TRADING in EARLY DAYS

The Wapianas, who live far in the interior, build boats for all the tribes in their neighbourhood. They visit the Tarumas and Woyowais, carrying with them canoes, cotton hammocks, and now frequently European goods, and leaving their canoes and other merchandise, they walk back, carrying with them in exchange a supply of cassava graters and leading hunting dogs, the Tarumas and Woyowais having practically a natural monopoly of the manufacture of these graters and of the breeding and training of hunting dogs. The Macusis, who have a natural monopoly of the preparation of the poison called Urali, required for the darts of the blow pipes and in cotton hammocks, now visit the Wapiana settlements to obtain graters and dogs in exchange for their manufactures; and they again carry such of these graters and dogs as they do not themselves require, together with their own Urali and cotton hammocks, to other Indians, to the Arecunas, for instance, who give in return the balls of cotton or blow pipes they have manufactured, or they take these articles to the true Caribs, who pay in pottery, which is their speciality. The true Caribs are not the only potters, but they are the best potters, and the Cuyuni River clay is considered the most suitable for pot making.

The Arecunas make the blow pipes from a palm (Arundinaria Schomburgkii), obtainable only in Venezuelan territory.

(Sir Everard im Thurn, Among the Indians of Guiana, Lond., 1883. pp. 271 et seq.) Like the Motu tribes, the Guiana tribes have the advantage, but to a far greater extent, of numerous and extensive river systems, hence they enjoy still better transport facilities.

They do not appear to have any medium of exchange, as we are told they exchange their commodities; but these commodities are all goods specially manufactured to suit certain markets, and the dogs are bred for a like purpose.