In culture the Tapuyas are reported to stand on the lowest scale. When free in their native woods they go absolutely naked; they have no other houses than temporary shelters of leaves and branches; they manufacture no pottery, build no canoes, and do not know how to swim. When first in contact with the whites they had no dogs, knew nothing of the use of tobacco or salt, and were common cannibals. They have no tribal organizations and no definite religious rites.
To counterbalance all these negatives, I hasten to add that they are hunters of singular skill, using strong bows with long arrows, manufacture polished stone axes and weave baskets of reeds, and, what is rare among the Indians, use tapers made from wild bees-wax and bark fibre.[350] Their marriages are monogamous, though rarely permanent, and they are not devoid of family affection.[351] Though lacking definite religious ideas, they are careful to bury the dead, and have a belief that the spirit of the departed survives and wanders about at night, for which reason they are loth to move in the dark. The soul of a chief may take the form of a jaguar. During a thunder storm they shake a burning brand and shoot arrows toward the sky, to appease by imitation the powers of the storm; and they are much given to semi-religious dances, in which their motions are to the sound of a native flute, which is played with the nose.[352]
Their language is difficult in its phonetics, and presents a contrast to most American tongues by its tendency toward the isolating form, with slight agglutination. A carefully prepared vocabulary of it has recently been published by Dr. Paul Ehrenreich,[353] whose studies on this stock have been peculiarly valuable.
TAPUYA LINGUISTIC STOCK.
- Apina-gês, north of Rio Tocantins.
- Aponegi-crens, in south of province Maranhao.
- Acroas, near Rio Tocantins.
- Aimores, see Botocudos.
- Botocudos, in Sierra dos Aimures.
- Carahos, on Rio Tocantins.
- Camacans, near Rio Pardo.
- Cayapos, north of Rio Pardo.
- Chavantes, near Rio Maranhao.
- Cherentes, near Rio Tocantins.
- Chicriabas, near Rio de San Francisco.
- Coretus, on Rio Yupura.
- Cotoxos, near Rio Doce.
- Cumanachos, in province Goyaz.
- Crens, see Botocudos.
- Gês, in province Goyaz.
- Goyotacas, in province Goyaz (see below).
- Malalalis, near Rio Doce.
- Malalis, in province Goyaz.
- Masacaras, in province Goyaz.
- Pancas, on Rio das Pancas.
- Potés (Poton), on upper Mucuri.
- Puris, near Rio Paraiba.
- Suyas, on upper Schingu.
The Goyotacas in the province of Goyaz and the regions adjacent include a large number of tribes which Von Martius has shown to have sufficient linguistic affinity among themselves to unite in one group, and connections enough with the Tapuya stem to be regarded as one of its sub-stocks.[354]
GOYOTACA SUB-STOCK.
- Capochos, in the sierra between Minas Geraes and Porto Seguro.
- Coropos, on the Rio da Pomba.
- Cumanachos, adjacent to the Capochos.
- Machacalis, on and near Rio Mucury.
- Macunis, between Minas Geraes and Porto Seguro.
- Monoxos, adjacent to the Macunis.
- Panhames, on head-waters of Rio Mucury.
- Patachos, on head-waters of Rio de Porto Seguro.