London: Printed by C. Roworth,
Bell-yard, Temple-bar.
CONTENTS
OF
VOL. II.
PART II.
| Page | |
| Chap. I. Of the Territory, Origin, and various Names of the Abipones | [1] |
| II. Of the natural Colour of the Americans | [8] |
| III. Of the Persons of the Abipones, and the Conformation of their Bodies | [12] |
| IV. Of the ancient and universal Methods of disfiguring the Person | [19] |
| V. Of the Perforation of the Lips and Ears of the Savages | [24] |
| VI. Of the Strength and Longevity of the Abipones | [31] |
| VII. Why the Abipones are so vigorous and long-lived | [41] |
| VIII. Of the Religion of the Abipones | [57] |
| IX. Of the Conjurors, or rather of the Jugglers and Cheats of the Abipones | [67] |
| X. Conjectures why the Abipones take the Evil Spirit for their Grandfather, and the Pleiades for the Representation of him | [88] |
| XI. Of the Division of the Abiponian Nation, of their Paucity, and of the chief causes thereof | [95] |
| XII. Of the Magistrates, Captains, Caciques, &c. of the Abipones, and of their Forms of Government | [100] |
| XIII. Of the Food, Journeys, and other particulars of the Economy of the Abipones | [110] |
| XIV. Of the Form and Materials of Clothing, and of the Fabric of other Utensils | [127] |
| XV. Of the Manners and Customs of the Abipones | [136] |
| XVI. Of the Language of the Abipones | [157] |
| XVII. Concerning other Peculiarities of the Abiponian Tongue | [183] |
| XVIII. Of the Weddings of the Abipones | [207] |
| XIX. Of the Marriage of the Abipones | [210] |
| XX. Games on the Birth of the Male Child of a Cacique | [216] |
| XXI. Of the Diseases, Physicians, and Medicines of the Abipones | [219] |
| XXII. Of a certain Disease peculiar to the Abipones | [233] |
| XXIII. Of Measles, Small-Pox, and the Murrain in Cattle | [238] |
| XXIV. Of the Physicians and Medicines of the Abipones | [248] |
| XXV. Of the Rites which accompany and succeed the Death of an Abipon | [265] |
| XXVI. Of the Mourning, the Exequies, and Funeral Ceremonies of the Abipones | [273] |
| XXVII. Of the customary Removal of the Bones | [281] |
| XXVIII. Of the more remarkable Serpents | [286] |
| XXIX. More on the same Subject; and respecting other Insects | [295] |
| XXX. Of Remedies for the poisonous Bites of Insects | [303] |
| XXXI. Of other noxious Insects, and their Remedies | [312] |
| XXXII. Continuation of the same Subject | [324] |
| XXXIII. Of the Military Dispositions of the Abipones | [347] |
| XXXIV. Of the Arms of the Abipones | [352] |
| XXXV. Of the Scouts, and War Councils of the Abipones | [363] |
| XXXVI. Of the hostile Expeditions, Provisions, and Camps of the Abipones | [369] |
| XXXVII. Of the Assault, and the Measures preceding it | [375] |
| XXXVIII. By what Means the Abipones render themselves formidable, and when they are justly to be dreaded | [385] |
| XXXIX. Of those who go under the Name of Spanish Soldiers in Paraguay | [395] |
| XL. What is the Fate of the Slain amongst the Abiponian Victors | [408] |
| XLI. Concerning the Arms of the Abipones, and their Battle Array in fighting with other Savages | [413] |
| XLII. Of the Anniversary Memorial of Victories, and the Rites of a public Drinking-Party | [428] |
| XLIII. Of the Abiponian Rites on occasion of any one's being declared Captain | [440] |
HISTORY
OF
THE ABIPONES.
PART II.
CHAPTER I.
OF THE TERRITORY, ORIGIN, AND VARIOUS NAMES OF
THE ABIPONES.
The Abipones inhabit the province Chaco, the centre of all Paraguay; they have no fixed abodes, nor any boundaries, except what fear of their neighbours has established. They roam extensively in every direction, whenever the opportunity of attacking their enemies, or the necessity of avoiding them renders a journey advisable. The northern shore of the Rio Grande or Bermejo, which the Indians call Iñatè, was their native land in the last century. Thence they removed, to avoid the war carried on against Chaco by the Spaniards of Salta, at the commencement of this century, and migrating towards the south, took possession of a valley formerly held by the Calchaquis. This territory, which is about two hundred leagues in extent, they at present occupy. But from what region their ancestors came there is no room for conjecture. Ychamenraikin, chief cacique of the Abipones in the town of St. Jeronymo, told us, that, after crossing the vast waters, they were carried hither on an ass, and this he declared he had heard from ancient men. I have often thought that the Americans originally came, step by step, from the most northern parts of Europe, which are perhaps joined to America, or separated only by a narrow firth. We have observed some resemblance in the manners and customs of the Abipones to the Laplanders, and people of Nova Zembla, and we always noticed in these savages a magnetical propensity to the north, as if they inclined towards their native soil; for when irritated by any untoward event, they cried in a threatening tone—Mahaik quer ereëgem, I will go to the north; though this threat meant that they would return to the northern parts of Paraguay, where their savage compatriots live at this day, free from the yoke of the Spaniards, and from Christian discipline.
But if the Americans sprung from the north of Europe, why are all the Indians of both Americas destitute of beard, in which the northern Europeans abound? Do not ascribe that to air, climate, and country, for though we see some plants brought from Europe to America degenerate in a short time, yet we find that Spaniards, Portugueze, Germans, and Frenchmen, who in Europe are endowed with plenty of beard, never lose it in any part of America, but that their children and grandchildren plainly testify their European origin by their beard. If you see any Indian with a middling-sized beard, you may be sure that his father or grandfather was an European; for those thinly-scattered hairs, growing here and there upon the chins of the Indians both of North and South America, are unworthy the name of beard.
Paraguay is indeed near Africa, yet who would say that the inhabitants migrated from thence? In that case, the Paraguayrians would be of a black, or at any rate of a dusky leaden colour, like the Africans. The English, Spaniards, and Portugueze know that if both parents be Negroes, the children, in whatever country they are born, will be black, but that the offspring of a male and female Indian are of a whitish colour, which somewhat darkens as they grow older, from the heat of the sun, and the smoke of the fire, which they keep alive, day and night, in their huts. Moreover, the Americans have not woolly hair like the Negroes, but straight, though very black locks. The vast extent of ocean which divides Africa from the southern parts of America, renders a passage difficult, and almost incredible, at a time when navigators, then unfurnished with the magnet, dared scarcely sail out of sight of the shore. The Africans, you will say, might have been cast by a storm on the shores of America; but how could the wild beasts have got there? Opposite to the shores of Paraguay lies the Cape of Good Hope, inhabited by Hottentots which, in the savageness of their manners, resemble the Paraguayrian Indians, but are totally different in the form of their bodies, in their customs, and language. Many may, with more justice, contend that Asia was the original country of the Americans, it being connected with America by some hitherto undiscovered tie; and so they may, with my free leave; nor, were I to hear it affirmed that the Americans fell from the moon, should I offer any refutation, but having experienced the inconstancy, volubility, and changefulness of the Indians, should freely coincide in that opinion. The infinite variety of tongues amongst the innumerable nations of America baffles all conjecture in regard to their origin. You cannot discover the faintest trace of any European, African, or Asiatic language amongst them all.