dace of the chase or -of fisheries, and in some instances by
cultivating the >sell»*'
M* id’Orbigpy has given jj the following account of the
physical characters of this class of nations in general.
The colour of their.«hin is yellow-^’attwa^re—mixed with a
slight tinge of very pale red»- This colour, . sayf M. d’Orbigny,
distinguishes^them completely from, all the other nations of
South America.: It is nearly the complexion which is ascribed
to the Polynesian nations, but rather less yellow. It wants
that brown tinge which characterises the people of the mountainous
region as well as those of the plains or Pampas. The
shade, he observes, is not everywhere the same, and local
cireumstances have much influence on the •degrgfe-jof ijs,; intensity.
“ The Guarani of Corrientes and the Ghiriguanpe
of Bolivia have a much deeper hue, as they inhabit plains and
countries without wood, while the Guarayos and ther.Sgipnas
"of the same race, who live constantly in the,midst of forests
impenetrable to the solar rays, are not much darker in com?
plexion than many of the people of Sjouthem Europe.’’
The stature of these nations, is short: it varies, j according
to M. d’Orbigny, from five feet to five feet four inches, The
shape of the body is stout or “ massive,”, the chest broad and
elevated, the shoulders broad, the haunches strong, the limbs
round and without prominent muscles, the hands and fpet
small. These people are distinguished from tl^e nations of the
open plains by the large proportions of A^eiudim]^* The
females are short, stout, and of broad figure. The Guarayos,
who are of the Guarani race but inhabit “ humid forests,”
have acquired a more graceful shape and almost European
proportions..
The features of the Guarani, taken by M. d’Orbigny as
typical of this class of nations, are distinguishable at a glance
from those of other races in South America. Their heads are
round, not laterally compressed ; their forehead is not retreating;
on the contrary, it is high, and its flatness in some
nations is attributable to art. The face is nearly round, the
nose short, not broad, the nostrils less open than in other
races ; the—mouth moderate, but somewhat projecting; the
lips rather thin ; the eyes small, expressive, sometimes oblique,
always elevated at the outer angle, like those mf the Mongolians.
Mi Bocheforty speaking'1 of the Caribbèes of the An-
tilles, compares them to the Ghdiièsëj and we shall find that
other writers have/ been struck with this •; resemblance. The
Cthin is1 round and short;:ftot reachin^soforward as the mouth;
the cheek-bones do not appear prominent except in Slid age1;-
the eye-brows are arched ; the BaSrstis long|/ stra^.ht,’ thick,
and'strongj the beard reduced to a few short stta^ht-hairs on
the chin and'uppfer lip ¥ 1 this is not thé;èfféôt bf art. I shall
add in M. d’Orbïgrïÿ’s word's a vêrÿ eurious 'ôbsërvatidn o n a
partictiiaf' trib'e of the Guarani, who ferai' an exception to the
almost bedtifleSisstate of tbpSe natiOns: He days 3—:
^^^Ndù's nouS sommes bien- assurés5 que cë peu de barbe ne
provient pàs ,de là coutume de d’épilation, comme chez beau-
coup'de pfeûples''sauvages; l’ayant trouvé ; le même4 ©hez les
Guaranis soumis au Christianisme, et qui* ont abandonné cet
«sage général'parmi la natién ; mais ma fehftbfefi
cètte ëx’Céptibn ( remarquable qui‘ 0X1816 ' ehéa’ les Guarayos,
tous pourvus d’une barbe longue/ qui couvre la dèvre su-pé-
rietife', le mehtoii, ét même les cotés des joues. Cette barbe
pourrait se comparer à celle des Européens, si elle n’avait ün
caractère constant, celui de n’être jamaié' frisée, *et- d’êtré
même aussi droite quelles cheveux. La présence d’une barbe
fournie chez une tribu de cette nation prèsqu’ imbarbe, serait-
elle encore la suite de l’influence local, qui amène;; Gomme on
l’a vu, tant d’autres modifications physiques ? Nèus •serions
tenté de repondre affirmativement; car il nous est bien prouvé,
par les .recherches que nous avons pu faire , sur les lieux, que
cô ,fait ne résulte pas du mélangé dè cette tribu aux râèes
Européennes, avec lesquels elle n’a jamais eu ’de contact.”*
* D’Orbigny, ouv. cit. tom. ii. p. 298.
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