Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-06
BY G. M. DYOTT.

Beseiged by the Kalapalos Indians
with demands for presents 1 hadn't
with me, / was in an embarrassing
situation until 1 remembered some
cheap jewelry which my wife had
bought for me for this purpose before
IeaVlng New York. I had slipped it
into my bag, thinking it might prove
handy. I lost no time in getting 1t
ouS and making display OF 1t in
public.
Nothing could have proved more ac-
ccptable. Earrings and pins were
quickly grabbed up by the men, who
promised without further argument to
Join us on the morrow. In trying to
explain to them the reason for not haV-
ing larger store of presents we went
through pantomine of carrying heavy
loads, and how sore and tired we felt
from packing even the few things we
had with us.
This was interpreted by the Indians
to mean that we were tired and wanted
to rest for a few days. The moment
we understood this we had to correct
the wrong impression. It was not easy,
and demonstrates how hard it IS to
convey ideas purely by means OF signs.
Nimble Wit Required to Converse.
It might we'll be asked how we man
aged to convey a single thought to sucn
savage people as these. On the face OF
IL 1t was not as simple as 1t might ap-
pear. The Indians have no universal
sign language to fall back upon like the
North American redskins, and 1t re-
uuires q nimble wit to piece frag-
mentary ideas together which are being
suggested by movement of the hands
and head, ETC., into an intelligible
whole.
When the morrow came. enthusiasm
for going with us was obviously on the
wane. Better start another day. they
said; that will give the women
chance to bake farinha cakes for the
men to take with them. We, in turn,
argued against delay According to
Indian reckoning it was only three
hours walk to the Kuluene, so they
told us, and we wanted to get there
before nightfall that very day.
During my brief stay with the Kala-
palos I noted with special interest
some of the ornaments worn by them
They were of artistic and unusual de-
sign My attention was particularly
directed to many stones curiously
shaped One, a large maltese cross
about 2 inches in diameter worn by a
woman, was we'll cut out OF hard do
rite. Some of the men had circular
rings of the same stone or fragments
shaped like hammer heads. Another
woman had doll made out OF pottery
suggestive of Inca art. obtained
possession of this and had my plans no:
been upset at the last moment I would
have returned and made collection OF
still other things to bring back.
May Have Been Fawcetts Collection.
There is a possibility that Col. Faw-
cett may have collected these very
ornaments. and they had been seized
by the Indians To all my inquiries
where they came from they replied with
a wave of the hand to the eastward.
This may have meant that they were
found in the east or that they had
been taken from Col. Fawcett'S bag
gage, he having travelled in that direc-
ton. The owners of these ornaments
seemed to attach great Importance to
them and would not sell them at any
price.
There is good reason to believe that
Fawcett'S stories of forgotten civil
ization are based On fact and that at
one time a race existed in this region
entirely different from any other OF the
South American continent.
We heard many interesting rumors
about Indian tribes to the east of the
Xingu who gather once year and cell
citrate intertribal dances on the high
ground toward the Araguaya River.
The object of these meetings could
not discover.
Col. Fawcett remained one night with
the Kalapalos and continued the next
morning to the Kuluene River. I asked
the chief what ne knew about the three
tall men. Through the medium of ges-
lures I gathered that they had been
killed. He said that the Anauqua In
dams we're bad people. He also told me
that one of the trio had been lame and
could not walk very fast. This accords
with the last news from Fawcett that
Raleigh Rimmel had bad foot from
insect bite.
Smoke Signals Convey Message.
asked how he knew Fawcett had
been killed by Indians.
"Kalapalos follow" he said. zone day
we see smoke from campfire. Two day
we see smoke from campfire. Three
day we see smoke. Four day We see
smoke Five day no smoke. Caraibas
killed by Indian. Anauqua Indians bad
people"
From this it was obvious that If the
story was true the Fawcett party had
been murdered at their first camp be-
yond the dry zone where grew the
piqui trees of which Aloique had spoken.
On further investigation I learned
that the Kalapalo Indians had followed
Fawcett's tracks month or SO later
~ 4. A. ~