286 ANIMISM AND FOLK-LORE OF GUIANA INDIANS [eth. ANN. 30 



similar practices. I know of three plants that are used by these 

 people on the Pomeroon. Wai-firu: squeeze and pinch up a leaf or 

 two in water, rub one's self now with the leaf, and throw the water 

 just used in the direction of the person desired, at the same time 

 calhng his (or her) name. Wamba: used b}- the father for an absent 

 elder son, or by the mother for an absent elder daughter; take a 

 leaf with you in your hammock and caU the boy's or girl's name. 

 Akami: when a person has come with the object of picking a quarrel, 

 rub the leaf over one's head and face: it will make him quite ami- 

 cable and friendly. So also among the Surinam KaUflas (Caribs) 

 de Goeje tells us that to evoke affection, one rubs the hands and 

 face with turalla (Go, 14, 15) : a woman, for instance, can do this when 

 her man is away traveling, so that he may not forget her. T\^ien an 

 Ai-awak or Warrau woman is desirous of having a baby, and none 

 happens to appear in the natural course of things, she pounds up in 

 water a certaui fimgus, and drinks the infusion. As I have shown 

 elsewhere, the absence of a boy is a slur on the Indian's womanliood 

 and entails many opprobrious epithets. The fungus in question, 

 a species of Nidularia, is known to the Arawak as Kassato-lokono- 

 biabma (Ht., "baby-plenty charm"), or, in its shortened form, as 

 Kassa-lo-bina. These women here never eat of a " double-fruit ' ' which 

 would mean twins for them (Sect. 284A) . 



337A. The following is one of the few legends met with that con- 

 tams reference to the application of Binas: 



The Bina, the Resuerected Father, and the Bad Girl (W) 



There was once a man with wife, two children, and liis brotlier staying together in 

 the one house. Tliey were all Warraus. Going one morning to their field, husband 

 and wife left the brother-in-law with instructions to go fishing so there rdight l)e some- 

 thing to eat on their return; but when they came back, they found he had been lazy, 

 had never even been outside the house, and had eaten even the little that was in it. 

 This made the man angry, and he upbraided his brother-in-law thus: "I have to go 

 and cut the field. I have to go into the bush to get game, and down to the water to 

 catch fish. I have all the work to do, while you do nothing but lie idle in your ham- 

 mock all day. Although I am now tired, I must go and catch fish." Saying this, 

 he took his harpoon ' and went down to ths creek. The brother-in-law thereupon 

 took up his cutlass, and after sharpening it followed him and got into his corial. They 

 met just as the husband was returning with his boat, bringing a large fish that he had 

 speared with his lance. ''Hallo! finished already?" said the one. ''Yes," replied 

 the other, " I caught a fine fish, and have it here." " AVell. lend me your lance," said 

 the brother-in-law, "and I will go and shoot a fine fi.sh also." The two corials thus 

 drew near, and raising his lance, the man put it into his brother-in-law's boat. Just as 

 he did so, the latter struck him with the cutlass and he fell dead after giving his assail- 

 ant two cuts. The brother-in-law then tried to get rid of the corpse by throwing it into 

 the water. Now it seems that when the sister saw her brother, after sharpening hifi 

 cutlass, leave the house in a passion, she knew that some evil was about to happen, and 

 said to the children: "Your uncle is vexed: he has sharpened his cutlass and followed 



1 Fish-lance with detachable head. 



