his gardens, gather the \ illage ehildren, and then brush eaeh ehild 

 with the painful plant to instill in them his own ahilit_\ to work 

 hard. 



TIk^ Waorani also use tliis plant to rehe\e fainting and all pain, 

 inehiding that from aehing museles. arthritis, pulled museles, 

 snakebite, stingray and stings o\^ the eonga, a/teea and fire ants. 



1 lie roots of L ^rcra haccijcra are said in the Colombian 

 Amazon tt^ ha\e antihemorrhagie properties, and an inlusion ot 

 the leaves al!e\iates erysipelas (Gareia-Barriga 1974). In Puerto 

 Rico, a decoction of the roots is employed in treating gonorrhea 

 (Usher 1974). 



MlMSPIUMAClA!-: 



Curarea tecunarum Barn, et Kruk. in Mem. New York Bot. 



Ciard., 22:2(1971) 12. 



Collect.: Davis & Yost 943. 



Waorani Informant: deque (m). Downriver dialect: n.v. oonta 



This species is well recognized as one of the principal sources of 

 an especiall)' strong arrow and dart poison prepared in the 

 northwestern Amazon. It is the most important source of poison 

 for the Waorani, and the preparation of curare from it is a highh 



esteemed skill. 



The outer bark of the liana is shaved, shredded and placed in a 

 funnel-shaped leaf compress suspended between two hunting 

 spears. Cold water is then percolated through and the drippings 

 collected in a small ceramic pot. This dark-colored liquid is slowly 

 heated over a fire and brouuht to a frothx' boil numerous times 

 until the fluid thickens. It is then cooled and later reheated, until a 

 thin layer of viscous scum gradually forms on the surface. This 

 scum is removed, the dart tips are spun in the viscid fluid and the 

 darts arc finalK Carefullv dried bv the fire. 



Curarea fccunaruni may have important medicinal properties 

 as well. The Waorani apply the prepared poison directK to skin 

 infections, bacterial or fungal, v\ith proven results. Some Wao- 

 rani have been known to ingest small amounts of the poison to 

 treat stomach-ache and diarrhea. The Deni Indians of Brazil 



184 



