Origins of the Tainan Culture, West Indies

395
in the following manner; they called them with a song and smoked
tobacco, whose aroma ,vas very pleasing to them.!) Among the
Tainos the behiques had lost much of their authoritative position
and leadership in the conjuring of spirits because of the development
of the aristocracy, and also because the zemis had taken
over a good part of their magic. Only in GOMARA2) is there an
intimation that the aroma of tobacco was pleasing to the zemis,
according to the comprehension of the Haitians. In other respects,
the religious use of the cigar on Espanola by the behiques seems
to have been only the same as in the tropical lowlands of South
America, namely the blowing of tobacco-smoke on the affected
parts of the sick. 3)
Like the Island-Caribs,4) the Haitians hung the tobacco leaves
ncar the hearth fire to dry.5) Among the Arawak tribes in Guiana
the leaves were suspended up under the roof of the hut to dry
slOlv1y.6) The tobacco leaves were dried directly over the fire, on
the bottom of a clay dish among the kindred tribes who lived on
the Rio Purus. 7 )
In the early period of Spanish colonization, the Tainos were
in accord with Guiana and upon the whole with the tropical lowland
races of South America, in that the wrappers for their cigars
were formed from leaves of trees.B) LAS CASAS says: "hacian de
unas hojas de arbol secas U11 rollete como se hace un mosquete de
pape1, y metian dentro una poca de aquella yerba y encendian e1
mosquete por una parte, y por la otra sorbian 0 atraian el humo
hacia dentro en el pecho 10 cnal Ies causaba nn adormicimiento ell
las carnes y en todo el cuerpo, de man era que ni sentian hambre
1) ROCHEFORT. op. cit., p. 473; BRETON, GP. cit., p. 217.
') Hist. gen., Paris, 1587, p. 37.
') BENZO:-!I. op. cit., p. 81; PAXE, Chap. XVI, D. FERXANDO, GP. cit., p. 299
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