CHAPTER XVII.“El Cerrito”—Small steamer, theExplorador—“Taita Crusa”—The town of Exaltacion—The fifteen missions of the Beni and the tribes that belong to them—Some numerals and words in Mojeño, Cayubaba, Canichana, and Yuracaré—Education of the Indians.
“El Cerrito”—Small steamer, theExplorador—“Taita Crusa”—The town of Exaltacion—The fifteen missions of the Beni and the tribes that belong to them—Some numerals and words in Mojeño, Cayubaba, Canichana, and Yuracaré—Education of the Indians.
June 16th. We started at midnight in hopes of getting to the town of Exaltacion during the day, but did not get on very well till daybreak, for having to cross the river several times in the dark, we lost much way. At 9 a.m. we arrived at “El Cerrito,” a chaco, and clearing with workshops for building canoes etc., belonging to the National Bolivian Navigation Company, the sister enterprise of the Railway of the Cachuelas. Here was a small steamer called theExplorador, which had in 1871 been taken entire up the rapids by Dr. Juan Francisco Velarde, the energetic agent of the navigation company. The taking of this small steamer over the rapids was certainly a most arduous task, and Dr. Velarde, and the American mechanics who accompanied him, deserve every credit for their pluck and steadfast determination to succeed in getting their craft over the nineteen cachuelas. TheExploradoris a small steamer about forty feet in length, and was built by Messrs. Yarrow and Co. of Poplar, specially for the river Mamoré, her hull being madeof the best Lowmoor iron, in order to resist the blows which she must have received in striking against the numerous rocks amongst the rapids, and when being hauled over the portages by the Indians, of whom there were about eighty employed. Her hull stood well, but her engines were not nearly strong enough, and broke down repeatedly in endeavouring to stem the currents. This little steamer is now quiet in the upper waters of the Mamoré, waiting for new engines, when she would be able to carry on a good business trading amongst the towns of the Beni, a department whose roads are laid out by nature in the stupendous network of riverine canals with which it is favoured, and upon which the villages are built.
El Cerrito is so called from its being the only hill that is to be found on this part of the river for many miles, and it is said to be the only spot that at exceptionally high floods remains above water. Here we got some fresh beef, eggs, and yucas, so we made a capital breakfast, that one did not require much coaxing to attack; for after fifty-three days since we started from San Antonio, during which time we had to get our meals when we could, and sometimes off what to many people would seem uneatable food, it will be believed that the sight of a piece of fresh beef was cheering indeed.
I started from El Cerrito about 1 p.m., having obtained the loan of five strong Cayubaba Indians to help my crew, who were glad of assistance; but just above the Cerrito the river runs straight for a considerable distance, and the current runs so strongly that I found we were quite unable to surmountit with paddles, so we had to put out a rope for towing, which was very difficult work as the bank was very muddy. At about 8 p.m. we stopped for the night at a hacienda, about five miles below Exaltacion, sleeping in the canoe, as it was too late to go up to the house and visit the “patron” that night.
The following morning I went up to the house, and introduced myself to the patron Señor José Aqurusa, or, as he is called by the Indians of the district, Taita (Father) Crusa. He was evidently an Indian, but of very good presence and manners, and being tall and grey-headed, he had rather a striking appearance. He is said to have great authority over the civilized Indians, being a “Cacique,” or head man, of the Cayubabas, and it is supposed that even the wandering Chacobos respect him and his cattle; while, during a time that he was corregidor of Exaltacion, they became friendly and visited the village for trading purposes. There were a good many Indians, mostly Cayubabas, about the house, and of women I think there must have been about five or six to each man, while children were running and rolling about in small droves. The house is of the usual South American up-country construction, open all round and with roof of palm leaves, of very great size in order to cover the sugar-mill, as well as certain great cupboard-like constructions which served as sleeping apartments for the women and children. Underneath this immense roof all the business of the day goes on, from the cutting up of the bullock to the cooking of the“chupe,” or soup, for breakfast or dinner, or the preparation of the national beverage of Bolivia, the “chicha,” without which few Bolivians, be they Indians or of Spanish extraction, can exist: but of this chicha we shall have more hereafter. The sugar-mill was of primitive construction, but seemed to work well, and turned out sugar of an excellent quality. It was worked by a couple of very fine bullocks, the simple plan of ladling from the “trapiche,” or mill, to the boilers being used instead of more complicated appliances. The working parts of the trapiche were all made of hard wood of excellent quality, the workmanship of the cogs and rollers speaking volumes for the ingenuity and skill of the Indian carpenters. There were a few bullocks in a corral, but they afforded a great contrast to the two fat oxen that worked the mill and that had evidently been stall-fed, and Señor Aqurusa set down the thin condition of those in the corral to the fact that during the past rainy season, in the early part of the year, the floods had been very high, and had consequently spoiled the greater portion of the pasturage.
Crossing over to the right bank, I called at the “chaco,” or plantation, of Señor Francisco Ceballos, who received me very kindly, entertaining me very hospitably, and offering me free quarters in his house in Exaltacion, to which town, situated on the left bank of the Mamoré, we went about mid-day. The “puerto,” or landing-place for the town, is situated at the apex of a large bend in the river, each arm being at least a league in length. The windtherefore, blowing up or down the river, exerts a great force on the craft made fast at the foot of the bank, which rises more than fifty feet above low water.
The town of Exaltacion is placed about a couple of miles inland from the river, the road to it being across a pampa, with a few isolated trees and a rough grass three or four feet in height, which at certain seasons is burnt, so that new grass fit for the cattle may spring up; the burning has to be done when the wind is quiet, and can be only done in patches, for if the fires were not kept under control, the villages and plantations would be greatly endangered. The town is built on this flat pampa, and consists of about a hundred houses, built of adobe walls, with tiled roofs, arranged in square blocks in the usual South American fashion. I had to stay in Exaltacion about ten days, as it was necessary to find a new crew, the men that I had brought with me from San Antonio being either from Exaltacion, or from the other villages on the Magdalena and Baures rivers; they consequently were very averse to continuing the journey up the river to Trinidad, and, as they sadly stood in need of rest, I determined to suffer the delay, and seek a new crew rather than oppress my old one by forcing them to take me on further.
The following is a list of the fifteen principal missions of the department of the Beni, which appears to have been one of the great fields of Jesuitical missionary effort in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Exaltacion, on the Mamoré, peopled by Cayubabas (1).Santa Ana, on the Yacuma, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Mobimas (2).San Xavier, on the Mamoré, peopled by Mojeños (3).San Ignacio, on the Tijamuchi, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Mojeños (3).Trinidad, on the Ybari, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Mojeños (3).Loreto, on the Ybari, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Mojeños (3).San Pedro, on the Machupa, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Canichanas (4).San Joaquin, on the Machupa, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Itonamas or Machotos (5).San Ramon, on the Machupa, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Itonamas or Machotos (5).San Carlos, on the Itonama, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Baures (6).Magdalena, on the Itonama, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Baures (6).N. S. del Concepcion, on the Baures, or Blanco, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Baures (6).N. S. del Carmen, on the Baures, or Blanco, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Baures (6).Reyes, on the Beni, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Maropas (7).San Borja, on the Apiri, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Maropas (7).
Exaltacion, on the Mamoré, peopled by Cayubabas (1).
Santa Ana, on the Yacuma, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Mobimas (2).
San Xavier, on the Mamoré, peopled by Mojeños (3).
San Ignacio, on the Tijamuchi, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Mojeños (3).
Trinidad, on the Ybari, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Mojeños (3).
Loreto, on the Ybari, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Mojeños (3).
San Pedro, on the Machupa, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Canichanas (4).
San Joaquin, on the Machupa, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Itonamas or Machotos (5).
San Ramon, on the Machupa, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Itonamas or Machotos (5).
San Carlos, on the Itonama, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Baures (6).
Magdalena, on the Itonama, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Baures (6).
N. S. del Concepcion, on the Baures, or Blanco, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Baures (6).
N. S. del Carmen, on the Baures, or Blanco, an affluent of the Itenez, peopled by Baures (6).
Reyes, on the Beni, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Maropas (7).
San Borja, on the Apiri, an affluent of the Mamoré, peopled by Maropas (7).
There are seven tribes of Indians in these fifteen villages, each tribe having a language of its own. There are also differences in the dialects of villages speaking the same mother tongue, such as Trinidad and San Xavier, or Magdalena and Nuestra Señora del Concepcion; but while these differences serve to render the Babel of tongues in the Beni still more confusing, one is only able to detect the seven leading languages as numbered in the list. There is another tribe (of whom more hereafter) that inhabit the lands on the highest waters of the Mamoré; this tribe is called the Yuracarés, but they are never reckoned amongst the Indians of the Beni.
Of the seven languages, the following numbersand words are all that I had an opportunity of obtaining:—
In endeavouring to follow the sound of these words I have used the Spanish alphabet, that is to say,abroad,ito bee,ea shorta,ulikeoo;jto beh,chard beforeaando, etc., etc. The Mojeños and Canichanas do not appear to be able to count beyond three; arriving at that, they commence again, and have to arrange all their calculations in sets of threes, which seems to be a most complicated proceeding; thus, for a peso, or dollar, that contains eight reales, they count “apina mopona” and “apina”, or two threes and two; how they get on in the higher numbers I could not understand, but as most of the Indians have learned the Spanish numerals, I observed that they invariably counted the first three numbers in their own language and then went off into cuatro, cinco, etc. I managed to get the Cayubabas up to “tariduboi,” or six, and then they would go on with siete, ocho, nueve, etc. The Trinitarios have a peculiarity with regard to their first numeral which is worthy of mention; if they are counting they will say “Etona,” but if there is only one article or thing to be spoken of, they say “Etonaricha,” the addition of “icha” appearing to be a kind ofdiminutive. The following are a few words that I noted.
The above words I have set down as near to the sounds as I could. It seems that many years agothe Indians had a method of writing by short strokes, signs, and hieroglyphics; but that method is now almost entirely forgotten, and those who can write use the ordinary Roman letters. I have seen many excellent writers amongst them. All of them who had done service in the churches as sacristans and choristers are able to write; they also can read music, for which they use the ordinary five-line system. There are small schools in all the principal Indian villages in which reading, writing, and Catholic prayers are taught in the Castilian language; and I was rather surprised to see the amount of rudimentary knowledge that is drilled into the Indians, who, as a race, are not at all deficient in natural intellect, being, I believe, of a much higher grade than the Brazilian negroes of African descent.