
cal solutions of the divine nectar
drugs; i was TO see their uncanny re.
ligious views expressed with all the
sacred rites and with all the gala OF
the tsantsa ceremonies
These were only a few of the fea
lures that We're fitting through my
brain, not to mention the surprises
that were IN store for me during the
next four days of the actual cere.
monies when / myself was forced ia
take actual part in the weird rites
which made a human head into a
magic tsantsa. the strange curio sold
to tourists.
With a desire to obtain pictures
samples OF hair and easurenents
of these Indians. one OF their straEgest
superstitions in regard to the powers
or so-called dream drug. or divine
nectar as they call il, was presented
10 me IN startling manner. | de.
sired proHleS, cloSe-ups, and even q
bit OF hair from each in order to use
tor comparison.
The work of photographing and
measuring was progressing nicely, but
the wrong wrinkle in the whole af.
fair came just as I was attempting
to cut off a lock of jet black hair
from one of the Indian maidens
feared trouble, but the Indian warriors
seemed interested in their new gifts.
and / imagined the trick could be
pulled before ii was noticed by these
jealous members OF the male sex.
The hair was more on the order of
horse hair than that Of a human he
ing. It was coarse and stiff. This
caused me much trouble. In fact. il
delayed my intentions SO long that
trouble really started
/ cannot recall just how It all hap
pened, but suddenly there arose a
howl rrjn ~
tiger had dropped out OF one of the
nearby chonta palms into their very
midst. AS they related afterwards.
there had been revived in their minds