BOTH] THE SPIRITS OF THE SKY. 267 



matter with yoiir friends. They have never come to \isit you like this before. There 

 is another young woman come to see you." On learnini; that she had come to fetch 

 daylight [inseruit clavem in arcam eius et demonstravit qiioquo mode opportuisse nti]. 

 He gave her the Daylight, which she brought back to her parents and sister. 



[Among the Paressi (Peru) there is a vaginal origin ascribed to botli organic and 

 inorganic nature (PE, 33).] 



213. Rain can be produced as well as stopped by human, animal, 

 or spirit ajijonry, but at the same time would appear to have an inde- 

 pendent existence. To make rain on the Pomeroon, one of the 

 authorized methods consists in plunging into water a length of cas- 

 sava stalk held at one extremity. Next the stalk must be tied up in 

 the center of a bundle of other cassava stalks, and the whole left to 

 soak in water: rain is sure to fall within twenty-four hours. Another 

 method practised here is to wash in water the scrapings from one of an 

 alligator's largest teeth. Arawaks as well as AVarraus believe also in 

 the piai or any layman burning the carcass of a camudi as an induce- 

 ment for the rain to fidl. The Oyaml)is of Cayenne have the same 

 belief in the eflicacy of the killing of a snake (Cr, 174). On the 

 Kamwatta Creek, in the Monica River district, there is a half-sub- 

 merged tree stump, knowni as Ibiima Qit. "young woman," in the 

 WajTau language I, l)elieved to be tlu^ site where either an Indian mur- 

 dered his wife or where she killed herself. In dn- weather the tree is 

 exposed, and as the Indians pass it in theh corials, they call out, 

 "Ibuma!" and slash thek cutlasses into it, with the avowed purpose of 

 making the woman vexed, and so causing the rain to fall. Rain can 

 also be made to fall in tliis district by cursing the black kurri-kiuTi bird 

 as mentioned in the story of the Meilicine-man and the Carrion Crows 

 (Sect. 303). On the upper Mazaruni it is a large eagle and a camudi 

 that can cause the rain to fall (Bro, 399); frogs are reputed to be 

 able to do the same thing (Sect. 4^). 



Zli. The infringement of certain taboos can also entail a downpour 

 of rain. For instance, when traveling on the sea or any other large 

 sheet of water, as a big river, the Indians (Arawaks. Warraus, etc.) 

 have to be vers' careful as to what they do with the pot-spoon, the 

 hardro of the Arawaks (Sect. 193). After use they must wash it in the 

 travehng boat or wait until they get on land, but never wasli it in 

 the river or sea: other\vise, big squalls and storms will arise. Nor 

 must any fresh water be spilt in the traveling boat (Sect. 21.9). 

 Near the Chichi Falls, upper Mazarinii, on giving the Indians rice 

 to cook that evening, the men told them to wash it first by dipping 

 the earthen pot into water, but to this they demurred, saying that 

 if they placed their j)ot in the water the rain would fall more heavilj- 

 (Bro, 397). In the same way a Cayenne bush-negro, in order to stop 

 the rain, advises his fellow-servant not to wash the inside of the pot 

 (Ci-, 276). 



