THE TERENA AND THE CADUVEO OF SOUTHERN MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL OBERG 



65 



its origin could be found, it might well be of 

 Guana origin. 



The Caduveo also have a number of games like 

 the wi/niko. gefrdche, hafadikane, dcwJiotra., 

 nitikdki, eJcddilibegi, nativaje, and jobebak. 



The wuniko. — On a day set by the chief, a group 

 of masked men dressed in dance regalia and ac- 

 companied by an unmasked leader and a number of 

 women who sing and dance, go from house to 

 house in the village. The u-unikos, or masked per- 

 formers, then perform various humorous antics 

 before each house. If they succeed in making the 

 people laugh the house owner will place a gift of 

 food, drink, clothing, or some trinket on the 

 ground in front of his house. The leader receives 

 the gift and thanks the donor. The im'inikos, who 

 do not speak and are supposed to be unrecog- 

 nizable, then share the gift or eat the food placed 

 on the ground. If drink is placed in a cuj) on the 

 ground each wuniko takes a sip without touching 

 the cup with his hands. This is a sign that they 

 want more. When they are satisfied they will pick 

 up the cup in their hsinds and drink the contents, 

 usually "pinga." This goes on until all the houses 

 are visited. 



The getrache. — This game is really a form of 

 tug-of-war. A group of youths grasp one end of a 

 rope and a group of women the other end. But 

 behind the women are several strong men. When 

 the women begin to lose ground the men pull from 

 behind them. It would appear that the purpose of 

 this game is to show up and shame the youths for 

 not being able to pull as well as the women. 



The hatadikane. — This game consists of a num- 

 ber of boxing matches organized by someone in 

 the village who also provides a "churrasco," or 

 barbecue, for the contestants. Both men and wom- 

 en participate, the women being matched against 

 each other. Two opponents get up and exchange 

 fisticuffs until one falls to the ground. The win- 

 ner is applauded by the bystanders. The loser, 

 on the other hand, has to pay a fine to the giver 

 of the '"churrasco."' A winner can continue boxing 

 as long as he can find opponents. Cuts and bruises 

 often result from these fights with bare fists. 



The dachotra. — In this game or contest a num- 

 ber of men and women foi'm a circle, holding hands 

 in a way so that men and women alternate in the 

 circle. They then move around in a circle as fast 

 as possible. Those who fall down are out of the 



game. The winner is the one who remains on his 

 feet the longest. 



The nitikaki. — In this game a good runner, 

 armed with a whip, takes up a position in the cen- 

 ter of the field. A line of men then approaches 

 him. The lone runner then calls out, "Wliat do 

 you want?" One of the men in the line shouts 

 back, "I want to commit sodomy with you." The 

 man with the whip then attacks the group driving 

 tliem around the field. As he hits a man this man 

 falls out of the game. The last one hit is the 

 winner. 



The ekadilibegi. — A group of men form a line, 

 single file, and move forward with their legs far 

 apart. A man with a whip pursues them trying 

 to strike the man at the end of the line. In order 

 to avoid being hit the last man crawls between the 

 legs of the men in front of him to take his place 

 at the head of the line. This continues until the 

 players tire. 



The nativaje. — This is the name of a vulturelike 

 bird that utters a shrill cry. The game consists 

 of two groups of men approaching from opposite 

 sides of the field, uttering the cry of the bird. 

 They fight until one group is driven oif the field. 

 This is a fierce contest in which fists are used and 

 injuries occur. After the contest both groups eat 

 and drink together. 



The jobebak. — A gi-oup of men go from house 

 to house with small, carved, wooden figures on a 

 plate. They place the plate on some object belong- 

 ing to each member of the family, who then gives a 

 gift to the figure carrier. The wooden figures are 

 believed to have magical power to ward off evil. 



CADUVEO POTTERY 



Although the Caduveo have lost many of the 

 characteristic features of their former culture, 

 they continue to make decorated pottery of a 

 high artistic quality. It is generally believed that 

 the decorative designs show Andean and even 

 European influences. It is also thought that the 

 Caduveo obtained these decorative motifs from 

 the Guana with whom, as we have seen, they were 

 long associated (Metraux, 1940, vol. 1. pp. 289- 

 291). Answers to these historical questions still 

 remain to be worked out in detail through a com- 

 parative study of South American pottei-y types 

 as additional evidence is made available by further 

 ethnographic and archeological field work. The 



