238 ARTS AND GRAFTS OF GUIANA INDIANS [BTH, ANN, 38 
place among the Akawai, on the Barima River, at a drinking party, 
the master of ceremonies proceeding as follows: “ Shortly after sun- 
down he took his big bamboo, wound round with long threads, to 
which thevetia seeds were attached, and gave the signal for the dance 
to begin. The men all sprang out of their hammocks and surrounded 
the paiwarri trough in a half circle at a distance from it. The M. C., 
bending down, takes two steps toward the trough and then one 
backward, and repeats this slowly right around the receptacle. This 
to-and-fro movement is taken up by the people in the circle, but these 
keep themselves erect, each individual placing his left hand upon the 
right shoulder of his neighbor. And as they all proceed round, their 
movements are regulated by a song, but the meaning of the words has 
been lost; the words have been handed down from father to son. 
The M. C. sings first one word and the others then take it up in chorus. 
After the procession had circled the trough several times the dancers 
took breath, and then let out a fearful yell (sec. 583). The women 
now came forward, filled the calabashes from the trough, and handed 
the drinks round” (SR, 1, 206).- When drinks are thus offered the 
calabash will be handed by the distributor to the head of the visitors, 
who will sip it and pass it on to the next, and so on. When emptied 
it will be handed back in exactly the reverse order to the chief visitor, 
who returns it to the person who originally gave it to him. 
279. It is usually but not always the rule for the women to hand 
round the drinks at a party (sec. 902), while to refuse a drink tends 
to cause suspicion and distrust and to change friendship into hatred 
(SR, 1 207). The drink is distributed by one of the prettiest young 
girls, who keeps three or four fingers inside the calabash and the 
thumb outside and so offers . . . the Indians the way to drink, with- 
out anyone touching it with hand or finger, except only when he has 
had enough and pushes the calabash away from him. The larger 
the company the greater the number of girls who hand round the 
drink; in want of these, the women also take on the job (BER, 46). 
This will perhaps explain the idea of secreting the poison under the 
finger nail when revenge is contemplated (sec. 734). 
280. As to intoxication at a drinking feast, certain women, as well 
as certain men, whose business it is to keep sober especially for the 
purpose, hide away all weapons on the first signs of inebriety. The 
women will carry some of the disturbers of the peace to their ham- 
mocks and tie them up firm (SR, 1, 208)—a position from which no 
amount of exertion or raging can free them, and where, with con- 
tinued swinging, they soon fall into a deep sleep (SR, 1, 179). The 
same plan is followed on the Pomeroon at the present day, where it 
is usually the house master or mistress, perhaps both, who purposely 
keep sober to put an immediate stop to any rows and disputes arising. 
