KARSTEN] BLOOD REVENGE, WAR, AND VICTORY FEASTS 57 



of the fruit has been roasted it is taken into the house and laid on 

 some large banana leaves. At the side of it three baskets {changina) 

 are placed, which are to be filled with the roasted fruit. A. heap 

 of certain large forest leaves, called kachlni by the Jibaros, and an- 

 other heap of a smaller kind of leaf called loamhd, are also placed 

 close by. On a special banana leaf there is a piece of salt and a 

 piece of the stem of the manioc plant with the rind, which has previ- 

 ously been roasted. 



Now, the roasted fruit has to be laid in the three baskets, and at 

 this the slayer himself and his wife and daughter have to assist, 

 the priest (whuSa) conducting the ceremonies. The latter, who has 

 previously prepared some juice of tobacco in his nattipi/a, gives some 

 of this medicine, first to the slayer and then to his wife and daugh- 

 ter, the first mentioned, as usual, receiving it through the nose, the 

 latter through the mouth. The priest subsequently grasps the slayer 

 by the wrist, and the latter leans down and takes one of the large 

 kachinl leaves and lays it carefully down upon the bottom of one of 

 the three baskets. Thereupon he, with the aid of the priest, takes one 

 of the smaller wamhd leaves and lays it in the same way in the basket 

 upon the first leaf. Then the slayer, whose hand is still held by the 

 priest, takes one of the roasted maniocs and opens it with his fingers. 

 An older Indian holds out the leaf with the salt and the roasted 

 manioc stem, the latter having previously been scraped with a knife, 

 so that a small quantity of a brown powder has been obtained. The 

 slayer with two fingers takes a little of this powder and puts it into 

 the parted manioc fruit. Then he takes a piece of salt, bites off a 

 little of it, and puts this small piece into the fruit. He then closes 

 the latter with his hands and lays it carefully in the basket upon the 

 leaves previously laid there. Exactly the same is repeated with 

 another manioc. The slajer opens the fruit with his fingers, puts a 

 little of the brown powder as well as a small piece of salt into it, 

 and then lays the fruit in the basket at the side of the manioc first 

 placed there. Thereupon he takes a large kachlni leaf, as Avell as a 

 warnbd leaf, and lays these in the basket upon the fruit. While all 

 these operations have been performed the wrist of the slayer has been 

 held by the pries^t. Now the same is repeated with the wife of the 

 slayer, whose right hand is held by the old man. She takes a manioc, 

 opens it, sprinkles some of the brown powder and a little salt into it, 

 again closes it, and then places it in the basket upon the leaves last 

 laid down there. A second manioc is in like manner put into the 

 basket by her. Lastly, she covers the fruit with a kachlni and a 

 wamhd leaf, just as was done by the slayer. Finally, the daughter 

 of the slayer performs the same action, putting two maniocs into the 

 basket and covering them with the leaves, the girl being in the same 

 2119°— 23 5 



