An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay, (1 of 3)Dobrizhoffer, Martin
History
An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian People of Paraguay, (1 of 3)
Dobrizhoffer, Martin
Abipon Indians; Jesuits -- Missions; Paraguay -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800
The seibo, a middle-sized tree, adorned with violet-coloured leaves,
consists of crooked boughs, and a spungy wood, as soft as that of the
cork tree, so that, when fresh, it may be cut with a knife like an
apple; but after it is dry, axes are not sufficient to hew it. A bough
of this tree fixed in the ground takes root, and grows immediately.
Whenever the tiger feels his claws burn, he is said to rub them against
the bark of this tree to relieve the pain.
PALO DE LECHE.
This tree is called _palo de leche_, the milky tree, by the Spaniards,
because its wood is white as milk, and so soft that it may be cut with a
common knife, and is used for small carpenters work.
THE ỸÇAPỸ.
The ỹçapỹ, a large tall tree, is covered with leaves like those of the
citron, but smaller, and of a paler green. It is a remarkable
circumstance, that when the air is mild, and always in the night, its
leaves drop a quantity of water, which moistens the space round about
the tree and renders it muddy. The wood of the tree is very soft and
flexible, but not moist, on which account it is well calculated for
making stirrups. John Verkens of Leipzig, in his account of a journey
taken by the Dutch to the East Indies, relates, that in the island of
Ferro, one of the Canaries, they found a very large tree which dropped
water day and night, every part of the year, and that the inhabitants
hung up large pitchers to receive it for their own use, and that of
their cattle; fresh water, he says, being incredibly scarce there. If
this be true, I suspect that it must be the same tree as that which the
Guaranies call ỹçapỹ in Paraguay. They say that this water possesses a
medicinal virtue, but of what kind I do not know.
THE TREE OF ANTS.
This is called _arbol de hormigas_, the tree of ants. It consists of a
weak spungy wood. The whole tree is full of holes like a sieve, and
being covered with ants, should be avoided by all passers by; for if you
do but touch the tree, a host of ants rush out of their lurking-holes,
and will cover both you and the tree itself.
THE UMBÙ.
So wide are the boughs and trunk of this tree, that the sun never sees
its foot. It affords plenty of shade to fifty persons seated beneath it,
and completely defends them against the rain. The linden trees of Europe
are mere dwarfs compared with an aged umbù.
THE WILLOW.
The willow, though it covers the islands of the Parana, and the banks of
certain rivers, is not to be seen elsewhere throughout a vast extent of
country. The wood and leaves of willows, used both medicinally and for
other purposes, were often vainly sought by us.
THE AMBAỸ.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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