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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 9 



they built temporary shelters of brushwood. Dur- 

 ing this period, fish moved close to the banks and 

 into shallow pools to feed and could thus be caught 

 with greater ease. A very common way of catch- 

 ing fish consisted in a number of men entering the 

 water in order to drive the fish into a corner from 

 where they could be caught by hand and thrown 

 ashore. In shallow water the Terena also used 

 conical wicker baskets open at the top and bottom. 

 These baskets, which were about 2.5 feet high, were 

 dropped over the fish, the fish being extracted 

 through the top by hand. Larger wickerwork 

 fish traps were also used. The Terena claim not 

 to have used nets. Fishhooks made from bone 

 were used in deeper water. For catching large 

 fish swimming on the surface of the water, the 

 Terena used the bow and arrow. Among the com- 

 monest varieties of fish the Terena mention the 

 following: "marobas," chaca-chaca; "trairas,'''' hi- 

 TTbon; "bagres." ayapore. Fish were either boiled, 

 broiled, or baked wrapped in clay. For broiling, 

 the fish was cleaned, split, and placed in a cleft 

 stick with cross sticks to keep the fish spread out. 

 The stick was then stuck into the ground near a 

 fire and turned until the fish was broiled. Fish 

 were also dried on a latticework frame over a fire. 



The principal weapons of the chase were the 

 bow and arrow, the spear, and the wooden club. 

 The Terena used a bow about 5 feet in length and 

 oval in cross section made from a reddish-color 

 wood, the string being made of tucum palm fiber. 

 For game, bone-pointed arrows with two feathers 

 were used. For birds, arrows with several slender 

 bamboo points were used. Arrows used for shoot- 

 ing fish did not have feathers. In using stones, 

 with which to kill birds, the Terena put two strings 

 on their bows. Formerly the spear was pointed 

 with bone, but with the introduction of iron an 

 iron point was used. A heavy flat wooden blade 

 or club was also used for dispatching wounded 

 game. In addition to these weapons, the Terena 

 used pitfalls and numerous kinds of traps. 



When game was scarce and spread over a wide 

 area, men on foot went out individually stalking 

 deer, peccary, rhea, and tapir. If game was more 

 plentiful and the country suitable, game could be 

 surrounded and driven into an enclosed area where 

 they could be shot down or speared. This method 

 of collective hunting was particularly common 

 after the adoption of the horse. Jaguars were sur- 



rounded by a number of hunters and when the 

 jaguar attempted to break through the circle of 

 hunters he was speared, the hunter catching the 

 jaguar on his spear in midair. Game was also 

 caught within a circle of a grass fire. Pitfalls 

 made on deer, peccary, and tapir trails were also 

 widely used. For birds and smaller game, the 

 Terena used deadfalls and a variety of loop snares 

 fastened to bent-over saplings. Ducks were caught 

 by swimmers diving and coming up under the 

 birds or by surprising them at night in shallow 

 water where they could be killed with sticks or 

 stones. Dogs were used for tracking and in driv- 

 ing game to places selected for dispatching them. 



When a man hunted alone, the game he killed 

 was his. This game was later divided among the 

 members of the household. In communal hunts 

 the carcass belonged to the man who was able to 

 kill the animal. The owner later divided the meat 

 among the hunters. 



The Terena used hunting magic consisting of 

 certain plants which were believed to bring good 

 luck to the hunter. Shamans were believed to 

 know the kinds of medicines that brought good 

 luck. Animal fat and salt were considered harm- 

 ful to the hunter. 



Meat was eaten boiled or broiled over hot coals. 

 The Terena also used the earth oven for baking 

 and roasting meats. 



AGRICULTURE 



The Terena selected their croplands near streams 

 because the soils were richer and the moisture 

 more adequate in the bottom lands. Care had to 

 be taken not to plant a field in an area subject to 

 summer floods. Brushwood fences were built to 

 keep out wild pigs and domestic animals such as 

 cattle and horses. Gourd rattles were sometimes 

 used to frighten away birds. Magic was em- 

 ployed to keep away insects and other parasites. 



Sanchez Labrador has the following to say about 

 agricultural lands of the Ghana: 



The greatest part of the territory consists of low lands, 

 which are clayey during the rainy seasons. However, 

 when the heat is intense water is extremely scarce and 

 even drinking water cannot be found except near the 

 Paraguay River or some other river which comes from 

 the interior and runs amid trees. When water is scarce, 

 the people move to places where water is plentiful and 

 subsist on hunting and fishing. Before they leave their 

 settlements they plant maize, gourds, cotton, tobacco, and 



