This was a feast, indeed, such as few white men, I believe, have
witnessed.
That night and the next day, and the following four days, great
quantities of _chicha_ were drunk and much meat was consumed to
celebrate the great victory, the greatest in the annals of the
Mangeromas of Rio Branco.
Earthen vessels and jars were used in the cooking of food. The red clay
(Tabatinga clay) found abundantly in these regions formed a superior
material for these utensils. They were always decorated symbolically
with juices of the scarlet _urucu_ and the black _genipapa_. Even
when not burned into the clay, these were permanent colours.
Men and women wore their hair long and untrimmed as far as I could
observe. The older and more experienced of the tribesmen would have
quite elaborate head-gear, consisting of a band of _mutum_ plumes,
interspersed with parrot-tail feathers, while the younger hunters wore
nothing but a band of the _mutum_ plumes. The body was uncovered,
save by a narrow strip of bark encircling the waist. A broad piece,
woven of several bark-strips into a sort of mat, protected the lower
anterior part of the abdomen. The women wore no clothing whatever.
Their colour was remarkably light. Probably nothing can designate this
better than the statement that if a Mangeroma were placed alongside
of an Italian, no difference would be noticeable.
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