BOTH] SEXUAL LIFE 315 



good marksman, the girl refuses him on the ground that he will not 

 be able to shoot fish and game enough for the family (ARW, 346). 

 On the Orinoco, he had to kill a bush-hog all by himself and bring it 

 to his future father-in-law's house to show that he was indeed a man 

 (G, II, 285). The young Aj)alai Indians on the Parou River, Ca3^enne, 

 after submitting to the marake (ant and wasp ordeal) must now "go 

 through the target test: with their backs turned, they have to throw 

 cassava pellets (boulettes) at a piece of wood uj)on whicli a circle has 

 been traced, and must hit it three times running, etc." (Cr, 307). In 

 its most complete form, however, the shooting ordeal seems to have 

 been carried out by the Arawaks, and it is from the very old people 

 of this people that I have been able to gather the following facts 

 concerning what used to take place in bygone days. When tlie youth 

 wont to his future fatlier-in-law and asked for the girl, the old man 

 would consult his wdfe and daughter, as a rule, and if everj'^thing 

 were satisfactory would say "yes," but would not give Mm actual 

 possession of her until lie had performed certain deeds, the first and 

 foremost of whicii was to shoot into a certain wood])ecker's nest. 

 H? would accordingly ask the suitor wiietiier he were ready or 

 whether he wislicd to wait a few da\*s. The latter would of cour.se 

 say he was <|uite ready, so Lmpetuous is youth, and would give a 

 minute description of the situation of the particular tree, usually 

 one close to the water-side, into which he proposed shooting the 

 arrow. Tlie girl's father, however, would invariably plead some 

 excuse to put him off, say to the next day, and in the meantime would 

 get ready a big corial — big enough to carry 10 or 12 men— and engage 

 his crew. When next morning the young man turned up again, the 

 old man had everything ready and would get them all into tlie boat, 

 he himself steermg. The girl herself had to sit on tlie left of her 

 would-be husband in the bows. When within a comparatively short 

 distance from the tree wherein the woodpecker's nest lay concealed, 

 the okl man would call upon the crew to pull with all their strength — 

 and the young man to draw his bow. Before, however, tlie arrow 

 had sj)ed, and wliik> yet the bow was fully stretch(-d, the woman had 

 to touch his left side with her hand signifyhig that if his arrow reached 

 its mark she agreed to be his. If he missed, the performance had to 

 be postponed to another occasion, he having the right to try as many 

 times as he liked until he succeeded and in the meantime he might 

 continue practising on his own account. Luck might assist him on 

 the first occasion, sometimes on the second, third, or fourth, or he 

 might have to make the trial so many times that he would give up the 

 attempt as well as aU thoughts for the girl, and proceed to some other 

 settlement where the woodpecker's nests were situated to better 

 advantage. Without shooting his arrow into the nest the wooer would 

 certamly never get possession of the girl — neither father nor mother 



