noTH] THE MEDICIXE-MAN 345 



mother was beginning to feel homesick: anxious to show off her husband and child 

 to her own people, she told him that they must all leave his place, and go to her 

 father's, up and beyond the clouds. And there they remained with her relations, 

 the Carrion-crows, for many a long day. She, however, was always telling her folk 

 what a clever man her husband was, and that whatever she asked him to do, do it 

 he did. So these Crows asked him to perform a number of. seemingly impossible 

 feats, and not one did he fail in executing. But this only made all the Crows jealous 

 of him, and they determined to put him to death, ilakanauro, being a medicine- 

 man, however, knew that they proposed doing so, and said, "AU right. Let me get 

 back to my place, and fetch my friends, and we will fight it out." So, taking his 

 wife and son, he returned to his old home, and collecting all the birds in the neighbor- 

 hood, he told them to prepare for the onslaught with the Carrion-crows. Now, when 

 these arrived and saw the hosts of other birds ready to receive them, they determined 

 to secure by stratagem a victorj' which they recognized ihoy could not obtain by 

 force. Their idea was to bum up the whole world, together with Makanauro and 

 his friends in it. For this purpose, the Crows started fires here, there, and every- 

 where around, but Makanauro saw his friend the black kurri-kurri [Harpiprion 

 eayennensis] fljTng high, and told all his other friends to curse her, he joining in their 

 imprecations. This made the rain fall, and so the fires were extinguished.' Now 

 that his wife became angered with him for having frustrated her o\vn people, 

 the Crows, in their design of burning up the world in general, Makanauro left her and 

 went his way. She then sent her sou to waylay a;ul kill him, but whether he effected 

 this wicked design I do not know.^ 



304. In some cases the piais were recognized to a greater or less 

 extent as the guardians of the tribal traditions. Thus m the ''iVrchi- 

 Yos de Indias; Patronato. Rodrigo do Navarrete: An account of 

 the Provuices and Xations of the Aruacas" [.Aj-awak-s], wTitten some 

 timeduruig the last quarter of the sixteenth century, a work quoted 

 by Rodway, in Timehri (for 1895, p. 10), there is the following inter- 

 esting reference : 



These Indians have a meeting-place or .schfwl where they assemble, as in a manner 

 for preaching. There are among them old and wise men whom they call Cemetu 

 [compare the usual form Cemi, Semi, etc.. Sect. 93]; these assemble in the houses 

 designed for their meetmgs and there these old men recount the traditions and exploits 

 of their ancestors and great men: and also narrate what those ancestors heard from 

 their forefathers; so that in thLs manner they remember the most ancient events 

 of their countrj' and people. And, in like manner they recotmt or preach about 

 events relating to the heavens, the stin, moon, and stars. 



305. The medicine-men not only gave names to the children, as 

 with the Arawaks (Sect. 264), but under certain circumstances would 

 change them. Thus, among this same nation, if a piai is called on 

 to treat a sick child, and is successful m effecting a cure, he may give 

 his little patient a new name, and thus enable it to make a fresh start 

 in life. 



306. The chief business, however, of these doctors is centered in 

 counteracting the evil designs of certain Spirits, Kanaima or other, 



• The belief is still prevalent among the Pomeroon Arawaks that iX one hears the black kurri-kurri 

 "calling" in early morning, and thereupon curses the bird, rain is certain to fall diu-ing the day (Sect. B!3). 



' Compare Makona-ura, a youth famous for his skill as a flsher, and credited with inventing the maswa, 

 or fish basket-trap (Da, 259). 



