130 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 42. 



REMARKS ON THE CENSER IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



The apparatus discussed in this paper is most prevalent in central 

 and eastern Mexico, less so in Central America, and gradually dimin- 

 ishes through the South American cultures. Information concerning 

 South American cult apparatus is extremely limited because the his- 

 torical and linguistic nexus has been lost, and no knowledge is recov- 

 erable from a vocabulary of symbolic art, so rich in Mexico. The 

 tripods and stool forms of Chiriqui, described by Holmes/ some of the 

 carved stone metates, pottery vessels of tazza and tripod foniis of 

 Ecuador and Peru may have been designed as censers, but beyond 

 their relationships in shape and in some features of construction and 

 adornment no approximately conclusive data can be put forward 

 concerning South American censers. Incense was offered on the 

 figure braziers of Ecuador, and no doubt incense was known in Peru 

 and Bolivia, but little has been published of the vast stores of relics 

 from this area in museums. 



DISCUSSION OF THE USE OF INCENSE IN WORSHIP. 



The offering of incense is almost universal. Tribes which have 

 reached a stage where recurrent rites are observed, and where cere- 

 monials have attained some complexity, make use of this feature of the 

 fire cult, and below this grade of culture individual or family acts of 

 worsliip often show the employment of incense or fire offerings. 



Wliile fire may be primary in regard to the origin of the idea of 

 incense, it became secondary as applied to advancing cults; that is, 

 offerings were not confined to the communal house or camp fire, but 

 were made on special hearths or in special apparatus. Nevertheless, 

 no incense was so offered that was not ignited from a sacred fire; that 

 is, one carefully prepared to insure purity, and secured from the 

 ancient wood drill, from lightning, lens, mirror, or other consecrated 

 or supernatural source. New fire is kindled by the Lacandones of 

 Chiapas by wood friction for use in consecrating censers and igniting 

 copal burned at that time. 



The new fire is thought by the Lacandones to be efficacious in heal- 

 ing sickness, the soot collection on palm leaves being the common 

 method, but a stone heated in the fire and used to warm water 

 renders the latter a panacea for fever.^ 



The phenomena which accompany combustion are so famifiar 

 that the man of our times passes over the marvel of smoke, flame, 

 and ashes without analysis or comment. To the man of a certain 

 stage of advancement we may suppose that the wonder of the birth, 



1 Ancient Art of the Province of Chiriqui, Colombia. Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of American 

 Ethnology, 1888. 

 » Tozzer, work cited, 1907, p. 164. 



