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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 10 



to be more skillful in composing songs than others. 

 Such people usually take the lead in the dances 

 and play the most prominent role in the singing 

 that accompanies drinking feasts. It may be 

 significant that in the two extended families which 

 I knew well, both of the chiefs were prominent 



singers. But although they often took the role 

 as leaders, other individuals equally gifted also 

 frequently assumed the same role. There are no 

 professionals— no persons who are always called 

 upon to sing at a drinking feast or to chant at 

 a curing rite. 



FOLK BELIEFS AND SCIENCE 



The Siriono conception of the universe is an 

 almost completely uncrystallized one. My Indian 

 friends never voluntarily talked about cosmologi- 

 cal matters, and when I attempted by questions to 

 gain some insight into their ideas about the nature 

 of the universe I almost always met with failure. 

 Young men would say, "Ask the old men," and 

 the old men would answer, "I do not know." 

 Even the sage of one of the extended families, 

 Embuta (Beard), although he showed considerable 

 interest in my inquiries and gave me unhesitat- 

 ingly what information he possessed, was simply 

 unable, for lack of ideas, to enlighten me on most 

 points. On several occasions I even held con- 

 sultations with those whom I regarded as the 

 sages of the band, but got only general agreement 

 that nothing was known about this question or 

 that. It would seem that their concern with the 

 immediate world has left the Siriono little time 

 to speculate on cosmological matters. 



The more or less indifferent attitude taken 

 toward the universe is clearly reflected in the 

 virtual lack of folklore and mythology. The 

 Siriono are one of the few primitive peoples I 

 know of who do not devote a considerable part of 

 their free time to the telling of folk tales and 

 myths. In about 8 months of more or less per- 

 manent (i. e., day and night) residence with them, 

 only twice was anyone animated to tell a folk 

 tale or story of his own accord. After making 

 one unsuccessful attempt after another to get in- 

 formants to relate myths and tales, I was forced 

 finally to conclude that this phase of culture was 

 simply not developed, that there was no fund of 

 folklore and mythology upon which to draw. If 

 people did any talking at night it usually had 

 reference to some happening in the immediate 

 world, such as a tapir hunt or a quest for wild 

 fruits. 



Moon (Ydsi) is the culture hero of the Siriono. 

 Formerly he was a great chief who lived on the 

 earth. At that time there was nothing but water 



and a race of harmful people. Moon destroyed 

 these evil beings, and at the places where they 

 were killed, the reeds from which the Siriono make 

 their arrows sprang up. Moon then created man 

 and the animals. At first both were in a kind 

 of amorphic state. The animals were too hot to 

 touch and burned the arms of the men who came 

 in contact with them. Jaguars, especially, killed 

 many men before the latter learned how to hunt 

 them. Moon taught men how to hunt and fish, 

 to make bows and arrows, to plant crops. He 

 gave them maize, papaya, manioc, chonta, and 

 wild fruits and plants. In fact, he is responsible 

 for the world and everything in it. 



Moon is now believed to live in the sky. The 

 reason for his ascending to the heavens is revealed 

 in the following folk tale, which also explains why 

 the animals have the shapes and colors they now 

 possess. 



Ydsi (Moon) had a child. Ydkwa (Jaguar) was de- 

 lousing the child and killed him by biting him in the head. 

 Then Yasi came along and said, "Who killed my child?" 

 Yoita (Fox) was standing by and said, "I do not know." 

 Ydkwa was hidden between two mats of motacu at this 

 time. Then Yasi went along and began to ask all of the 

 other animals, "Who killed my child?" All of them 

 answered, "We do not know." Then he came to where 

 Erubat (Spider Monkey) and Tendi (Howler Monkey), 

 and Sedci (Coati) were having htri hiri (a drinking feast). 

 Yasi was very angry. Erubat wanted to be red in color 

 like T6ndi, but Yasi said, "You will be black." Yasi was 

 angry because all of the animals were drunk. Then he 

 grabbed Tc5ndi by the neck and pulled it into the shape 

 it now has. Kwandu (Porcupine) was standing by, got 

 angry with Ydsi and began to scratch him. Ydsi put 

 spines in his back and fixed his feet so that he could not 

 scratch. He also twisted the feet of Antanbuja and 

 Antandisa (Anteaters) and picked up Kon6mbi (Tortoise) 

 and threw him down again, saying, "You will not walk 

 fast." All of the animals were very angry. That is why 

 Erubat and Tendi howl so loudly today and that is why 

 Erubat throws chonta fruits at one when one passes by. 

 Ydsi was still very angry and decided to go up into the 

 sky. He began to climb a huge tree up into the sky. 

 Before going up he told Ydkwa to follow him, but Ydkwa 

 did not know how to climb very well and when he got 



