KARSTEN] BLOOD REVENGE, WAR, AND VICTORY FEASTS 43 



house but in a small ranch made at the bank of the river. There- 

 after he can sleep in his house, not with his wife, however, but in 

 the fore room or men's department of the house. 



SUAMARTINYU, "THE FEAST OF PAINTIXG WITH 

 GENIPA (SUA)." 



The feast suamartinyu, which is held three or four months after 

 the numhuimartinyu^ takes its name from the main ceremony per- 

 formed, the painting of the slayer with genipa {sua). Even at the 

 nuvibuimartinyu, as we have seen, painting with sua took place, but 

 that procedure is now undertaken more thoroughly and assumes a 

 greater importance than at the feast first mentioned. 



A detailed description of the feast suamartinyu is not necessary, , 

 since the ceremonies which take place are exacth' the same as those 

 performed at the final great tsantsa feast. The S'ua?nartinyu^ as a 

 matter of fact, is only an anticipation of the latter. The only dif- 

 ference is that the preparations for the feast suamartinyu are less 

 grand, fewer swine and chickens are slaughtered, and fewer guests 

 are invited. The principal ceremony at this feast is the washing of 

 the trophy in a magical solution, through which the spirit of the 

 slain enemy is supposed to become the slave and will-less instrument 

 of the victor. Then follows the ceremonial slaughtering of the 

 swine, and the final ceremony when the wJiuea or priest helps the 

 slayer to dress himself, cuts his hair, makes him break the fast, and 

 lastly paints his face, breast, stomach, arms, and legs with sua. The 

 feast suamartinyu lasts three or four days. 



At the painting of the slayer's body with genipa the Jibaros for- 

 merly used a special instrument consisting of a cylindrical object, 

 made of a special kind of very hard clay, into which certain circle- 

 formed ornaments were incised. The instrument was dipped into 

 the genipa solution and rolled along the cheeks, arms, legs, etc., of 

 the slayer, the ornaments incised in the instrument being thereby 

 stamped upon his body. This instrument, which is called paydnga^ 

 is still known, but it is no longer made of clay, but of a kind of wood. 



The object of the feast suamartinyu is partly to give the slayer 

 renewed protection against the spirit of the killed enemy, partly to 

 favorably prepare the trophy for what is its proper aim, namely, to 

 promote the material wealth of the slayer, especially for the 

 period immediately following the feast numhui mar tiny u. In the 

 first respect the feast is of significance for him in so far that 

 he need no longer observe the same anxious caution and strict absti- 

 nence in his mode of life that was his obligation formerly. Thus he 

 may again dress completely, tie his hair in pigtails, wear face paint- 



