Let Me Introduce You

The Europeans marveled at the cleanliness and health of the people they encountered along the coast of South America.

- Barbara A. Sommer

The natives, unlike the Europeans, bathed frequently and experienced few illnesses. They adorned themselves with little more than paint, colorful feathers, and shell, stone, or bone ornaments. The women wore their hair long, while the men shaved the tops of their heads and faces. Everyone removed body hair, even eyebrows.

- A CLOSER LOOK

The men excelled at hunting, fishing, and warfare. They plied the coast and Amazon waterways in large canoes. They carried weapons, including heavy clubs, long spears, and bows and arrows. Some shot arrows great distances by lying on the ground and holding the bow with their feet; others used long blowguns to down prey from the high jungle canopy (see page 33, top). Those living along the Amazon River dipped their spear points in deadly poison. 

The women grew crops and prepared food. Maize provided significant nourishment for those along the Amazon River, but most lowland South Americans survived on bitter manioc. The roots of this plant, deadly unless the prussic acid is extracted, were grated. The resulting pulp was then squeezed in a giant woven-palm tube, called a tipiti, to remove the juice. Once this step was completed, the pulp was toasted and eaten in a variety of dishes. The manioc they fermented became a mildly alcoholic beverage known as cauim, which was consumed in great quantities at ceremonial gatherings. Fermentation began only after women chewed and spat some of the pulp into large vats of manioc. It was their saliva that got the fermentation process underway.

- ALIKE—AND DIFFERENT