ROTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE SKY. • 255 



the Sun and strives to quench the fire, till scorched and blackened, 

 he retires, only to return another time (BrB, 189). In Cayenne, 

 eclipses of the Sun and Moon upset the Indians a good deal: they 

 think some frightful monster has come to devour these heavenly 

 bodies. If the eclipse is total or of short duration, they con.sider it 

 a fatal thing for them : they make a terrible noise, and shoot a volley 

 of arrows into the air to chase away the monster (PBa, 232). Island 

 Caribs attribute the eclipses to Maboia, the devil, who tries to kill 

 Sun and Moon: "they say that this wicked seducer cuts their hair 

 by surprise, and makes them drink the blood of a child, and that, 

 when they are totally eclipsed, it is because the Stars, being no 

 longer warmed by the Sun's rays and light, are very ill" (Ti, 18SG, 

 p. 227). 



197. The Story of Okoo-hi (W)' 



Waiainari wa.-) tlio name of a young fellow staying at the house of his uncle. One 

 day he went down to the water-side to bathe. When in the water, he heard Bome one 

 running down tJie pathway and then a splash. Tlus made him look around, and, 

 recognizing his uncle's young wife, he commenced swimming to a distance. But 

 she ( hased him. The girl wanted him very much, and as she got close to the spot 

 where he w-as, wliispcred, "Don't you w-ant me'?" Instead of replying quietly, how- 

 ever, \\'aiamari loudly upbraided her by shouting Bita! Kwahoro! [" Incest ! Shame !"), 

 and the girl drew back. The uncle, hearing the noise up at the house, called out to 

 liis wife, "Wliat's the matter? Don't trouble the boy," because he thought that 

 she must be at fault, and not his nephew. At any rate the couple got out of the 

 water, and came up to the house, wliich the aunt entered, the boj- passing on to go 

 to stay with his elder uncle, Okohi, at who.se place he slept that night. Now, the 

 very fact of not going home as usual with his aunt made Waiainari guilty in the eyes 

 of her husband, who followed his nephew next morning to Okohi 's place. \Mien he 

 reached there, he reproached liis n«?phew for having attempted imi)roper conduct 

 with his wife, a charge which was indignantly denied. At any rate, they started 

 fighting and the uncle was tluown down. They fought again and the uncle was 

 thrown a second time. Okohi now interfered, and said, "BoyI That will do," and 

 so stopped the contention between his brother and nephew. Indeed, to save further 

 strife, Okohi thought it best to take Waiamari away with him on his journey, and 

 told the youngster to prepare the tmija [canoe], as he proposed leaving next morning. 

 So Waiamari went down to the water-side and painted the sign of the Sun on the bows 

 of the boat, while at the stern he painted a man and a moon.- Next morning the 

 two got away, the nephew paddling in the bow and the uncle steering: it was a big 

 sea that they were crossing, and as the paddle-blades swept along one could hear the 

 water singing Wau-u! Wau-u! Wau-uf ^ At last they crossed this big sea and reached 

 the opposite shore, where they landed, and then they went up to a house near by, 

 where they met a pretty woman, Assawako.'' After greeting Okohi, and telling 

 him to be seated, she asked him to let his nephew accompany her to the field, and, 

 this permission being granted, the young couple started off. \nien they reached 

 there Assawako told Waiamari to rest himself while she gathered something for him 

 to eat. She brought him yellow plantains and pines, a whole bundle of sugar-cane. 



1 This word okdhi among the Warraus means the hottest part of the day; it refers to the warmth and 

 heat of the sun as distinguished from its power of producing light. 

 - Even up to very recent times the Indians' canoes were thus decorated with Sun and Moon. 

 3 This sound would correspond mth the EngUsh '■ SwishI SwishI SwishI " 

 < This is the Warrau term for any smart, sensible female. 



