Additional studies of the arts, crafts, and customs of the Guiana Indians : with special reference to those of Southern British Guiana / by Walter E. Roth.

  • Roth, Walter E. (Walter Edmund), 1861-1933.
Date:
1929
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Additional studies of the arts, crafts, and customs of the Guiana Indians : with special reference to those of Southern British Guiana / by Walter E. Roth. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    166/178 (page 102)
    (bull. 91 such a thing from the bush negroes. They have, however, made that method quite their own, and I saw bartering take place between an Oyana and a Trio in exactly the same way [i. e., article for article]. Besides that, the least greedy likewise practice the old style; a present w hether all or nothing is asked for it. The other party must, in his turn, occasionally give something, but he is not bound to time and a fixed rate. (HER, i, 958.) 821. At end of section add: The middleman, however, will often take measures to prevent direct trade between buyer and seller. Thus from Surinam come some very interesting records showing the means adopted to obtain such an end, followed by bush negroes and Trio. The Indians in the interior obtain what they want in the way of products of European industry in large measure through the intervention of the bush negioes. As the latter do very well in that trade it is of great im¬ portance to them to take care that the Indians never come into direct touch with the whites. At the beginning the Joeka (bush negroes) told them that they had a village somewhere near the sea where they themselves made axes, beads, cotton, etc. They further once upon a time took Indians with them to Poeloegoedoe and then told them it was still a formidably long distance from there to the sea. Besides that, the tempestuous water would perhaps capsize the boats and the whites stood on shore ready to murder every Indian whom they saw. * * * When the expedition went up the Tapanahoni Captain Arabi [bush negro] sent on a message that all the Indians must make their escape as quick as possible, as the whites were coming with a large force to plunder the villages and kill the populace. The Trios then abandoned their village and kept themselves hidden in the forest until news came from Arabi that there was nothing to fear. * * * The Joeka likewise tried to work on the whites. They several times reported on the coast that such dangerous Indians were still living up yonder * * * It was the same bush negroes again who in 1878 made the Trio fly before Crevaux by circulating the story that he was bringing a serious disease with him, and that he had some evil-minded negroes in his following. The Oyana who accompanied Crevaux in order to prevent their own trade being harmed considered it profitable to leave the Trio in that erroneous opinion. (HER, i, 944-945.) So again Herderschee was himself tricked by having withheld from him by the Trio and Oyana the existence of a second trail leading from the Arakoepina to the Wana or Wanama (presumably the Wanamu of Schomburgk). The reason of this secrecy was also not far to seek: they prefer the white man not to bring his wares direct to their fellow-tribesmen. The billet of middleman yields a profit not to be despised. (PIER, i, 966.)