118 ARTS AND CRAFTS OF GUIANA INDIANS [ETH. ANN. 38 
parts of the bark dresses used in their mask dances (KG, 1, 117; u, 
169). They are threaded with kuraua fiber. 
71. It was stated in a previous paragraph (sec. 69) that kuraua 
scale lines can eventually be made into a hammock rope (pl. 15 E). 
Three scale lines are required for the purpose. At one extremity 
they are each tied to a knobbed wooden handle; at the other, after 
being passed around a strong post set vertically in the ground, they 
are tied together. The handles, some 7 or 8 inches long, with their 
lines taut, are each rolled simultaneously in a right-to-left spiral 
(similar to the sensoro of the ite). Still keeping up the stretch, 
the three handles are transferred to the charge of one assistant, 
while another pulls the tied ends beyond the post and twists them 
in an opposite direction—a left-to-right spiral (like the sarau). 
Starting from the tied extremity, and with the tension still main- 
tained, the third operator (F) then guides the three scale lines 
(already tending to roll into one another in a left-to-right spiral 
owing to the torsion to which they have been severally and sepa- 
rately subjected) into their respective relatively proper courses to 
form the three-yarn hammock rope. The extremity of such a rope 
(G) is ‘‘finished off”? by tying tight, and then loosening all the free 
ends of the strands (a), which are now bent backward and tied again 
lower down (b), to be subsequently turned up again and finally tied 
a third time above (c). 
72. Of remaining twines, etc., there are the tucum and yauary 
(awarra), very lasting threads for hammock weaving, fish netting, 
etc., both obtained from species of Astrocaryum, a “pimpler’”’ palm. 
Unfortunately I have never seen the process of manufacture. At 
Sao Gabriel, on the Rio Negro, Schomburgk speaks of the men making 
cordage or piazaba from the fibers of the Attalea funifera (ScQ, 255). 
Humboldt alludes to the Leopoldina piassaba under the Venezuelan 
name of chiqui-chiqui. The whole stem is covered with a thick 
coating of fibers, hanging down like coarse hair, and growing from 
the bases of the leaves which remain attached to the stem. It is 
used for cables and small ropes for canoes and larger vessels on the 
Amazon (ARW, 167). Finally, there are many bush-ropes, nibbi, 
or sippi—e. g., Carludovica (the mamuri of the Creoles, mina of the 
Makusi) which may be used as twine in their natural condition. 
The lower ends of this vine, being less knotty, are the portions used. 
Its collection, however, is not without risk, because as the Indian 
sharply jerks and pulls it down from off its entwined tree, he imme- 
diately has to skip out of the way to avoid the broken timbers, twigs, 
and ants’ nests that often accompany its fall. Mamuri can be like- 
wise employed split for basketwork. ‘The same may be said of the 
kamwarri vine (Desmoncus sp.), which is cut to the length required 
and the pimpler at each joint, together with the outer cortex, scraped 
off with a knife (sec. 104). 
