70 



INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 10 



smeared on the members of the family undergoing 

 the couvade. Necklaces made from the base of 

 the quill feathers of a species of hawk are placed 

 around the necks of the father and mother. The 

 mother by this time is also wearing a necklace 

 containing the hair plucked from the infant's 

 head. A few miniature baskets with a very 

 open weave are hastily woven by the mother 

 from a leaf of motacu palm and rilled with the 

 ashes of a dying fire. She then takes up the baby 

 and places it for the first time in the new sling, 

 which is dyed bright red with uruku. The father 

 picks up his bow and a couple of arrows, and the 

 family starts off on a trail into the forest. As a 

 rule, but not always, the father marches ahead, 

 carrying his bow and arrows to protect the infant, 

 from danger. The mother follows behind, with 

 the baby in the sling, carrying in one hand a 

 basket of ashes, which she slowly scatters along 

 the trail to purify it, and in the other a calabash 

 of water. If there are any other children in the 

 family, or cowives or ydnde, they may also join the 

 party and scatter ashes along the trail. Usually 

 not a word is said as the party proceeds to its 

 destination. After walking for about 5 minutes 

 the entire group halts. The mother sits down, 

 and her husband brings her a palm leaf from which 

 she begins to construct a carrying basket. The 

 father in the meantime goes in quest of firewood. 

 After firewood has been collected and placed in 

 the basket, the party starts home without cere- 

 mony. When they arrive about 100 yards from 

 the hut, the baskets which contained the ashes are 

 hung on to bushes a few feet from the trail. 

 Upon entering the hut the parents kindle a new 

 fire with the wood carried back from the forest. 

 The infant is then given a bath from the calabash 

 of water which the mother took into and brought 

 back from the forest. The period of couvade is 

 then considered to be officially over, and the 

 normal activities of life can be resumed. 



MULTIPLE BIRTHS 



The Siriono regard multiple births as unnatural. 

 Twins are believed to be caused by the father or 

 the mother having eaten a double ear of corn. In 

 fact, any plant which grows double, such as maize, 

 manioc, or camote, is carefully avoided by adults 

 lest multiple births result. Such plants are always 

 fed to children. Although twins occur occa- 



sionally, informants knew of no cases in which 

 more than two children were born at one time. 



When twins are born, both are allowed to live. 

 One of them frequently dies, however, because the 

 mother is unable properly to attend both. Al- 

 though cowives or sisters having no young children 

 usually suckle one of a pair of twins for a short 

 time after birth, there is, except in the case of 

 orphans, a considerable reluctance to take care of 

 anyone else's child for any prolonged period. 



A CASE OF TWINS 



The following are observations on the birth of a 

 pair of twins at Tibaera on the night of January 17, 

 1942. Up until the time of the birth, of course, no 

 one had expected a pair of twins — the parturient 

 mother, Eakwantui (Tapir), least of all. Before 

 the birth she had assured me time and again that 

 she would have but one child. 



In the case of this pair of twins, the first signs 

 of birth appeared almost a month and a half before 

 the children were actually born. About 6 a. m. 

 on December 1, 1941, the woman began to feel 

 labor pains and informed her husband. He, fol- 

 lowing the Siriono custom, picked up his bow and 

 arrows and went out to hunt. 6 The usual prepa- 

 rations were made for the birth, such as loosening 

 the earth underneath the hammock and hanging 

 up the childbirth rope. After an hour or so, how- 

 ever, labor pains subsided, and the woman went 

 about her usual duties in the house. At noon she 

 smeared some uruku on her face to facUitate the 

 birth, but- by the time her husband had returned 

 from the hunt nothing further had happened. He 

 had secured four toucans and two squirrels. These 

 were eaten by him and the families of his in-laws, 

 but his wife did not eat any of these animals as 

 they were taboo to her. 



After the first labor pains, life proceeded nor- 

 mally, the prospective father and mother, however, 

 remaining close to the house. On December 4, at 

 about 2 p. m., Eakwantui again began to feel labor 

 pains. Again her husband picked up his bow and 

 arrows, and preparations were made for the birth. 

 On this day labor pains were considerably stronger 

 than before. Eakwantui lay in her hammock in 

 great pain, muttering "sedidi erdsi" ("I am child 

 sick"). As her cries got louder, most of the 

 women of the band gathered and sat down in 



8 The reason for this is to secure a name for the child. See Naming, 

 p. 74. 



