340 ANIMISM AND FOLK-LORE OF GUIANA INDIANS Ieth. anx. 30 



shaped mats or girdles and these were held or tied on the neck, breast, 

 stomach, or legs (WJ, 91). In some cases, during their period of 

 probationership, the prospective medicLne-men must not come into 

 contact with Europeans, as this would destroy forever their influence 

 over the spirit world (ScR, i, 423). West of the Orinoco, "they sub- 

 mitted to a seclusion of two years in caverns, situated in the deepest 

 recesses of the forests. During this period they ate no animal food; 

 they saw no person, not even their parents. The old Piaches or 

 doctors went and instructed them during the night" (FD, 50). 

 Magic stones are alleged to be placed in the novitiate's head (KG, 

 II, 154). CrevauN, among the Roucouyennes of the Yary River, 

 French Guiana, speaks of the "many years of probationership" (Cr, 

 117). "Takes some years: the novice rctm-ns more hke a skeleton 

 than a man among his people" (ScR, i, 423-4). The only account 

 of a fuhlic installation of the would-be piai, actually described as 

 such, comes from Cayenne: 



At the public installation to which the neighboring piais are in\dted, the aspii-ant 

 has to swallow at one draught a calabash containing about two pints of tobacco-juice. 

 Most often he falls into a swoon, whereupon he is carried to his hammock: if he does 

 not vomit directly after taking this powerful emetic, he dies, or at least he is seized 

 with horrible convulsions and breaks out into cold sweats, etc., which all tend to 

 bring him to the grave. But if he survives, he is acclaimed Piai. [PBa, 211.] 



In the Island practices, the novitiate is made to drink tobacco- 

 juice until he faints, and, when they say that his Spirit has gone to 

 the Chemeeii, they rub his body with gum, and cover it \\-itli feathers 

 to allow him to fly to the Chemeen (BBR, 235). Among the Pom- 

 eroon District Arawaks and Warraus it would seem that the aspirant 

 wore a special cotton headdress at the time of installation. Pitou 

 mentions the piai installation as taking place on the night before the 

 marriages (LAP, ii, 266). 



298. Mention has already' been made (Sect. 297) of the knowledge, 

 of which the medicine-man had to give proof, concerning the instincts, 

 habits, etc., of animals. Seated on his professional stool, with 

 maraka in hand, he might be observed studymg where game is to be 

 found by the morrow's daybreak. He lights up his fire, and igniting 

 some tobacco, he invites by invocation the spirits of the game he 

 desires (Sect. 116). In his enthusiasm he speaks to them and answers 

 for them in their supposed peculiar tones, modulated as in ventriloquy; 

 for he believes that, being possessed, they answer through him, he 

 being at the same time tlie humble earnest inquirer and the sufficient 

 answerer of his own inquiries (Da, 287). Tliis belief in the inter- 

 dependence of the priesthood and animal life is well illustrated in an 

 example (Ti, ii, 1883, p. 348) given by McChntock: "I had an 

 Accawoi huntsman who was a sorcerer (peaiman ) and considered that 

 he had certam birds and animals so comijletely under his control that 



