The One and the Many: Ancestors and Sorcerers in Hohodene Worldview

ROBIN M. WRIGHT D !ARTM NT O" R #IGION

$dra%t %or &'(lication in Wiley Online hand(oo) o% Material Reli*ion+ ed. (y M. ,a-.'e- / ,. Narayanan. DO NOT 0IT OR 12OT WITHO2T A2THOR3S ! RMISSION44 A(stract: This chapter explores the meanings of Body in relation to one of the most important spirits in Hohodene cosmology, the Owner of Sickness and Sorcery, Kuwai. In my interpretation, I seek to nra!el m ltiple layers of meaning related to this fig re "y tili#ing nati!e exegeses that connect narrati!es, graphic representations $incl ding petroglyphs%, shamanic c res and !isions, sacred geography, and sacred chants. I hope to show that Hohodene notions of &erson, 'osmos, Ontology, and History are intertwined in an all(encompassing m ltiplicity of li!ing entities into one material and spirit al Body. Sonic imagery, directly connected to sacred places) sorcery and shamanic powers) and a rigoro s ethic of resistance to pain are among the principal feat res of the enigmatic "eing of Kuwai, the first ancestor of h manity and the "ody of their *ni!erse.

I am Kuwai, yo +pointing to step(son, are Kuwai, yo +pointing to me, the researcher, are Kuwai $-os. 'ornelio, /012%

The research on which this chapter is "ased has "een cond cted o!er a period of 3 decades among the Hohodene peoples of the 4iary 5i!er in the 6orthwest 4ma#on. 4n 4rawak(speaking people, the Hohodene are one of se!eral phratries that comprise a hypothetical 7people8 called "y o tsiders the Baniwa. This name is not an ethnonym tho gh it has "een sed "y o tsiders since early coloni#ation in the /9th 'ent ry and today is accepted "y the nati!e people as their ethnic identity. The 6orthwest 4ma#on region has "een compared to a Tower of Ba"el "eca se of its ling istic di!ersity. The more than :: ethnic gro ps who consider themsel!es as distinct socio(political nits are gro ped "y ling ists into three ma;or lang age families< northern 4rawak, eastern T kano, and =ak . >espite their ling istic di!ersity, all peoples share in a n m"er of c lt ral patterns and instit tions, among them the sacred rites of passage in!ol!ing the ancestral fl tes and tr mpets which are considered to "e the Body of the first ancestral "eing from which came all h man ancestors. These fl tes and tr mpets are considered extremely sacred, for which reason they are generally hidden, wrapped in leaf " ndles and " ried along the ri!er"anks in places that only the ad lt men know. There is a large "i"liography of works "y anthropologists, scientific tra!ellers, missionaries, and go!ernment officials a"o t the sacred fl tes in the 6? 4ma#on./ = ch of this literat re tends to "e sensationalistic and distorted "y the a thors8 own "iases. 'atholic and e!angelical missionaries, for example, ha!e for o!er a cent ry h nted and persec ted nati!e "eliefs in the sacred fl tes and masks which they la"eled as demonic, Satan. @or that
See, for example, Hugh-Jones (1979); Reichel-Dolmatoff (199 ); !right, (199")
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reason, many comm nities no longer cele"rate the rites of their ancestors, ha!ing lost all "eliefs that at one time played a ma;or role in their inter(tri"al relations, as well as intra(tri"al identities. One of the feat res of the sacredness em"odied in the ancestral fl tes and tr mpets is the strong prohi"ition of women and the ninitiated from seeing them, or knowing what they look like. In contemplating the strong ta" which still exists in traditionalist comm nities, I8!e come to the concl sion that m ch of what has "een said regarding male dominance and sym"olic !iolence is misg ided) conseA ently, o tsiders who constantly try to "reak the secrecy are doing a tremendo s harm to the identity of the !ario s si"sBphratries: when they insist on re!ealing the fl tes and tr mpets to those who cannot see them "y !irt e of the 7law8 and traditions of the tri"es. This can "e demonstrated "y the close links percei!ed "etween the creation cycles and the prohi"ition itself. 4mong northern 4rawakan societies, Cphratric exogamy8 is imperati!e to social inter(relations) i.e., women marry o t of the phratry into which they were "orn and into a phratry with whom their families wish to esta"lish or contin e alliances. The ta" on o tsider women seeing the sacred ancestral fl tes of their h s"ands$ phratry has little if anything to do with a s pposed dread of CincestC $which does not exist in Baniwa mythic narrati!es% and more with the potential dangers of an Dexternal OtherD "ecoming an DinsiderD, and disco!ering the so rce of the phratryCs ancestral power. This represents a great risk expressed in the mythic cycles of the primordial
Si%& a set of communities 'ho consi(er themsel)es to %e agnatic si%lings an( (escen(ants of one common Kuwai ancestor, an( one common *historical$ ancestor+ *,hratr-$ is a set of si%s ran.e( accor(ing to the or(er of emergence of primor(ial ancestors from the holes of the (no') rapi(s of Hipana on the /iar- Ri)er+
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world, in which the 'reator and his kin are always opposed to the Dother peoplesD, non(kin, affines, animal tri"es, generally the enemy tree(animals who are portrayed as the primordial sorcerers. In the !ery first cycle of creation narrati!es, the animal(tri"es steal poison from the 'reator and with it, they kill the 'reatorCs yo nger "rother. Th s, death entered the world, eliminating definiti!ely the possi"ility of h mans retaining their primordial immortality. The ens ing str ggle o!er sorcery in the narrati!es is constant and witho t resol tion) it is the eA i!alent in present(day society of the str ggles "etween the ;ag ar shamansBprophets !s the sorcerers $who ha!e animal(like feat res attri" ted to them "y shamans%. The implications of this str ggle are that women who come from Other tri"es marrying in to a phratry "ring with them the potential threat of destr ction. They are, for that reason, prohi"ited from knowing the Dsecrets of the fl tes and tr mpets.D It is clear, howe!er, that women of the same si" and phratry do know of their primal ancestry, what the name of the fl te ancestor is, and what it looks like. B ut they are prohi"ited from speaking a"o t them ( as are the initiated "oys who act ally see the fl tes and tr mpets. The women are intermediaries with the o tside world ; st as shamans are intermediaries with the Other ?orld of the great spirits. Both therefore are locked in a kind of complementary opposition that is the mo!ing force or dynamic of reciprocity and exchange, implying "oth marriage and sorcery. 4ncestral power em"odied in the fl tes and tr mpets th s disting ishes one phratryCs collecti!e identity from another. Since the law of exogamy $marital exchange% is a centrif gal force thro gh which the external world $in(marrying women, non(indigeno s peoples% penetrates the internal world of the si"Bphratry, there is an extreme ta" on showing the fl tes to the
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women, which we interpret to "e an adapti!e mechanism to preser!e intact the internal contin ity of phratric identity against the threatening powers which o tsiders represent. This assertion, we arg e, nderlies statements made "y important shamans a"o t not gi!ing p the traditions, for then the enemy will take o!er and the people will "e r ined. $?right, :E/3, 'hapter /% One hopes that the pioneering protection of the F r pary3 esta"lished "y *6GS'O thro gh the 'olom"ian go!ernment will "e extended to Bra#il and Hene# elan peoples who still o"ser!e the traditions. 5With Sha6e He 0o6es7: The Hidden Ano6aly In the sacred narrati!e of Kuwai, as soon as the child was "orn, the men h stled him away and hid him in the forest "eca se of its strange appearance and extremely !iolent acts ( ;ag ar teeth, a placenta that had the form of a stingray, the child8s ncontrolla"le thirst for milk. His Body is totally different from h man "odies today, for it was completely perforated and, from the m ltiple holes, so nds and melodies associated with m ltiple animals, "irds, and fish were prod ced. The S n father was astonished that his child had s ch a strange form. The child was so ashamed of his strange appearance, it is said, he !iolently s cked dry the "reast of a sloth 7wetn rse8. @earing that his child wo ld wreak ha!oc in the world, the 'reator sent him away to li!e hidden for a long time. I wai was his child, the so l of his father the S n, with all the shamanic knowledge and power of his father " t also was the incarnation of sorcery and sickness.
/ lingua geral (tra(e language of the area) term to refer to the ancestral %eing 'hose %o(- ga)e rise to the sacre( flutes an( trumpets+ 2ach ethnic group has a (ifferent name for this spirit, so missionaries since the 1"th 3entur- re(uce( this cultural (i)ersit- to a single %attle against the 45urupar-6, 'hich actuall- is a 7upian (emiurge of the forest+
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One 09(year old ;ag ar shaman narrated the "irth of Kuwai as follows< 4t Kuwais "irth, he was hidden away. Kuwai was taken to Kuwai ifakahruakan. $place where he was n rsed "y a sloth mother% The men showed Amaru a stingray, called, niamaru, saying that the only thing that was "orn was ; st placenta. Before Kuwai was "orn, his mother Amaru went looking for a place to gi!e "irth . She went to the *a p.s, later the IJana K the place called Tspan K and she lay down there. Later, Puwedali, on the Ucaiali $*a pes%, and went to lie down there.. Later, *ap i, and she stayed there. 4fter I wai was "orn, he was hidden from her at a place downri!er "elow. 4t Dumalipekwa, three places "elow. Thuruapekwa, Thiripidapekwa. Nhipirikuli went after him. The child8s real mother DknewD that the men had taken her child away, and she wanted her child "ack. Thro gho t the story, the men decei!e the women fearing that they wo ld take the dangero s powers em"odied in Kuwai away, which wo ld lea!e them helpless to defend their phratric identities from o tsiders. This dread of "eing witho t an identity and ina"ility to do anything at all is also sed as a ; stification for the secrecy. In the following disc ssion, I seek to show systematically how the Body of Kuwai was transformed into all the sacred fl tes and tr mpets. @or each instr ment, I ask< what c lt ral categories are "eing highlighted M ?hat !iew of 7the world8 is comm nicated thro gh the "ody and so nds that Kuwai makes M By com"ining all the feat res of the indi!id al instr ments together, we come to a deeper nderstanding of Hohodene 7world!iew8. @or, it seems, Kuwai em"odies "oth a concept of = ltiple "eings(in(One, and the

One Being(in(= ltiplicity that is the *ni!erse. Inside and O'tside+ O&en and 0losed: D'ality in Kuwais Body To "egin, the principal $and perhaps only% Hohodene drawing of what Kuwai looks like was made "y a Hohodene ;ag ar shaman L i# Nomes, a distant co sin of =an el da Sil!a, the s ";ect of my recent "ook $:E/3%. The anthropologistBling ist >r. Omar Non#Ole#(POne# who has worked for Q decades among northern 4rawak(speaking peoples, reA ested that L i# draw Kuwai, also known as Kuwai-ka-Wamundana, the N ardian of Sorcery and Sickness, a sacred name referring to Kuwais principal animal so l identity as the "lack sloth shadow(so l.$see @ig. /, p. ) and 'h. Q of my "ook%. 4ll Baniwa ancestral fl tes and tr mpets are considered to "e parts of the Body of Kuwai.,Q His Body is totally different from h man "odies today, for it consisted of m ltiple parts each "eing an ancestral form of an animal, "ird, or fish. =ost of the fl tes come in pairs, replicating the long "ones of Kuwais "ody. The exceptions are the single fl te called ulitu, said to "e his penis) and the triple fl tes called Waliad!a, 7Fo ng Sister initiate8 corresponding to the three claws on one of its paws. Gach pair of fl tes has a sacred name corresponding to a primordial, ancestral "eing, whose "ody had the shape of a long fl te or tr mpet. Se!eral of these ancestral "eings had appendages ( wings, legs and arms, added to the long "ones, claws, and appendages of Kuwais Body. 'onsidered altogether, the graphic representations of these primordial "eings, chiseled in the "o lders of many rapids in the 6orthwest 4ma#on, comprise a c lt ral memory of the primordial world, how it came into "eing, and the e!ents that made the
7he num%ers of pairs )aries 'ith the .no'le(ge of the narrators; 9ui: ;omes name( 1 pairs, most other narrators name( fe'er+
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contemporary world the way it is. $?right, :E/3) Ra!ier Leal, :EE9) Non#ale#(POne#, :EE2% This c lt ral memory is, I hope to show, also a social history. enemies, are. The Body of Kuwai in the drawing "elow consists< firstly, of a complex com"ination of sicknesses and remedies concentrated in "oth a central internal axis inside and the external co!ering o tside his "ody) and secondly, n mero s holes in his "ody thro gh which a !ariety of animal so nds are made that, following I wai8s 7death8 in a world(transforming fire, "ecame material ancestral fl tes and tr mpets of existing phratries, as well as the defining feat res of Hohodene &ersonhood. To nderstand this, I shall analy#e the elements of sickness and sorcery in Kuwais Body first, followed then "y the notion of ancestrality. The "ody parts of Kuwai considered to "e so rces of "oth sicknesses and remedies are< $a% the crown of his head $ Kuwai ithipale%, $"% throat $liweda% $c% the heart $ikaale% and $d% the m"ilic s $hliepuhle%. 4ll of these are key points of so l passage from the crown of the head down to the m"ilic s. These critical points link Kuwai to the knowledge and powers of the sorcerer and the shaman, as well as to the principal points of entry and exit of all so ls at "irth, coming(of(age, sickness, and death. Tho gh not shown in this drawing, two other points of so l passage are the eyes and the mo th. 4ro nd the crown are cl stered !ario s icons of sicknesses that shamans attri" te to Kuwai< hair, said to "e t c m fi"re, from the moriche @or, the elements comprising Kuwais "ody orient the Hohodene today as to who their kin and allies, as well as their affines and

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palm $ auritia fle"u!sa%, also known as " riti,S associated with sicknesses prod ced "y a sorcerer8s poison, manhene) a white stone that gi!es headaches) a snake that prod ces a painf l sickness called hiuiathi. The heartBso l concentrates in the form of darts, fo r ma;or sicknesses that the shaman m st learn how to c re first d ring hisBher apprenticeship< the #!!pinai, spirits of the en!ironment) the walama, darts that come from shamans, whether h man or not2) the haikuita, pieces of wood) and sicknesses of the "lood, s ch as hemorrhaging. @inally, the m"ilic s which is said to contain the most powerf l remedy $t$pe% against sorcerers8 poison K o r m"ilic s, the connection "etween the first ancestors of the phratries and all their descendants. The m"ilical cord constit tes the !ery first 7so l8 of e!ery person which enters a "ody in This ?orld at "irth. It is also the first of se!eral so ls to lea!e a person at death and ret rn to the Other ?orld, where all the so ls of the deceased from the "eginning of time are located. @or the shaman L i#, it is from the m"ilic s of Kuwai that the shaman takes o t medicine for ifiukali, a gra!e sickness of the digesti!e tract that makes one thin, anemic, wasted away. This sickness, like all others mentioned, has its origins in the stories1. The internal axis of sickness and health, as we might call it, in Kuwais "ody consists of the ma;or so rces of sicknesses, which are ne!ertheless the so rces of remedies that shamans can se to c re the same
Shamans sa- that in Kuwais )illage in the <ther !orl(, there is a plantation of %uriti palmtrees the greatest of 'hich is the 4Jaguar =umale6, 'hich is co)ere( 'ith thorns+ 7he Yoopinai spirits ha)e their o'n shaman, a (eclare( enem- of humans, 'hose material %o(il- form is the li:ar( (dopo)+
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4n anaconda impregnates the 'reator8s wife who "etrayed him "y ha!ing sex al relations with the anaconda) the res lting chaotic sit ation was the origin of the sickness ifiukali, which people today get from eating raw or rotten fishBmeat.
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sickness. This do "le(sided feat re of the powers contained in Kuwais "ody is as essential to nderstand as it is to know how each type of sickness and remedy came into "eing, "y whom, and why. 4s one elderly shaman narrator explained, 4fter Kuwai had gone away, Nhiaperikuli filled a pot of manhene $poison% and then, a friend of his drank the plant poisons called hfer!, li"upana. He "egan to ha!e diarrheia. Nhiaperikuli took the ceramic pot to his ho se and left it there in order to keep it from others8 wanting it. He ordered his people the Kuwaikere& to make s re that no other people co ld come and take away the poison. The 'enunai , howe!er, s cceded in tricking them and stole the poison. Eenunai iketsuali ikurumanhene.$=atteo &., /009% The hair $Kuwai liid(u% of his "ody is considered one of the most potent types of poison which a tr e shaman m st o"tain from the Body of Kuwai in order to c re a patient in This ?orld. Kuwais "ody was covered "y hair or f r, which seems like a paradoxical mixingBmerging of the feat res 7open8 and 7closed8 sed to descri"e his "ody and, as we shall see, the ni!erse. Similar to the sloth8s $ wamu% "ody, which har"ors inn mera"le kinds of f ngae that li!e sym"iotically in its pelt, Kuwais f r was f ll of " gs and poison. Similar also to the sloth8s ha"its, Kuwai was most of the time closed, with great control o!er his digesti!e orifices, which is appropriate for the fasting period he imposed on initiates. ?hen his "ody 7opens8, it is either to emit creati!e so nds, or to allow fl ids to fall like rain
Kuwaikere is one of se)eral names referring to the spirit people 'ith 'hom he li)e(+ 7here are also Kuwainyai, %ee-spirit .eepers of potent me(icine, their hone- that helps 4%ring %ac. the soul6 of an unconscious person+
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on the earth. It is important to nderstand how these so nd emissions are mod lated thro gho t the narrati!e $e.g., a melody s ng in harmony !s a chaotic "ellowing of so nds) a diet of ripe forest(fr its !s a canni"alistic de!o ring of flesh%.0 ,iscera+ Body "l'ids and Their Si*ni%icance Kuwais viscera $specifically, his li!er% contained &oison that was a"sor"ed "y certain plants after his death) these plants ha!e the shape of a li!er/E. Lar!ae associated with rotten wood are said to "e the "ile of Kuwai$lidanhe%, part of his poisono s animal(form associated with rot. Or, "etter stated, in the perspecti!e of Kuwai, the lar!ae are his heart(so l, while to h mans, they are the "ile that spoils the meat of a freshly(killed animal. One of the most important fl ids of Kuwais (ody is his (lood which is identified "y the shamans as parik$ $d(aat!%, the psychoacti!e that shamans inhale in its dried o t form as sn ff in order to die and ret rn to the Other ?orld of the deities and spirits) this "lood no rishes the shaman8s own heartBso l, ikaale, which means "oth the material organ and the spirit al so rce of life(s pporting energy in the "lood that can "e !ital to c res. Kuwais sali!a+ liahnuma+ can "e "oth a creati)e, seminal fluid which re*enerates the ph#sical w!rld, +ut can als! +e used in s!rcer# . One How can a "ody co!ered "y f r "e f ll of holes at the same time M If we look at photos of a sloth8s f r, there are n mero s places of discoloration as a res lt of the f ngae, white spots that K from a distance K co ld !ery well "e seen as 7holes8. It is pla si"le that these spots are percei!ed as the 7holes8 in Kuwais "ody f r. 1> These plants are sed in Bra#ilian pop lar c lt re to ward off e!il spirits $Gspada de STo -orge, for example%
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example of liahnuma in the normal world is the life(gi!ing sap that drops from the trees as tho gh, Hohodene say, a larger tree is feeding its yo ng saplings. The 7other side8 of liahnuma is sed in sorcery, where a sorcerer will cast a spell em"odied in his spittle left along the trail where the !ictim will walk. Sorcery prod ces a condition of physical, spirit al o&en8ness in its !ictims in which an excess of fl ids is in!ol ntarily expelled from the "ody $!omiting, diarreia%. 4n e9cessive loss of this life Kgi!ing fl id, howe!er, is one feat re of the most dreaded ailments an initiate co ld get, a wastin* away sic)ness, purakali, characteri#ed "y constant dri""ling of spittle, the transformation of the initiate8s "ody parts into animal, or plant parts. It is the dissol tion of the person into a grotesA e assem"lage of deformed plant and animal parts.$see my article, /003, & rs ing the Spirits for f rther disc ssion of this condition% Purakali is a form of Other("ecoming that occ rs at seasonal changes, for example, from dry to wet, or the res lt of not o"eying restrictions at these critical moments of time. ?hen this occ rs, a powerf l reaction from the Owner of Sicknesses can "e expected against the initiate, ; st as happened in primordial times. Besides the animal, "ird, and fish parts of his Body, Kuwai can transform into !ario s spirit(Others who are considered to "e powerf l and dangero s enemies, $Kpuunda%< ,n#aime,// an extremely dangero s, canni"alistic ogre, a transformati!e spirit of death, is known as the Other Kuwai$that is, Kuwai can transform into this 7Other8, demonic "eing%) -!!pinai, sickness(transmitting spirits of the forest, ri!ers and ri!er"anks) the ?hite =an, #alanawinai, who, it is "elie!ed, was generated from gr "s
7he name Inyaime literall- means& negati)e other (Inyai, other; me, neg+)
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of a rotten, slain enemy 4naconda. The kind of spirit called in#aime is said to "ecome em"odied in a li!ing sorcerer8s heart(so l, for a sorcerer "y definition is someone who has transformed from a c lt ral person into an enemy other. The kind of spirits called #!!pinai are em"odied in almost any plant, " sh or shr ", as well as the co ntless kinds of insects, " gs, and spiders which can "e in!oked to gi!e sickness and pain to h mans. These came into "eing $were "orn% from Kuwais ashes at the moment of his spirit8s depart re from This ?orld. =ost importantly, at the moment of his " rning in fire, he lets loose from his "ody all of these spirits which then spread thro gho t the world. Kuwai em"odied all sickness and sorcery) he is their owner. His f r, it is said, ran and entered the "ody of the "lack sloth, Kuwais shadow(so l today $Kuwai idanamini wamu% and the a!atar of sorcery. If an initiate "reaks the restrictions imposed on all who are participating in the Kuwai rites, it is "elie!ed that a catastrophe will ens re. @or, the other Kuwai has the &ower to destroy li%e+ thro gh !iolence, chaotic and lo d so nds like the crashing of th nder, and "y nleashing sickness and sorcery which take on n mero s forms thro gho t the world. Kuwai and Growth: the Ancestral Heart:So'l $ikaale4 o% the S'n "ather The story of Kuwai tells of how he came into the world and de!elops thro gh an entire life(cycle< conception, pre("irth, "a"yBinfant, ad lt, old man, and post(mortem "odyBso l. > ring the story, an initiate is instr cted on the m ltiplex relations "etween h mans and Other "eings. i Kuwai was e!ent ally 7killed8 at the end of the first initiation rite when his father p shed
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him into an enormo s fire and, following the fiery transformation, his Body "ecame ancestral tr mpetsBfl tes. &recisely at the same place where Kuwai was "orn, .ipana, a gigantic paxi "a palmtree, shot o t from the gro nd, connecting This ?orld and the Other ?orld where Kuwai li!es eternally. The paxi "a palmtree $which is nat rally hollowed o t% was the materiali#ed form of all the apert res and long "ones of Kuwais Body. It was the so rce of all the sacred fl tes and tr mpets. 5ecalling that Hipana is considered the ?orld 'enter, the celestial m"ilical cord, the sacred fl tes and tr mpets are therefore the material m"ilical connection "etween primordial ancestors and all their descendants. These are the ancestors of the Hohodene phratry. Their names are remem"ered for the e!ents and processes that occ rred in primordial times and that are significant to the social reprod ction of the phratry, as well as of the BaniwaBI ripako(speaking peoples as a whole. Th s we may say that the knowledge em"odied in Kuwai consists of the c lt ral memory of the phratry, all o% the li%e &hases and transitions that &eo&le will &ass thro'*h+ as well as the &rinci&al characters in the dra6a o% cos6ic history. 4s in the story, the so nds of the fl tes and tr mpets played in initiation rites today are what make initiates and fr it("earing palm trees today *row+ along with the whips that were part of Kuwais "ody. 7he soun(s plus the 'hips %rea. open the initiates$ s.in an( penetrate the initiates$ heart?soul+ !ith these soun(s, in sum, there is gro'th an( expansion; 'ith Kuwais 'hips, plus the *fire$ of sacre( pepper, the initiates *(r- out$, that is, the- %ecome immune to the potentiall- harmful ancestral
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spirits (Kuwainai)+1# Initiates are ta ght to control (odily needs (y %astin* and to (eco6e %'lly c'lt'ral (ein*s (y reco*ni-in* and e9&eriencin* the 6'sic o% the sacred. ?hen Kuwais melodies are played, today as in the "eginning times, they are accompanied "y the so nds of whips slashing the "odies of the participants. In resistin* the &ain of the whips $not demonstrating pain thro gh crying or e!en flinching%, all life grows with %orce $A ickly% and strength. This is why the men play the fl tes and tr mpets d ring the time of the ripening of the forest(fr its, at the "ase of the fr it(trees K in order to make them grow in a" ndance, as food for the initiates and whoe!er is seeing Kuwai$H gh(-ones, /090, &. =aia, :EE ) H to!a, :E/3 %. Sacred So'nds and Growth The apert res, holes, in Kuwais "ody were externali#ed and materiali#ed after his sacrifice in the great fire..The sacred fl tes were then meas red and c t from the paxi "a tree) once the tree was "roken into pieces and fell to the gro nd, the 'reator fashioned them in s ch a way as to replicate the melodic so nds of the original Body of Kuwai. 4fter he finished prod cing all of the instr ments, the 'reator declared that they, the people can take these, and play them. @ollowing this, narrators may contin e "y telling how each of the phratry8s ancestral fl tes and tr mpets were "orn, emerging from the holes in the 5apids of .ipana, the 'enter of the ?orld. Gach emerged and was sent to li!e on a specific piece of ri!erfront land, as tho gh the One single so rce had m ltiplied in order to "e dispersed in m ltiple comm nities o!er a large geographical area.
Just as an unripe fruit is (ifficult to open %ecause its shell is still 4'et6, so the initiates ha)e to %e the right age for the opening of their s.in to occur+
1#

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The so nds of these fl tes and tr mpets penetrate and open p initiates8 "odies today making them grow into mat re, 7ripe8 ad lts. Kuwais thorax "ecame the great tr mpets that "ellow o t the -ag ar Bone song that opened p the world, making it expand like a "alloon to its present( day si#e. ?ith these so nds, there is physical growth. The so nds are always accompanied "y Kuwais whips, an integral part of the Body of Kuwai that, according to Hohodene elders, stim late growth and demonstrate resistance to the stinging pain./3 The shaman8s drawing "elow positions the apert res in Kuwais "ody in s ch a way as to indicate an order, on "oth sides of the "ody, of named fl tes and tr mpets $each stick or o"long shape representing a long fl te%. @rom the meanings attri" ted to each of the fl tes, we come to nderstand $/% what feat res or attri" tes of primordial ancestrality are considered central to Hohodene world!iew, $:% the meaning of the ancestral world and its powers which were transmitted to all f t re generations, $3% the Hohodene nderstanding of their 'reator8s reprod ction of their c lt ral memory. By reprod ction, I mean not merely "iological reprod ction, nor the physical "ody in the narrow sense which 5eichel(>olmatoff gi!es to the fl tes $/00S, /002%. @or, "esides their "eing parts of Kuwais primordial Body, the fl tes and tr mpets represent the nat re and A alities of the &erson, as nderstood c lt rally, of collecti!ities or the collecti!e Self
@n the rituals 'hen the sacre( flutes an( trumpets are pla-e(, the a(ult men an( 'omen 'hip each other often 'ith such force in their stro.es that the- lea)e re( 'elts on the %ac. or chest+ !hen it is an initiation ritual, the el(ers 'hip the initiates three times, then imme(iatel- step (o'n on the initiates$ feet 'hile stretching the initiates$ torsos %- lifting up their arms at their %ent el%o's+ 7his is to 4ma.e the initiates gro' Auic.l-6, the el(ers sa-+
10

$si"s and phratries%, and of collecti!e Others or 4lterity. 4ncestral powers of fertility, reprod ction and growth, co pled with the catastrophic powers of sickness and sorcery, are em"odied in the sacred fl tes and tr mpets. In This ?orld as a whole also, for, e!erywhere there are ancestral so ls $Kuwainai%, there will also "e spirits of enemies, sickness and sorcery. The idea of all that we call the nat ral world and anything 7non(Baniwa8 are im" ed with these seemingly paradoxical powers. Kuwai-ka Wamundana: By Parts ?hat I shall now do is demonstrate how each of the pairs of sacred fl tes and tr mpets refers to an attri" te of c lt ral &ersonhood, in "oth indi!id al and collecti!e senses of ancestrality, as well as attri" tes of 4lterity. The inter(relations of the parts are artic lated thro gh transformati!e processes of 8"ecoming Other8. This "ecoming Other is effected "y externali#ing and materiali#ing that which is internal and powerf l, or "y internali#ing powerf l meanings that are im" ed in materially external forms. Kuwais Body may "e di!ided into fo r parts< left and right sides, pper and lower parts. Internal and external parts of the Body constit te the linkages em"odied in Kuwai "etween collecti!e Self(identity of the phratry with attri" tes of 4lterity. ?e "egin with the left side where the following fig res $holes, ancestral fl tes% are sit ated< ;4 Maaliawa. The drawing "elow comes from a petroglyph which displays the "odies of : fl tes in the shape of : triangles connected together at their mo ths, with a pair of wings and stick shapes that are the appendages of the ?hite Heron, aali. The entire shape corresponds to
17

the "ody of the ancestral "eing

aaliawali, Fo ng ?hite Heron, which

corresponds to the first two fingers of Kuwais paw and is always the first pair of sacred fl tes that dance in the initiation rit al procession<

Maaliawali The name are named aaliawali recalls the primordial initiates of the story, for they aalinali-ienipe/ The first pair of long fl tes aaliawali mimics

the so nd of a rattle "eing shaken followed "y a high(pitched song of a white heron in flight Tsatsatsa,, Tseytsemtseytsem. <4 Waliadoa< a gro p of three long fl tes meaning Fo ng Sister. In the story, Waliad!a is the first da ghter initiated "y the first woman Amaru. 45oung Sister6 is the female partner of Maaliawa, correspon(ing to the ritual relations of kamaratakan, 4li.e a marriage6 the Hoho(ene sa-+ Bor, e)i(entl- the meaning of the first # pairs is relate( to the categor- of *marital relations$, concei)e( of as an exchange+ The "ody of Waliad!a is drawn in the petroglyphs at '0nipan $-and 5apids% where it is "elie!ed the first initiation rite took place, showing a complex form $@ig. %. The "ody of Waliad!a is sectioned in three parts, corresponding to 3 long fl tes, each of which is marked distincti!ely,

1"

perhaps corresponding to the parts of each material fl te< the first on the left is sectioned in 3, while on the right is in :, and the middle in Q parts. The head portions of each fl te comprise a single head with sockets for : eyes and : ears. The three ancestral fl tes of Waliad!a correspond to the th m", index finger, and middle finger of Kuwais left hand.. They sing a sad melody which consists of three distinct phrases) Eeeteytumdeeee Nupitamtamdeee Nupitamtamdee s ng in s ch a way as to eA ali#e or "alance the co pletK rising at the end of the first, and descending at the end of the second. The word nupita may signify I weep, I weep. I wai8s tears are said to "e the rains, the time for sched ling the initiation rites. It is said that, when Kuwai came into the world, he wept at his own grotesA e shape< with the teeth of a ;ag ar, with holes all o!er his "ody, consisting of m ltiple parts all somehow integrated into one "eing. He was ashamed $(pa#maka% and his father astonished at the strangeness of his "ody. His father sent him away to the forest and then to the sky. He $ Kuwai% 'as not 'ante( except %- his mother 'hom the men tric.e( into thin.ing that nothing ha( %een %orn except a stingraplacenta+ Kuwai %ecame an outsi(er %ecause of his (angerous po'ers, %ut the i(ea %ehin( the 3reator %ringing him into %eing 'as to %e a%le to transmit all the .no'le(ge he ha( a%out shamans, sorcer-, an( ho' the 'orl( is+

19

Waliadoa petro!lyph at E"nipan, I=ana River# >4 Mulitu the "ro*: The small fig re in the center of the petroglyphs at '0nipan $-and 5apids% is the frog ulitu, said to "e Kuwais penis, 'hich is the onl- flute pla-e( singl-+ 7he single toot 4 Muu mimics the song of the frog+ (see Hill, 1990, for a (iscussion of this flute an( correlation 'ith ecological c-cles)+ @t is sai( that this single short-flute respon(s to 'omens$ Auestions a%out the sex of their -et-to-%e-%orn %a%ies+

M$%&T$ $"ROG4 ?4 White Mon)ey+ 'alu and the Eenunai< 7he fourth song is of 4!hite Con.e-6, Halu (Cebus gracilis Spix) a pair of long flutes coinci(ing 'ith Kuwais arms+ 7he !hite Con.e- is

#>

one of se)eral tree-li)ing animals 'hose soun(s are parts of Kuwais %o(-+ 7he !hite Con.e-$s song is a high-pitche( 4 a wa wa wa wa wa wa wa follo'e( %- the lo' flute refrain 4tem tem! li.e a musical (ialogue %et'een the t'o flutes" 7here are se)eral other furr- tree animals that comprise the %o(- of Kuwai#ka amundana & 4$c%ic%i6(&cary! 'it%ecia (uakary) an( 4ipeku6(night mon.e-, or o'l mon.e-), %oth of 'hich are consi(ere( as )er- po'erful omens of impen(ing (eath+ @n one of the stories, the )*awikwapa 'as the original ancestor an( primar- chief of all the tree-li)ing animals " 7hese all %elonge( to (ifferent 4Houses6 of tri%es calle( collecti)el- the 4+enunai6 (+enu D s.-, thun(er)+ 7o(a-, the- exist no more as tri%es 'ith a single chief+ 7he- 'ere primor(ial sorcerers, among the 3reator$s principal enemies+ 7he Eight Con.e- ipeku especiall- is consi(ere( a (escen(ant of the D*awikwapa, a har%inger of (eath, an omen if the mon.e- appears at (us. singing in the trees or sitting on the groun( at the outs.irts of a )illage+ Kuwais animal a)atar (-ndana, *sha(o'$) is the 4Flac. Sloth6, amu! 'hich is the primal animal 4guar(ian of sorcer-6 (man%ene iminali)+ 7he furr- coats of the Flac. Sloth an( its *helper$, $c%itamali, the 4!hite Sloth6, are fille( 'ith poison, man%ene! 'hich came (irectl- from Kuwais fur as it %urne( in the ;reat Bire that 4.ille(6 Gi+e+, mar.e( the en( of,H Kuwais passage from 7his !orl(+ /s one el(erl-

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narrator an( Iaguar-shaman, Catteo, recounte(& Tchitamali th$dua is the mother of the chief of poison. Tchitamali is Kuwais pet $ ipira%. Uam is Kuwais pet $ipira%. In the story of awirikuli, linupa $the stench of the dead that "rings on sickness % "egan. In the end, awerikuli went to 7&aradise.8 The dead arises, is "ea tif l, for hisBher place, lid(akalekwa, in &aradise has already "een prepared , in the city of the dead. .is1her +!d# has +ec!me all White. Nhipirikuli wrapped p the manhene that he reco!ered in a leaf " ndle, and threw it on top of a range of hills in Hene# ela to keep it g arded. $@ieldnotes. =& (E/B:EE/% The 'enunai lost their o!erall primordial nity, after the 7death8 of one of their chiefs, With$feri, who li!ed inside a sie!e and was carried aro nd "y two land 7animal8(helpers, the anteater and the paca, a rodent. $see ill stration "elow% 4s the stories tell, the 'enunai and ,tchirinai $mostly gro nd animals s ch as Tapir, 4nteater%, and the Umawalinai $aA atic spirits which came into existence with the killing of the primordial 4naconda% were affines and enemies of the 'reator who constantly plotted to kill and eat him "y predatory sorcery. The 'reator o tsmarted them for the most part "y spying on them, preparing s perior traps, ndergoing transformations, and other artifices) " t they ca sed eno gh damage as to ha!e killed one of his yo nger "rothers, and almost killed off all of the 'reator8s people, forcing the 'reator to " rn the entire world and then flood it, which made the enemy spirits flee to the mo ntaintops and the deep, interior of the forest and ri!ers. >rawings prod ced "y shaman apprentices in :E/E, at my reA est, ill strate the
##

corporeal anomalies of many of these spirits, many of them "eing predators of h mans $see my *5L%. Others are harmless and often ser!e as a xiliaries to the shaman in his A est to retrie!e the so ls of the sick.

Big+ & 7he /nimal chief it%,-eri, 'ho 'as carrie( aroun( in a sie)e %- his t'o helpers the anteater an( the paca (Dra'ing %7hiago /guilar)

8) Jaguar Bone, )*auinaapa is the thorax of Kuwai, or ri%cage, iwarudali! the longest an( most po'erful of the

#0

trumpets

(botutos)

that

propitiate

transformation

in

'home)er or 'hate)er the Jaguar Fone song is inten(e( to change+ 7he song of the celestial Iaguar-shaman that Kuwai %ecomes, al'a-s consists of se)eral prolonge( %ass notes& .Heeeeee Heeeeeee. li.e the Iaguar+ These tr mpets are extremely secret and hidden, as they are the secret power of growth in the world. In the narrati!e and the drawing of Kuwai-ka-Wamundana reprod ced "elow, the : tr mpets are contrasted with the wasp so nd $ Aini%, prod ced "y play instr ments made "y the first children initiates, and which were considered to "e a false kuwai, nonsense. Kuwai himself contrasted these " ##ing wasp fl te imitations of the children with the tr ly powerf l so nd of -ag ar Bone that made the world grow and c lt re "e reprod ced. @4 !hratric Ancestors: Hohodene and Wali&ere8da)enai. 4mong the more powerf l pairs of tr mpets are the first ancestors of two ma;or phratries of the Baniwa peoples. One pair, Thuwiri, the ;ap "ird, is said to "e the Hohodene first ancestor) the other pair, whose name is almost a homonym $Thuwa% is the first animal ancestor of the ?alipere( dakenai phratry, whose name refers to a 7woodpecker8. These phratric "ird ancestral tr mpets are as prominent in the initiation rit al processions as the -ag ar Bone tr mpets, and may e!en take its place. Both are important parts of Kuwais "ody $the chest and leg%. /Q These two phratries ha!e maintained affinal $marital% relations since at least the /0th 'ent ry as oral traditions relate $?right, :EES%. In Hohodene
;on:ale:-Eane: (pers+ comm+ #>11) has con(icte( research on an islan( name( Tuwimirrin 'here there are also important sacre( petrogl-phs+ Fesi(es photos of $uwimirrin, there is a stu(- %ase( on ;on:ale:-Eane:$ research along the ;uainia %ut 'hich 'as signe( %the 3olom%ian anthropologist Brancisco <rti: +
11

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drawings of the cosmos $in ?right, /009, :E/3%, the ancestral deities who raised the : phratries8 ancestors o t of the emergence hole at .ipana were related as 7"rothers8. In the historical relations of the two phratries, after a long period of warfare which led to near(extinction, they came to "e nited thro gh marriage, trade and alliance. 4ffinal relations, howe!er, are marked "y competition, treachery, and d plicity, nlike agnatic si"ling relations or kin of common descent) sorcery "y poisoning is a formida"le characteristic of affinal relations, setting them apart in spite of the agnatic ancestrality that ideally "rings them together. Since the drawing disc ssed in this article was informed "y an Hohodene shaman8s point of !iew, se!eral instr ments shown are directly related to Hohodene identity more than to any other phratry. Gach phratry in Baniwa society consists of a n m"er of si"s, that is, a gro p of comm nities who consider themsel!es to "e agnatic si"lings, descendants of the same primordial and the same historical ancestor, whether they can act ally trace descent or not. In the case of the Hohodene phratry, there are fi!e si"( ancestors represented in the drawing< ( Aini, the ?asp, ancestor of the .ipatanene si") ami, ?ild 'hicken) ( 2u+ule, a sentinel "ird, which represents Kuwais kneecap, ancestor of the Hohodene) ( Atine, the ;acamim, a gro nd "ird. ( The D(athe $to can% tr mpet, Kuwais thigh, is said to "e the "ird ancestor of the &iapoco peoples who today li!e in Hene# ela " t were, a long time ago, co(residents of the 4iary 5i!er with the Hohodene.$see Hidal, /091% 4gain, history is em"odied in the ancestral fl tes and tr mpets. >espite historical dislocations and migrations, ancestral connections
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contin e to "e em"odied in the c lt ral memory Kuwai represents.. The category of 7"ird(ancestors8 is not exha sted "y social historical connections, howe!er, for two other pairs of fl tes refer to shamanic "ird a xiliaries, the Kawawiri and the ,d(adapa hawks, "oth of which ha!e an important place as sentinels in the Hohodene drawings of the *ni!erse $see @ig. %. One might s ggest that these shamanic a xiliary "ird ancestors occ py an important place as the principal opponents of the primordial monkey species 'enunaiK the 3hichi and the ,peku 4who were constantly seeking to destroy the 'reator. They are the 'reator8s sorcerer enemies, kept in check "y the shamanic hawks which craftily o!ercome the monkeys "y trickery. The conflicting relations of shamans !s sorcerers is indeed a f ndamental part of Hohodene primordial history, as it is of recent history of the disp tes "etween kin and affines. Two other categories of animal a!atars are present in the collection of ancestors< the ancestral fish and land animals. One large fish em"odied in the tr mpets is ,niri, the traira, an enemy of the 'reator, which cons med the 'reator8s yo nger "rother. Before "eing de!o red, the yo nger "rother prepared to defend himself with !ario s shamanic items, sing these as he sat inside the serpent8s "elly ntil reaching the mo th of the ri!er where, with the help of the "irds, they killed and opened the "elly of the serpent. The man, practically dead from the poison of the fish, made a long ret rn ;o rney home d ring which, with the remedies of the "ee(spirits $called Kuwain#ai% and nectar of the fr its, he was a"le to re!i!e, exchanging his life for another. Here, the fish ancestor is a predator of h mans " t was defeated, and pieces of his "ody "ecame a wide !ariety of aA atic animals $t rtles, !ario s kinds of fish%. This story is the "asis for a !ery powerf l shamanic chant to "ring "ack the heartBso ls of those who
#

ha!e s ffered some terri"le accident and are nconscio s. Sometimes the chant is sed as a defense against the ?hite =an8s sicknesses $Hill, :E/3%. 4nother chant, considered more powerf l and secret, acts against the sicknesses coming from the original female ancestress, mother of Kuwai, who, after the women lost their power o!er the sacred fl tes, was sent "y the 'reator on mission to the o tside world where she married and "ecame =other of the ?hites. Historical conscio sness is deeply em"edded in these shamanic chants which work to keep pdated the ancient forms. Kuwais (ody+ in short+ in life consisted of a m ltit de of specific ani6al+ (ird+ and %ish avatars, whose namesakes the fl tes and tr mpets "ear today, altogether as one collecti!e "eing. 4t critical moments in the narrati!e, Kuwais (ody manifests itself as distinct animals or different forms of others< the ?hite =an, The demonic ,n#aime , the "ig("ellied g ari"a monkey $known for its appetite for certain kinds of tree(fr its and n ts%. Body Adorn6ents: Bird "eathers+ Girls3 Hair+ Ani6al "'r+ "ish Scales. *nfort nately, space limitations pre!ent s from disc ssing in detail two other aspects of Kuwais "eing that merit attention< the adornments attached to each fl te or tr mpet that identify the instr ment with distincti!e maka, 7skin co!ering8 in the forms of the f r, feathers, or fish scales of the ancestral entity. 4dornments complete their personhood) while each is distincti!e, all ne!ertheless share in the essence and powers of their niA e so rce. The coloration, text re, or other o tstanding characteristics of these adornments are the "asis for their 7spirit(names8. $see Hill /003) ?right, /003(Q% akkim is the concept of the external layer of the Body that is Dlike
#7

a shirtD the Hohodene said. Ornaments then are spirit(co!erings deri!ed from different so rces< carai r $red !egetal dye, "ody paint%, feather crowns $the owl(feather crown, pupuli(pe, is or was sed in f neral rit als%. These spirit(names are in!oked "y the elder chanters at the pepper "lessing, the most significant phases of the initiation rite.

0onnections to Sacred Geo*ra&hy The second important aspect mentioned only in passing here is the connections of the sacred fl tes and tr mpets with places, sacred spaces in the mythscape $?right, :E/3% of Kuwai. Glsewhere, I ha!e shown how specific geographical feat res $e.g., a hill, ca!e, or ri!er"ed% are poetically in!oked with metaphoric references to the Body of Kuwai. $/003BQ% The chants s ng at the pepper "lessing d ring initiation re(mem"er the Body which is spread o t o!er an enormo s territory in the 6orthwest 4ma#on, corresponding to the area of northern 4rawak(lang age speakers. @ rthermore, key places mentioned in the narrati!e of Kuwai are generally sites with n mero s, extraordinary petroglyphs, the placement of "o lders which m st not "e dist r"ed, and other feat res of the ecology that re(mem"er the details of the story. Gach 7sacred site8 is 7"lessed8 "y chanters to protect newly initiated ad lts from any potential sickness or harm associated with that place. 4ncestral fl tes "elonging to specific si"s are kept hidden in a stream near the !illage site $often a site of historical settlements "y the ancestors%. This confirms the indeli"le link "etween the Body of Kuwai and a notion of ancestral territory that the phratry m st g ard against any o tside intr sions.

#"

0oncl'sion 4fter the entire process of reprod cing his son8s Body is complete, the 'reator then declares, people +meaning the new generations, can take these, Uand play them. In other words, the key notion of the contin ity of Kuwais "ody is made a concrete, material reality. The makers of the Body, satisfied with their work, entr st the res lt to f t re generations $ walimanai% to care for, remem"er in rites, and teach to new generations ntil the end of time. In this interpretation of I wai8s Body, we ha!e "ro ght to light n mero s key meanings "ased entirely on exegeses the elders made to explain the ancestral power em"odied in the heartBso l of the S n @ather, 'reator of Baniwa society. ?e may s mmari#e these as follows, "earing in mind that the same icon or entity may ha!e do "le(meanings< /. Sicknesses, Sorcery, and 5emedies< sorcerer animals !s shamanic "ird sentinels) paradoxical d plicity of shamanic power and knowledge) :. Nrowth, @ertility, 5esistance to &ain< the ?hips teach resistance) one or more tr mpets are transformati!e agents of growth and reprod ction) 3. 4gnatic si"ling ties, transmission of !al es "etween 4ncestors and >escendants) "ird ancestral fl tes and tr mpets incl de all si"(mem"ers of a phratry) Q. Sacred Body and 6otions of Territory, place(marking) ancestral instr ments connect sacred fl te "odies of ancestors with act al territory, or part of ri!erfront lands) S. Gxogamy, historical relations of alliance "etween phratries) opposed "y the treachery of affinal 7other peoples8) 2. Other("ecoming< transformations occ r "y internali#ing the Other, externali#ing the Self)
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1. ' lt ral =emory and Social History< ancestral instr ments sym"oli#e historically(formed relations of marriage and political alliances) 9. 5eplica"ility of 4ncestral Identity, the 7heartBso l8 of the S n @ather, a key to the meaning of Kuwais life. 0. 'ategories of &erson, Si", &hratry, and 7&eople8 are intertwined with categories of "irds, tree(animals, land animals, fish, and those in( "etween species that are com"ined $e.g., openBclosed feat res%. Kuwai is the totality of these categories, a "asis for his secrecy, nwillingness to show himself in p "lic, and highly dangero s A alities.

@ig re /< The Body of Kuwai-ka Wamundana

From: Omar Gonzalez-Nanez, 2007, p. .

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
0>

@ig. :< 4 thor8s 'omposition of the Nreat Spirits and >eities of the Baniwa 'osmos. The drawings were made on separate sheets of paper "y a ;ag ar shaman8s apprentice. Beginning from lower left to lower right, pper right, pper left, and in("etween, these are< D(uliferi, the Spirit of shamanic &ower) Nhiaperikuli, the 'reator at his island home of Warukwa $Ig. *arana%) Kuwai-ka-Wamundana, the great spirit g ardian of sorcery and the ancestral powers) Amaru, the @irst ?oman, whose spirit today li!es at the edge of the world) three of the forest spirits< Long 4rm) the chief of the animals) the half(f rryBhalf(smooth(skinned deer%) and the Spirit of >eath, awerikuli, the first person to die at the hands of the tree(li!ing 'enunai.
01

@ig. 3< The Other ?orld that the pa;.s see in their so l ;o rneys. 4"o!e the h man !illage are the great Spirit of &ower D(uliferi and his three a xiliaries the ;ag ar( shaman( spirit( others, D(aui malin#ai. (((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

0#

Big+ 1& (etail of Kuwais heart?soul an( na)el, 'ith sic.nessgi)ing spirits an( (arts an( 'oo(en pieces stuc. in the heart (ikaale); the na)el is associate( 'ith the 4%lee(ing sic.ness6 J 'hen the um%ilical cor( %ecomes infecte( an( s'ollen 'ith %loo(+

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

00

Right Side of Kuwais Body:

01

9eft Si(e of =u'ai

08

@ig. S< &etroglyph at .ipana< a "ody f ll of holes, a head(shape with two eyeholes, whip, and long tail.

@ig. 2 < &etroglyph at 'nukwa, rapids immediately "elow .ipana, showing the framework of the "ody of Kuwai, with two sym"ols of the so nds emitted from his "ody.

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Chaumeil, Jean-Pierre & Hill, J.D. 2011. Burs -!"-Brea h# Omaha$ %ni&ersi ' !" (e)ras*a Press. G!l+man, Ir&in,. 200-.Cubeo Hehenewa Religious Thought. Metaphysics of a Northwest Amazonian People. (.Y. C!lum)ia %ni&ersi ' G!n.ale. /01e., Omar. 2010. Pe r!,l'2hs !" %22er Ri! (e,r!-Guainia an+ Casi3uiare Basin an+ he 4ai2uran-Ara5a*an Reli,i!ns. ! 7!n,ress8.

%n2u)lishe+ ms. 62a2er 2resen e+

G!n.ale.-/01e.,Omar.2009. Las li era uras in+i,enas mai2ureara5a*as +e l!s 2ue)l!s *urri2a*!, 5are*ena ' )ani&a +el es a+! Ama.!nas. :un+a7i;n e+i !rial el 2err! ' la rana. Cara7as. Hill, J!na han D. 200<. 4a+e-"r!m-B!ne. %r)ana$ %ni&ersi ' !" Illin!is Press. Hill, J!na han D. 1<<=. >ee2ers !" he ?a7re+ Chan s$ @he P!e i7s !"

Ri ual P!5er in an Ama.!nian ?!7ie '. @u7s!n$ %ni&ersi ' !" Ari.!na Press. Hu,h-J!nes, ? e2hen, 1<A<. @he Palm an+ he Pleia+es. Cam)ri+,e$C%P.

J!urne , (i7!las. 1<<B. La PaiC +es Jar+ins. ? ru7 ures ?!7iales +es In+iens Curri2a7! +u Hau Ri! (e,r! 6C!l!m)ie8. Paris$ Ins i u

+D E hn!l!,ie, 4usFe +e lDH!mme. 4aia, Paul!. 200<. Dese3uili)ran+! ! 7!n&en7i!nal$ es F i7a e ri ual 7!m !s BarF +! Al ! ri! (e,r!. D!7 !ral Pi ar7h, Pe+r!. 2010. @he Ja,uar an+ hesis. PPGA?G4(GRJ.

he Pries . An E hn!,ra2h' !" Aus in.

@.el al ?!uls. %ni&ersi ' !" @eCas a

Ra""!, 4anuel R!mer!. 200=. 4ali*ai. El Can ! +el 4alirri. B!,! a$ :un+a7i!n Para ure. Rei7hel-D!lma !"", G. 1<<H. Yuru2ari$ ? u+ies !" an Ama.!nian :!un+a i!n 4' h. Har&ar+ %ni&ersi ' Press, Cam)ri+,e 4A. Rei7hel-D!lma !"", G. 1<AB. @a2ir a&!i+an7e in he C!l!m)ian (!r h5es Ama.!n. In$ Animal 4' hs an+ 4e a2h!rs in ?!u h Ameri7a, G. %r !n, !r,. ?al La*e Ci '$ %ni&ersi ' !" % ah Press, 2. 109--=. Iu !&a, 4aria. 2011. J Cuer2!s en"erm!s, 7uer2!s human!s. La en"erme+a+ 7!m! ne7esi+a+ en re l!s ara5a* +el RK! A a)! en el Ama.!nas &ene.!lan! L, Nuevo Mun o Mun os Nuevos MEn lKneaN, De)a es, Pues ! en lKnea el =1 mar.! 2011, 7!nsul a+! el 2A ma'! 201=. %RL $ h 2$GGnue&!mun+!.re&ues.!r,GH122- O DOI $ 10.-000Gnue&!mun+!. Pri,h , R!)in 4. 201=. Mysteries of the !aguar "hamans of the Northwest amazon. %ni&ersi ' !" (e)ras*a Press.Lin7!ln. Pri,h , R!)in 4. 200B. Historia #n igena e o #n igenismo no Noroeste amazonico. Cam2inas$ 4er7a+! +e Le ras.