The Putumayo, The Devil's Paradise/Chapter 7

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Their dress is very simple, and consists merely of a long shirt called ciishma, of black or white cotton... although generally the latter, which is worn by both men and women. The only difference between the men's cushma and the women's is that in the former the opening that admits the head is vertical and runs down along the bosom, while in the latter it is horizontal and reaches from shoulder to shoulder. This garment resembles nothing so much as a night-shirt without sleeves. The Cionis are also excessively fond of beads, and the amount of them they wear is astounding. In fact, they are so numerous as to totally conceal their necks, the lower parts of their ears, and most of their shoulders. These beads, which often weigh from ten to fifteen pounds, are only removed when the Indians go to bed, bathe, etc.

Besides these they generally wear several necklaces of monkey or danta teeth and a string or so of the bright, red-spotted-with-black seeds of the huairuro or quairor (Abrus precatorius) which they wear as a sort of talisman. The houses of these Indians are, like those of the Incas, large, rectangular structures, the walls of which are formed either of upright poles tied together with the bark of the sacha-huasca or the tamshi, or else of slabs of split bamboo or palms, such as the chonta (Bactris ciliata) the camona or huacrapona (Iriartea deltoida) and the tarapoto (Iriartea ventricosa) whose thick, almost hollow trunks, when split, form large durable planks, quite suitable for different purposes. The roofs are of thatch, for which the leaves of the yarina (Phitelephas macrocarpa) or vegetable-ivory tree are generally used. Several families, as a rule, live in the same house, each, however, having its own corner, fireside, and utensils. Their furniture is limited to hammocks of their own manufacture and little low stools either carved out of solid wood or else made from slabs of bamboo or the above-mentioned palm-trees. Overhead several light cross-timbers are stretched, upon which they hang their clothes, their arms, and many domestic utensils. As they generally eat with their fingers, knives and forks are unknown, while for spoons they employ certain shells or small gourds. As dishes they use the easily prepared fruits of the totuma or cuyera (Crescentia cuyete) which, by the simple operation of cutting open and cleaning out, form convenient receptacles for their food. For cooking they employ the earthen pots similar to those of the Incas; in the manufacture of these pots and the subsequent painting and varnishing of them the Cionis exhibit great skill. Other utensils are — fans, various-sized baskets, rude drums, palm-fibre bags, little clay ovens to bake farina in, fishing-nets, whistles made of the leg-bones of different birds, fifes made of bamboo, and torches of the heart of the magiwy or of chonta, impregnated with resin, etc.

For washing their clothes, hair, etc, they use the inner bark of a tree called the quillay and a soapy substance known as suyuyu. Each of their villages seems to be absolutely independent of the others, and, like the Incas, elects annually, with great solemnity, its chief or gobernador, who has about the same powers as among those aborigines. In addition to the gobernador, there is a sort of lieutenant-governor, called the capitan, who acts as a sort of auxiliary to the chief and takes his place when the latter is absent. These Indians are now lazy and peaceful, and the intervillage wars, formerly frequent and sanguinary in the extreme, are now, thanks to the teachings of the priests and the Colombian settlers, a thing of the past.

Their arms, which are now used only for hunting, consist merely of machetes and shotguns, obtained from the Colombians, and the bodoqaedas or cerbatanas, already described, which they get, in exchange for their hammocks, from the Indians of the Napo. Their food is much more diversified than that of the Santiago Indians, for, in addition to the numerous forest products, such as the papaya (besides Carica papaya) the lime (Citrus limonum) the caimito (Liicuma caimita), maranon (Anacardium occidentale), the pishuayo (Guilielma speciosa), bread-fruit (Artocarpus incisa), the tender tops of the chonta, the camona, &c. Hunting is excellent here, and many are the animals that fall victims to their skill. Among these we may mention, as the most important, the danta or sacha-vaca (Tapirus americanus) which lives in shady swamps; the chancho del monte or huangana (Dicotyles labiatus), which is a kind of peccary that lives in herds in the depths of the forest ; the roiisoco or capivara (HydrochcBrus capibara) a large amphibious rodent; the venado or deer (Cervus), of which there are several species; several kinds of monkeys, such as the guarlbas, the cotomonos, and ihe maquisa pas; the sloth (Bradypus), the armadillo (Dasypus) and various others. They also hunt wild birds of many different species and sizes, such as the paujiles, wild -ducks, partridges, wild -turkeys, various kinds of doves, etc. To all these we must add the numerous different kinds of fine fish, which they catch at all seasons of the year, especially in the dry season. Among the most important of these are palometas, corbinas, bagres, boquichicos, gamitanas, cunchis, dorados, etc. For fishing they use nets made of chambira palm fibre, spears and hooks manufactured from hard wood or thorns, which they bait with larvae or with the fruit of the setico tree (Cecropia peltata).

Besides these, they frequently employ the celebrated barbasco (Yacquinia armillaris). Selecting some pool or quiet corner of the river, they drop a quantity of the crushed leaves and root of this plant into the water, which shortly assumes a milky hue and soon poisons the fish, both large and small. Directly the whole surface of the pool becomes covered with the dead bodies of the fish, of which the largest only are selected, the rest, including the millions of tiny fish, thus being killed and left to rot without being utilized at all. On other occasions they often take advantage of the pools left when the river goes down in the dry season, the fish imprisoned in them being either speared or caught in nets. Besides these sources of food, the women cultivate a few plantain trees (Musa paradisiaca), a little maize (Zea maiz) and the invaluable yuca or manioc, from which they manufacture their two most popular alimentary products, mazata and farina. There are two kinds of yuca — the wild -yuca or yuca brava (Manihot utilissima) and the cultivated variety (Manihot aypi) both of which are very much used in the whole Amazon Valley, The former contains, however, besides its nutritive elements, a milky sap, which is one of the most virulent vegetable poisons known, its active principle being hydrocyanic acid, but, as the sap is volatile, it is easily removed from the farine by means of pressure and evaporation. In the preparation of the mazata, the favourite beverage of these Indians, the yuca is peeled and boiled in but little water in one of their large pots, after which it is smashed to paste by means of a club. This process concluded, the next step is to take out a proper proportion of this mass and mix it with saliva, in the same manner as the Incas do with their scalded maize. The yuca thus prepared is then well mixed with the other, the pot is carefully covered, and the preparation is left to ferment several days, when it is ready for consumption. This mazata does not differ much in taste from the maize-mazata of the Incas. The civilized inhabitants of this region prepare this beverage in a less repugnant and more hygienic way — that is, they add to the paste sugarcane juice or the juice of a ripe plantain, in place of the saliva. In preparing the farina, the yuca is thrown into a trough filled with water and left there until it is in a state of semi-putrefaction, when it is taken out, peeled, and pulverized. If it is the cultivated variety, it is then dried and put through a roasting process upon hot plates, but if it is the yuca brava, the poisonous sap must first be removed. To do this, the yuca, already pulverized, is wrapped up in a good-sized piece of llanchama — the tough, inner bark of a tree of the same name — which is then twisted up and tightened with a stick, after the fashion of a tourniquet, until the sap is all pressed out and evaporated. It is then dried and roasted in the same way as the other yuca. This farina can be preserved for a long time if kept dry, and it forms one of the chief articles of food of many of the inhabitants of the Amazon, especially when they are traveling. It is eaten either dry with water or, best of all, with milk and sugar, when it becomes an agreeable, as well as a wholesome, article of food.

The Cionis are very skilful in the manufacture of the light, durable, and beautiful hammocks, which they use in place of beds, from the strong fibers of the leaves of the cambira-pahti. They often spend months upon the fabrication of a single hammock, first collecting the leaves, next extracting the fibres, then twisting them into long strings, and finally weaving the strings into a ham- mock. One of these hammocks can be rolled up until it occupies only the space of a fair-sized book, and it is so durable that it will last for years. They also exhibit marvelous patience and skill in making the insect, feather, and shell ornaments that they wear on their feast-days. One especially interesting ornament is the yacta, a beautiful crown, composed of a great variety of fine large red and yellow plumes, inlaid with so many small feathers of so many different kinds and colors that it is a veritable work of art. Another common ornament is a long string of brilliantly colored feathers, which is worn around the neck. They also collect the bright green wings of a large insect, very common in these parts, of which, after a sufficient supply has been obtained, they make a similar string, which also encircles the neck. In addition to all these, which are worn only on special occasions, they generally have several bracelets, anklets, etc of gaily colored woollen yarns or locks of hair. At their dances, the music of which is furnished by drums, whistles, and fifes of their own manufacture, they always wear a quantity of cascabeles, which are nothing more than strings of the dried fruits of the schacapa (Cerveza peruviana). These cascabele's they attach to their legs and waist in such a manner as to produce a rattling, tinkling noise at every step they take. Other very interesting products of the industry of these aborigines are the fine combs, made of carefully arranged and polished thorns, tied together with eccentrically coloured threads. Some of these combs are really splendid pieces of workmanship. A thorough and extensive knowledge of the uses and properties of the countless products of the forest is also possessed by the Cionis. Thus, for example, the root of a certain beluco, which they call yoco, is their substitute for coffee ; from another bejuco they extract a narcotic known to them as aijahuasca or yajen, the effects of which are similar to those of hasheesh and opium ; the leaves of the huitoc or jagua are used to cure itching and all erysipelatic diseases, as well as to protect them from the gnats and mosquitoes and thousands of other trees, shrubs, and bejucos supply them with almost everything they need or desire. Early the next morning, Sunday, December 1st, we engaged two Cioni boatmen for our canoe, as did Materon for his; and, after constructing a platform of split bamboo to put in the bottom of the boat in order to prevent our effects from becoming damp, we began loading our little craft with its miscellaneous cargo. In accordance with Materon's advice, we determined to stow away our trunks, books, and engineering instruments in the most inaccessible part of the canoe, while our food and the Indian trading stuff, as well as our arms, should occupy such parts as to render them quickly getatable. After a good deal of shifting about and changing, we succeeded in getting everything more or less as we desired it, and were by ten o'clock ready to start. Thinking that this was an occasion worthy of a little celebration, Materon, Perkins, and myself then proceeded to lessen the contents of our barrel of aguardiente by a good drink each, after which we called up the Indian boatmen and, one by one, gave them a good bracer also, which they swallowed with great solemnity. Then we got in the little space that had been reserved for us in the middle of the canoe — for the cargo was stowed fore and aft as much as possible — and gave the signal to begin the journey. Materon had already informed us that the first couple of days' journey was somewhat dangerous, on account of the swift, roaring current, the powerful whirlpools, and the numerous stumps and logs that stud the whole course of the river. But we did not fully realize it until the canoe, shooting out into the middle of the stream, was caught by the current, almost before it could be turned bow foremost, and dashed with sickening speed among the stumps and logs that loomed up on every side. We soon perceived, however, that our Cionis were used to their job, for they guided the flying canoe with the greatest skill as it continued its wild progress down the swift-running river. One of them, the popero, or pilot, always sits on the high, narrow seat in the stern, and, paddle in hand, steers the canoe and from time to time directs the manoeuvres of the other, known as the puntero, who generally stands in the bow and calls out the obstacles, such as logs, stumps, etc, to the popero, in case the latter cannot see them from where he is seated. In descending a river one puntero is sufficient, for the canoe is generally carried along rapidly enough by the current, and all the bogas (known as Boatmen) have to do is to keep the craft from striking against obstacles and from being thrust by the strong currents sometimes encountered into the unpleasant and often dangerous remolinos or whirlpools. But when the river is to be ascended, several bogas are necessary. The route must then be close to the bank, where the current is not so strong, but where such obstacles as logs, stumps, salient rocks, overhanging branches, troublesome insects, and other similar inconveniences are numerous. Here the paddles are useless, except when crossing the river in search of an easier route on the opposite bank, and the bogas must push the canoe along by main force, employing for this purpose long poles called botadores or tanganas.

In canoeing in the smaller rivers, especially in the dry season, bad places, caused by the shallowness of the water or the immobility of the huge logs that frequently form an impenetrable network on or near the surface of the water, are often met with _______. In such cases the bogas either wade ashore and pull the canoe out of the bad place by means of a rope or else enter the water and shove and lift until it is free. If, however, the canoe is very heavy and these methods fail, they strip the bark from the sezco-tree, which is always to be found on the banks of these rivers, and stretch it out on top of the obstacle. As this bark is very slippery and soapy, the canoe readily slides over it when they push. Materon informed us that, as a general rule, one day's descent is equivalent to three days' surcada. This, however, is subject to numerous circumstances and mishaps, such as the conduct of the boatmen, the condition of the river, the weight of the cargo, the cut of the canoe, the character of the travelers, the necessity of hunting and fishing for food, etc.

What a pleasant sensation it was to sit calmly in the canoe, while the swift current bore us steadily onwards, and to watch the thick, tropical vegetation, which lined the banks of the stream, swiftly recede until hidden from view by a bend of the river! How different it was from the monotonous climbing and descending of the Andes that had caused us so much toil! Several times we passed through places that seemed to me perilous in the extreme, for the whirling current would dash us with frightful rapidity directly towards some huge stump or half-submerged log, while other obstacles of a similar nature appeared on every hand. We seemed to be almost upon it, when a deft turn of the popero's paddle would bring us to one side by a margin of three or four inches. Again, we would shoot some small rapid; the canoe would give a jump, and the next instant we would dash the water out of our half-blinded eyes, and, looking around, would see the rapid far behind us. We saw plenty of wild turkeys, wild ducks, and monkeys on the trees near the bank, while occasionally a river seal, or nutria, would be seen curled up on a log or disporting itself near the shore. All these animals seemed quite tame, and would allow us to approach within a few meters, and then, just as we were taking aim, off they would go. Finally, after wasting a good many shots — for it is no easy matter to shoot from a rapidly moving canoe— I managed to kill a nice fat paua, or wild turkey, and one of Materon's men shot a duck. At noon we stopped on a gravel playa for lunch, which consisted chiefly of panela and aco, and took us only some fifteen minutes. Then we continued about two hours, when we entered the much discussed Putumayo, much larger than when we saw it in the Andes, but still not a large river. It was low, and the high banks and the exposed islet were completely covered with the debris it had brought down in the wet season, such as huge logs, branches of trees, bamboo poles, etc.

During the afternoon we continued to observe large numbers of birds and monkeys, which made the whole forest resound with their ear-numbing howls. Great flocks of parrots and other gaily plumaged birds flew overhead, their rather harsh voices being heard continually. We shot at several, but whether they were too high for our guns, or, as was probably the case, our aim was inaccurate, we did not get a single specimen. We did, however, kill two or three more ducks. These ducks are generally to be seen perched up in the trees along the banks or else on some stump in mid-stream, although occasionally one perceives them floating with the current or swimming on the surface of the water. They dive with lightning-like rapidity, and very often succeed in getting away, even when hit severely. Their vitality is amazing, and they are not slow to bite one if they are not quite dead on being picked up. At about 4 p.m. we reached the tiny Cioni village of San Diego, a small group of about ten little bamboo shacks on the right bank of the river. The whole village came out to welcome us as we rather stiffly climbed out of our canoes, for it seemed that Materon was very popular with them. They brought out a few fruits and a small jar of the yuca-nazata, already described, which we respectfully refused. They are in all respects similar to those of Puerto Guineo, and each of the little huts contained two or three families. Materon informed us that they had but recently established themselves here, abandoning their old village on the other bank of the river on account of a severe epidemic that had broken out among them and killed nearly half their number.

We spent the rest of the afternoon trading with them, giving them some of our beads, harmonicas, mirrors, hats, handkerchiefs, &c., for a few of their manufactures, such as hammocks, yactas strings of monkey and danta teeth, combs, and the like. They are no fools at bargaining, and have a pretty good idea of the value of the articles they are acquainted with. They are also rather clever at demonstrating what labor it has cost them and how much time they have spent in making any article that one fancies. So, on the whole, we did not get much the better of them. At bedtime, which was about nine o'clock, the capitan and gobernador showed us the corner that we were to occupy in conjunction with a couple of Cioni families, and helped us fix up our hammocks. Following the example of our hosts, we did not trouble to undress very much, but soon fell asleep, and did not awake until time for desayuno. Early next morning, after taking leave in a most affectionate manner of our hosts, who supplied us with several bunches of plantains and a quantity of yucas and an agreeable fruit known as the papaya, we set out on our easy and interesting journey. At about noon we passed the mouth of the Guamues, the outlet of Lake Cocha, which seemed almost as large as the Putumayo itself.

During the morning we succeeded in shooting a couple of wild turkeys and several ducks. One of the former was almost lost on account of having fallen in a lot of thick bushes some distance from the shore. The vegetation is very dense all along the banks. The most common types are large bamboos, numerous palms, such as the palma de la cera or wax-palm, the chonta, the fragrant stasia, the royal, and others (setico) already mentioned; the palo de la balsa, or raftwood-tree; the yarina, or vegetable ivory tree; and a variety of others, intermingled with shrubs and bushes of innumerable kinds, and bound together into one tangled, impenetrable mass by the countless bejucos and climbers everywhere in evidence. Nearly every tree of any size is covered with innumerable parasites, among which are to be found several varieties of orchids, whose brilliant flowers serve to diversify the universal green of the forest. The most common of these are different species of Epidendrum, Oneidium, Peristeria, Catasectum, Sobralia, Cypripedium, Maxillaria, Stanopoea, etc. At about two o'clock we reached Materon's establishment La Sofia, where we were cordially received by the other partner, Gonzalez, and his wife. La Sofia is a good-sized, two-storied bamboo bungalow, with a fine wide veranda extending along its front, while around the building in every direction extend fields of maize, ijuca, sugarcane, &c., with the dark, silent forest in the background. As the place is built on a rather high bank, one can obtain from the veranda an excellent view of the placid, smiling river as it slowly rolls past to join the mighty Amazon on its course to the Atlantic. La Sofia was formerly the headquarters of General Reyes, ex-President of the Republic, when he was engaged in the collection of quinine in this region years ago. It is at the head of steam navigation on the Putumayo, and it was here that Reyes' steamer Tiindama was lost.

When Materon had arrived here, some eleven months before, he had found everything overgrown by the rank, tropical vegetation and all the old buildings almost completely destroyed. Reyes had named the place La Sofia in honor of his fiancee, and Materon and his partner had retained the name. The company already had about ten peons engaged in clearing the land and cultivating the crops, and had advanced merchandise to all the Cionis, who had agreed to work out their indebtedness by planting rubber trees, building houses, clearing land, &c. I was pleased to observe that strict morality was the rule, and that Gonzalez permitted no abuses against the aborigines either by taking away their women, by cheating them, or in any way at all. As to the peons they seemed cheerful and contented. There are two distinct kinds of rubber — that produced by a tree that must be cut down to extract the milk, which is called caucho negro, or black rubber, and is produced by the Gastilloa elastica, and that which is the product of a tree that can be tapped indefinitely, which is known as jebe or siringa, and is collected from the Hevea brasiliensis. These two varieties of rubber are each subdivided into several classifications, according to the quality of the latex or milk and the care and skill employed in their extraction and preparation. As a general rule, siringa is much more valuable than caucho, and is the best kind adapted for cultivation, although Materon was planting both sorts. After showing us some samples of each, he informed us that the whole region of the Upper Putumayo had once abounded in caucho negro, but that at the present date very little remained, owing to the fierce onslaughts of the caucheros many years ago. The next day Materon had some of his men build a little rancho of palm leaves over our canoe amid ships to protect us from the sun and rain. This sort of awning is called a pamacari, and is in general use in the Amazon Valley. It gave the canoe a very picturesque appearance, and, as we afterwards found, was very convenient. We spent the rest of the day in inspecting the estate and taking down a Cioni vocabulary, in which language Gonzalez was very proficient and kind enough to give us the benefit of his knowledge. This vocabulary, which I had hoped to take back to civilization with me, was, however, lost under particularly aggravating circumstances, which will be duly recorded in a succeeding chapter. Although Materon and Gonzalez implored us to stay a week or so with them, we decided to resume our journey on the following day; but in the morning, just as we were about to start, Perkins was attacked with a heavy fever, and so our departure was postponed. We dosed him up with quinine and put him to bed, where he soon began to perspire freely, which is to be desired in these malarial attacks.