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Show Jungle Tribe Has Strange Ways With Brides, Killers Explorer Brings News of Venezuelan Life PHILADELPHIA. News of a tribe that has strange ways with murderers, and stranger ways with brides, is brought by Dr. Vincenzo Petrullo, anthropologist anthro-pologist explorer of the university univer-sity museum here just returned from leading an expedition Into Venezuela. . Protection of a powerful chieftain chief-tain made It possible for the expedition expe-dition to spend three months In actual ac-tual contact with this little-known people, the Guajiro Indinns, Doctor Doc-tor Petrullo declared In an exclusive exclu-sive Interview. The expedition was conducted jointly by the university museum of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn-sylvania, Columbia university and the Latin-American Institute. A Guajiro Indian of high degree pays a great deal for his wife whom he has never laid eyes on, Doctor Petrullo learned. Marriageable Marriage-able girls are kept locked up, seen only by their families. At the marriage mar-riage ceremony, the bridegroom still does not behold his bride. Nine days later, he sees her for the first time by daylight, although he has spent the nine nights after the ceremony with his wife, entering and leaving the room In darkness. Women "Going Modern." But even Guajiro women are going go-ing modern, for Doctor Petrullo was told that this marriage custom Is slowly being broken down by the women themselves. Guajiro methods of handling crime were also found unusual. If a member of a Guajiro clan slays a member of another and friendly clan, It Is the duty of the murderer's murder-er's own clan to execute him. No disgrace Is attached to such an execution, ex-ecution, and the clans remain friendly. Failure to deal out Justice Jus-tice In this way, however, is a signal sig-nal for sharp reprisal. The group victimized by the murder sets out to kill the murderer's entire family, except the children, whom they take as slaves. Originally, Guajlros lived by gathering wild plants, hunting, and perhaps some farming, Doctor Petrullo Pe-trullo reports. But after Europeans Europe-ans brought horses, cattle, donkeys, don-keys, sheep, and goats Into South America, the culture of these Indians In-dians changed. They are now pastoral, pas-toral, farming a little when there are rains In their sandy, semi-desert country. When They're Wealthy. A Guajiro measures wealth by the size of a man's herd and flocks, said the anthropologist, and these are acquired chiefly for social display dis-play at funeral feasts. Thousands of animals may be killed to feed the multitude of guests at one of these occasions. Guajiro Indians never travel alone. A chieftain goes about with half a dozen well armed retainers, and If the trip Is a long one and the chief very Important, this bodyguard body-guard may be Increased. |
