About seven years ago I took up the post of Stipendiary Magistrate, Medical Officer, and Protector of Indians in this mosquito-ridden district of the Pomeroon, and determined to devote all my leisure — and there has been plenty of it — to an ethnographic study of the natives originated in British Guiana, somewhat on the lines I had already followed in the case of Xorth Queensland. In the course of my ethnographic work I collected sufficient material in the form of myth, legend and fable to warrant the publication of a separate volume on animism and folklore, and therefore the following pages have come to be written.
WORKS OF REFERENCE
AN INQUIRY IXTO THE ANIMISM AND FOLK-LORE OF THE GUIANA INDIANS
NO EVIDENCE OF BELIEF IX A SUPREME BEING
Wallace (348), too, says that the IncUans of Ajnazon seem to have no definite idea of a God. The Sun as the Supreme Being and First Cause; it was to him that they attributed the j^rows of the earth, few orcope rams and.
BOTH] KO EVIDENCE OF BELIEF IN A SUPREME BEING 119
TRIBAL HEROES
With regard to Koroiomanna, or Kururumanni, the same remarks concerning his tribal origin applj" as in the case of Haburi
When I tapped a tree before, it never made such a noise." However, just to make sure, he hit the tree hard again and Boom. 34; and when I'm dead, he too will come and look for me ". It was snow of the frightened Snake, for Chicken-Hawk always used to get the best of him;.
BOTH] HEROES 129
34;Does he not,' he added, 'come and drink the liquid from the cassiriar and be stuck in the mess?' —W.E. Shoot in the air.” Said the companion of dida.shewa.and so spretenwa.-^with the bow the arrow pierced the fish.
ROTH] HEROES 133 and anxiety, forgot all about the injunction, and picking out a louse, placed it, as is
Amalivaca (Sect. 8), venerated by the Caribs and more
Amalivaca had daughters who loved to move about, so he broke their legs to make them sedentary and forced them into the land of the Tamanaks. His house, consisting of a few blocks of stone piled one upon the other, forming a sort of hollow, may still be seen on the plains of Malta, and near it is a large stone, which the Indians say was "the instrument of music, the drum of AmaUvaca." .
TRACES OF SPIRIT, IDOL, AND FETISH CULT
Among their western tribesmen a religious rite performed by some of the Orinoco tribes "was that of dancing to the sound of very
Says these sound in honor of Ko-ai, thesonofYaperi'kuli, tribal Hero; that the feast in wltich they are used is held at the time of ripening of the fruit of the manicola {Euterpe oleracea) . and return iCEnocarpus hacaha); which in the same case has. Elsewhere (KG, i, 314-316) he speaks of dancing as having magical powers; it can ward off diseases and even heal large wounds.
ROTH] TRACES OP SPIRIT, IDOL, AND FETISH CULT 139
- Beyond the mention of certain snake dances. I can find nothing akin to actual worshi]) and sinoilur ceremonies in connection with
- South of theGuianas, there is the evidence of Acuna (92) from the Amazons, in 1639
- Outside of the Guianas to the westward, among the Carijonas of the upper Yapura, Crevaux (361) speaks of a bench with rough
- In those cases where man, as such, put in Ms fu'st appearance on
Between the Monikos and the Sokorikos, branches of the Caribraces inhabiting the districts on either side of the Cotinga, "a very conspicuous feature in all their houses." In the south, Acuna (142) mentions Capunas and Zurinas on the southern side of Ama-.
KOTH] CREATION OF MAN, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS 143
The Yahuna Indians of the Apaporis River have a beUef in certain pahn trees having been derived from the ashes of a human
My mother told me to bring her the head, so I have to save it for her. Holding the head up by its beautiful long hair, he carried it away. Now the nurses, who had been watching him all night, looked closely at where he was wearing it. They saw him carry it far into the bushes, where he disappeared with it into a hollow tree, which was noted by those who followed him.
BOTH] CREATION OF MAN, PLANTS, AND ANIMALS 147
Above is the tradition, ahiios word for word, as told to me by an old carib, but there was no explanation of the origin of the tree. Due to the perceived evil of the people in one case and the malice of howler monkeys in the other, the water is loose.
THE BODY .VXD ITS ASSOCIATED SPIRITS
Other phases of this idea of an immortal body are met with
34; That is very well,' added the girl, 'but you will handle and knock.'' And so they went on, the father running along the ground below, the mother and child leaping from the highest branch of the tree.
BOTH] THE BODY AND ITS ASSOCIATED SPIEITS 151 wind to blow so strongly that it caused the opposite shore to come close over to the
Some of the Indians (e.g. the Otomacs) apparently held the view that after death the body or skeleton itself turned to stone, returning to the material some of them believed. Koch-Grimbei-g (n, 153) makes the interesting suggestion that certain procedures connected with some of the death feasts point to a belief in the bones.
BOTH] THE BODY AND ITS ASSOCIATED SPIRITS 155 would be mortally offended, and would say, "You can cross me only
At the burial of a Makusi woman at Nappi, upper Essequibo
Haven't you had enough cassava?" is one of the expressions that the Island Caribbean women addressed to the corpse (BBR, 2.52). In the far western Guianas the purpose of the Maskedans is to propitiate the spirits of the dead, so that he .
BOTH] THE BODY AXD ITS ASSOCIATED SPIRITS 157 At tlie burial of a male Makusi at Pirari, not only the dead man's
Future j)rovision may be made for the deceased by burying with hun his dog, liis women, or his slaves, some food, his hunting
Yet in the flesh and bones of the deceased there were stored certain qualities, things, spirits, etc., which could be separated by means of mges, and transmitted to the living. There is abundant evidence among these Guiana Indians of a belief in the transmission of individual (anunal or human) qualities through this agency (Sects 250,280).
BOTH] THE BODY AND ITS ASSOCIATED SPIRITS 159 than that of an every-day gift or ordinary ornament. The Island
With regard to the abandonment by the Indians of the locahty where death has taken place, notlung can conquer their fear lest the
160 ANIMISM AKD FOLK-LORE OF GUIANA INDIANS [bth.ANN.30 fellow, the Tiger-medicine-man who guards the corpse, but the spirits of the distinguished dead may be visited by "doctors," by the general crowd, and by animals for the special purpose with consultation (Cr, 298). Mitile seems that certain of the incuans hold advanced views respecting the immortality of the particular spirit upon its.
Mitile certain of the IncUans appear to hold advanced views respecting the immortaUty of that particular spirit wliich, on its
BOTH] THE BODY AND ITS ASSOCIATED SPIKITS 161
Cortam Vonozuelan Indians bohcvod that the spirit retu'es to certain lakes and is swallowed by monstrous serpents, which trans-
In a sense this opinion is strengthened by a study of the Orinoco Indians, whose original beliefs have been preserved by the careful research of Father Giunilla, one of the very first missionaries to labor among them. In fact, the above-mentioned misconception of the Indian's position is an excellent illustration of the error in which he finds himself.
BOTH] THE BODY AND ITS ASSOCIATED SPIRITS 163
Warraus and Vi'awaks, this is expressed by male or female, in protruding the tip of the tongue between the loosely closed lips. The purpose of this blowing is explained by Schomburgk (ScR, ii, 254) on the principle that both the Indians and the Orientals regard the breath as an expression of the innermost spiritual and mental power. A much more satisfying explanation. however, seems to lie in the fact that the blowing is for driving. to remove an attached evil spirit, etc., which is indeed the power of a view only strengthened by the particular circumstances above referred to under which it is practised, namely illness or the want of sufficient protective influences.
DREAMS; IDIOCY
From Mainland Caribs, those on tlic Pomeroon and Moruca
Wliile Coudreau (ii, 198) seems emphatic m liis remark con- cerning the ITau]>es River Indians, tliat tiiey have tlie correct idea
It is true that fools are regarded as "odd," and that they will often do with impunity and success many deeds which men in their right senses would not even attempt. Warribisi has been here with me all the time." On another occasion Wabassi joined some friends and relatives on an expedition: they came across a herd of pigs and Wabassi shot one.
FAMILIAR SPIRITS
The cult of the FamiUar Spirit would appear to have reached a high stage of development among the island tribes; at any rate, it
34;They have asked me," says Father de la Boi-de, "sometimes to drink of it, and I have done it just to try to change their superstitious ideas, one of which is to drink of this oiiicou before they eat. , or you die, and on purpose I ate fii'st before I drank; another. These Famihar spirits also enter the bodies of women and speak through them (loc. cit.).
The Island Arawak also had a behef in certain supernatural beings or spirits, and possessed effigies of them ; both the si)irit and
They say that the spirit of the dead speaks through them and warns them of the plans of their enemies" (BBR, 236). Chemin from the island, women owned by the Caribs, who, for very understandable reasons, spoke an Arakan dialect .
THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH
BOTH] THE SPIKITS OF THE BUSH 171 shown the probability of its identity with the Shadow Spirit (Sect
BOTH showed the likelihood of his identity with the Shadow Spirit (Sec.), which I have not yet been able to identify. Another peculiarity they possess is the extraordinary prominence of the eyebrows (supra-orbital region), which prevents them from looking at the sky except when standing on their heads (Section 22).
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 175 (Caprimulgus) . These physical attributes of some particuhir creature
Of course, in the case of BushSpirits, which are zoomorphic, the sounds they make end up being the nature of the particular animal whose form they have taken. Some of the forest spirits came from the bodies of ancient healers: the celebrant of today summons them with his rattle (Sect. 309).
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 179
It was a pity to let it spoil." But thewatcher warned them not to touch the drink because he had stayed awake in the night and watched Hebusipping. We will not cat what does not belong to us. and all, except two, they got good food.
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 185
Not long after, the father and mother came home, and when they saw the dried powi, they exclaimed, "Hello! How did you do?" The girls lied and said, "We came across another hawk who had caught it and we took it from him." Just in the meantime the powirs were being cooked and eaten, and as the old father chewed the portion he had just plucked from the pot, he came upon a piece of the arrow. She said, "Yes, very much." And thus it came to pass that Hebuen got his wife and took care to take Euphisabo to her father's place.
BOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 187
1 We are blessed with the corresponding weakness in believing that the best case for good ghost-stories is on the fireside, and that there is truth in old age, "Speak of the Devil and Heisureth will appear." It will be some time before I can return.” All this was strange, however, a cryptic excuse which was considered safe to leave.
HOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 197
130A. It is suggested that this chapter be added to a collection of legends dealing with the many hoasts and birds encountered in the forest, interesting as they are all presented as 'thinking, talking'. and act as conscious people do. And when Simo asked the old man about her the next morning, he told him that he desired her, and when the girl consented, he was received as a son-in-law.
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 201
The mother was only too glad to be temporarily relieved of her responsibilities, and when the old woman asked her to hand over the child, she willingly did so, and was thus enabled to finish all the cooking without further interruption make. If I knew where they were, then I could find my parents." Recognizing the force of her argument, he told her that they lived in such and such a direction, that it wasn't far, and immediately after .
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 203
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 205
He jumps onto the trunk above the "pimples" and crawls up it, and from there onto one of the fruit bunches. This trick consisted of him hanging on the branch with his forelegs and hitting the trunk with his tail, to imitate the sound of the hatchet.
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 207
The lady was a wise old woman because her motherly instinct told her that her daughter-in-law was not "a real person." but there was something strange and creepy about her. The man followed the line and came to a path, where the bird met him again and said, 'Follow the path.' Themandidso, and came home.
BOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 211
Now his two brothers-in-law, knowing full well how poor a hunter he was and where they had sent him, were not for a moment as great as they had last seen him. When he arrived there, the old father-in-law gave him another daughter, so that he now had two wives, the brothers-in-law built him a larger house, and he was henceforth recognized as Ai-ja'mo [i.
BOTH) THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 215
Theliorrildesound approaches, . and he knew now that it was the voice of Tobe-horoanna, the black-skinned Tiger. “I have to get out of here,” he said, and with that he fell into the water and hid under a tree root along the creek bank. When he returned, there was not a single person in sight: all he saw was blood everywhere and scattered beads of necklaces, bracelets, and garters, but no bodies anywhere. kill him as payment for my friends.”
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 217
His two sons would have met the same fate if they had remained, but they succeeded in making their escape and reached the safety of the house. So it happened that Bamu remained on that side, gave birth to children and was separated from him.
EOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 219
The old man told the crew to shoot arrows into this blue water; where an arrow sank, danger lurked; where one hovered, the Corial could pass. My mother cooked, they gave all the... asitors, starting with the old man, a gourd full of hot water to drink, so that they all vomited.
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 221
'Do not.' he said, "everyone get into that boat, because if you do, even without touching the paddle, you will be taken away immediately and we will never see you again." They all heeded it, except one man, and went to sleep. The US has a race and is proving it." So they agreed to run to a certain place, along a certain path, and whoever got there first would be admitted as the faster.
BOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 225
But the knife was blunt and the old woman's hand was weak, causing her to barely scratch her skin at first. On further questioning, they told him exactly when he would find a sleeping cow, and advised him that the best and quickest way was to get the\-er [manum cumcultro inanoinserere atque exscindere], and the foolish old fool believed them.
BOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE BUSH 227
Miile the girls were working in the field, the bird flew to the banab, saw a pitcher of drink there, and the three whips hung themselves and reported accordingly. The brothers came, poured themselves to refresh themselves with its contents, began to sing, and then proceeded to the banab.
BOTH] THE SPIBITS OF THE BUSH 229
From the fact that the sUk cotton tree is credited with the power to move within a circuit (Sex. At midnight the Arawak Indians hear the chants of the medicine-man emanating from the tree (ibid.).
THE SPIRITS OF THE MOUNTAIN
The Indians told us that these were the tracks that the Great Spirit. left behind when he took his de])arture along this road from the middle. The gushing streams that flow so suddenly from the heights of Roraima are nothing but the sad tears of Mother Pia and Makonaima – who was left behind on the top of this mountain.
THE KAIETEUR FALL
BOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE MOUNTAIN 237
Schomburgk's Geological Specimens: "One of the Indian carriers said he had lost my geological specimens: my brother had previously warned me about it—the Indian thinks it is something bad, and wants. that.
BOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE MOUNTAIN 239 served a huge artificial mound of earth and small stones, wliich the
THE SPIRITS OF THE WATER
Then the country of the Amazon has the mai d'agoa — the Mother or Spirit of Watsr — in . form of water said to be many tens of cubits long, a monster no doubt suggested by the occasional appearance of the anaconda {Eunectes murinus), which assumes a variety of forms (HWB, 236). One of the many mysterious stories told about the Bouton, as the great Amazon dolphin is called, "was that a Bouto used to take the form of a beautiful woman, with hair hanging down to her heels. and walking on the shore at night in the streets of Egato he draws the young men to the water.
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE WATER 243
A lot of men would go fishing along the river, but every now and then one of them would disappear: a Ho-aranni, one of the water spirits, would catch him. Friends of mine regularly go fishing, and just as regularly one of them disappears." Traveling to the specific spot where the so-called 'accident' always took place, he himself was caught and taken away by Ho-aranni.
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE WATER 245
Out on one of the sideboards, all the men, women and children were knocked down with siclaiess. Each nlglit, in their anthropomorphic form, both males and females may come after Indians of the opposite sex, respectively, and no disastrous result follows the presence.' But the Indians who happen to have stiff trade must keep this fact completely secret: if they are discovered, they will either not live long, or else.
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE WATER 247
After a while the corial suddenly stopped, our friend jumped out and his friends left him standing in the water where the girl held him upright. I am sending my two daughters with you.” And so it came to pass that the maidens carried him to his own landing, and when they came near they told him to close his eyes.
ROTH] THE SPIEITS OF THE WATER 249
How sickness and death came into the world (W)' A fishing man, and wished to leave the Water People, Hoardni. After a few days, the widower returned to his usual fishing spot, wishing he could see his wife again, but not being able to see her anywhere, became upset and threw himself into the water, sunk at the same point in the previous case.
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE WATER 251
252 ANIMISM AND FOLKLORE OF THE GUIANA INDIANS II; the old woman said, "Well, you must not go away again, for I have not been out starving. I cannot depend on your little brother to support me. And you know I have no other children." But the man doubted, and went back every afternoon to his Water Spirit wife, and on this occasion he remained with her even longer than he had done before.
BOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE WATER 253
THE SPIRITS OF THE SKY
Compared to the Indian trilliums of the Orinoco, Gumilla has left some very interesting records of the lunar eclipse. But until the next eclipse, there is no more field work in favor of the Moon.
ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE SKY. 259
Racimion was one of the first Caribs made by Louqiio; he was transformed into a great serpent with the head of one. The Arawaks speak of the rainbow as Yawani (Dldelphys sp.), the reddish ''color of its coat bearing a supposed resemblance to the color of the bow.
BOTH] THE SPIEITS OF THE SKV. 269
When the man claimed the animal, which he had not raised, as his own, the wife realized that something unusual was happening (section 136). While he was eating the beet fruit of the Mauritius palm, the elder brother heard it whistle: heknewtliistobethe signorto that it was dying (Sect. 139).
BOTH] OMENS, CHARMS, TALISMANS 273
Its nocturnal habits, the rapidity and peculiarity of its flight, and its note, which breaks the silence of the night, have doubtless contributed to the fear which the Indians and Creoles have of the Wacaraior SumpyBird [ScT, 67]. 34; We arrived at the forest where we proposed camping, we heard the notes of a bird that I have reason to be like some kind of owl.
BOTH] OMEXS, CHAKAIS, TALISMANS 275 and elsewhere, probably from their custom, when in large numbers,
But the caretaker took out his bow and an arrow, the latter tipped with a wax button, with which he shot one of them on the torso and stunned him.i The other bat, fleeing into the forest, met Boku-boku, who had just returned from his travels, and to whom he related the circumstances of his brother. sunny death. The 'exercising' of the limbs at each new moon can perhaps be seen in the light of a preliminary trial (paragraph 199).
ROTH J OMENS, CHARMS, TALISMANS 279
Although the inconvenience and suffering caused by certain of the above procedures may at first appear to constitute a kind of sacrifice or. But it is certainly difficult to understand how the artificial flattening of children's foreheads by the Carib Island mothers can be endorsed in the belief that it helps the victims for years to come.
ROTH] OMENS, CHASMS, TALISMANS 281
Thus the bina bush has a leaf easily recognized by the small secondary leaf on the lower surface, which represents the animal's scent gland, although some Indians say it points to the tip of the nostril. The hunter uses the partikuhir plant by taking a young, not yet cleaned shoot and coarsely dusting it. flask, or rubs it into paint, with which he smears his face and body, especially all the major joints; or, on the other hand, he may use only the leaf, which he rubs on his arrow, his fish-hook, the barrel of his gun, or his dog. (des Tierbes enchanteresses) were supposed to be hung on trees.
LAP, II, 221)
The method sometimes used by the Zfiparo Indians of the Napo River (upper Amazon). Again, the same woman may use another plant, not a caladimn, called the kurua-bina, apparently a Rajania of the Yam.
ROTH] OMEXS, CHARMS, TALISMANS 287
On the upper Amazons the native women, even the white and half-breed inhabitants of the towns, attach a superstitious value to the skin and feathers of the papa-uira, supposing that the wall of relics has the effect of creating for the fortunate possessors a group attracts lovers and lovers. followers. So far as the pursuit is concerned, the provisions mentioned in Section 843 may quite fairly be regarded as a talisman.
BOTH] OMENS, CHAKMS, TALISMANS 289 De Goeje states also that when making a purchase, the buyer will
For example, among the Makusis of the Rupunini, mothers ceremonially rub red (aromatic) paint on the heads of their children, who must then be protected from Ulness and the power of evil spirits (ScR, i, 366). Humboldt found them among the Indians of the Rio Negi'o, where they are worn as amulets around the neck to protect against fever.
ROTH] OMENS, CHAEMS, TALISMANS 291
RESTRICTIONS ON GAME AND FOOD, VISION, ARTS AND CRAFTS, NOMENCLATURE (TABOOS)
BOTH] BESTKICTIONS 293
Food may be restricted or taboo only in special circumstances, as in an eclipse of the moon (Sec. 200). Among the Makusi, while the natural colors of the feathers are being artificially changed by the owner.
ROTH] RESTRICTIONS 297 349. Unlike what might have been expected from a consideration
At the first sight of the .Vrissaro HiUs, the Essequibo River, the Caribee Indians, who had never ascended far from the rivers, had to undergo the primordial sight, which consisted in squeezing tobacco juice into their eyes (ScG, 229 ). So again, on the Twasinkie or Coomootie mountains, much superstition, as usual, attached itself to them, and those who had never seen them before were obliged to drink lemon-juice and have tobacco-water squeezed into their eyes. them to avoid the Evil Spirit (ScG, 231).
BOTH] RESTRICTIONS 299 our Caribs, took some tobacco, and dipping it into the water, leaned
