KARSTBN] BLOOD REVENGE, WAR, AND VICTORY FEASTS 15 



personalized in the proud and ambitious chiefs who stand at the 

 head of the different tribes. One chief tries to surpass another one 

 in war-like deeds and can not endure seeing his rival increase in 

 wealth, power, and influence. Again, the enmity of the wild Indians 

 against the Canelos Indians seems to be due chiefly to the latter hav- 

 ing submitted themselves to the Christian influences and in making 

 themselves dependent upon the whites. But, in addition to this, 

 even with regard to the hostility reigning between the different 

 tribes, superstition — the belief in witchcraft — plays its fatal part, 

 this being nearly always the principal cause of the wars. The rival 

 chiefs combat each other not merely by natural means, but also with 

 the supernatural weapon which is called tunchi (in Quichua chunta), 

 for a great Jibaro chief is as skilled in witchcraft as a professional 

 sorcerer. In order to bewitch a person it is, according to the idea 

 of the Indians, not absolutely necessary that one should be quite 

 near the victim. Those sorcerers and chiefs who are experienced 

 in the art are able to send the fatal arrow a long distance, often 

 many miles. If, in a tribe and especially within the family of the 

 chief, in a short time various cases of disease, death, or accidents 

 of other kinds occur, these are generally set down to the evil machi- 

 nations of the sorcerers in a hostile neighboring tribe. Thus, for 

 instance, the Jibaro chief Nayapi on the Pastaza, and the old Cane- 

 los chief Palati on the Bobonaza have for many years been enemies 

 and have sent menacing messages to each other. In the family of 

 Nayapi within a comparatively short time several deaths took place — 

 two of his sons, one daughter, and his son-in-law dying from mysteri- 

 ous diseases or through accidents. Nayapi said that his enemy 

 Palati was the cause of all these deaths by. systematically letting off 

 his witchery arrows against Nayapi and his family. Palati, again, 

 by no means denied that this was so, but, on the contrary, con- 

 firmed it, menacingly announcing that he would, by and by, 

 exterminate Nayapi's whole family. The latter was seized with 

 wrath and desire for revenge, and certainly would have wreaked 

 a terrible vengeance upon his enemy if regard for the Catholic 

 monks, under whose protection Palati stood, had not made him ab- 

 stain from carrying it out. It may be added that the Canelos In- 

 dians, although Christians by name, are known as exceedingly clever 

 witches, even the savage Jibaros acknowledging their superiority 

 to themselves in this art. 



Often the hostility between two tribes is only latent, becoming sud- 

 denly active through some occasional incident, when a war ensues. 

 Thus, as already mentioned, a series of deaths, which are attributed 

 to the evil art of the treacherous enemy, may occasion a war. It also 

 occurs that an Indian, traveling through the territory of a foreign 



