Personal Narrative Of Travels To The Equinoctial Regions Of America During The Years 1799-1804 - Volume 3 - By Alexander Von Humboldt And Aime Bonpland.
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These People Have Not The
Ferocity Of The Darien And Cunas Indians, On The Left Bank Of The
Atrato; Who
Often attack the boats trading with the town of Quidbo in
the Choco; they also make incursions on the territory
Of Uraba, in the
months of June and November, to collect the fruit of the cacao-trees.
The cacao of Uraba is of excellent quality; and the Darien Indians
sometimes come to sell it, with other productions, to the inhabitants
of Rio Sinu, entering the valley of that river by one of its tributary
streams, the Jaraguai.
It cannot be doubted that the Gulf of Darien was considered, at the
beginning of the sixteenth century, as a nook in the country of the
Caribs. The word Caribana is still preserved in the name of the
eastern cape of that gulf. We know nothing of the languages of the
Darien, Cunas and Cayman Indians: and we know not whether Carib or
Arowak words are found in their idioms; but it is certain,
notwithstanding the testimony of Anghiera on the identity of the race
of the Caribs of the Lesser Antilles and the Indians of Uraba, that
Pedro de Cieca, who lived so long among the latter, never calls them
Caribs nor cannibals. He describes the race of that tribe as being
naked with long hair, and going to the neighbouring countries to
trade; and says the women are cleanly, well dressed and extremely
engaging (amorosas y galanas). "I have not seen," adds the
Conquistador, "any women more beautiful* in all the Indian lands I
have visited:
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