COOK] BORORO INDIANS OF MATTO GROSSO, BRAZIL 5 1 



room, the town hall where most public functions occur, and the 

 club where visitors are received and entertained. The baehytu of 

 the Ta-Dare-Mano Paro village is about 50 by 30 feet and 18 or 20 

 feet in height. The ridge-pole rests on three tall posts, and shorter 

 posts support the principals. To the rafters and to the wall posts 

 are tied a few bamboo poles, and upon these are bound, rather 

 sparingly, long palm branches with tongue-like leaves to keep out 

 most of the rain, the wind, and sun. It is entered through an 

 opening at each end, like a hole in a haystack, and within is always 

 damp, gloomy, and foul smelling. The family huts, built of the 

 same material, are mostly like a roof resting on the ground and 

 strongly resemble an old haystack with a hole eaten in each end, 

 though occasionally the hut is raised a little and woven palm-branch 

 tongues form a basket-like wall. Deep gloom reigns within these 

 huts. They are made dark that they may be free from flies, and 

 are dens of rubbish and filth. Stuck into the roof are bows and 

 bundles of arrows, war clubs, fishing gear, and instruments and 

 ornaments not in use at the moment. The occupants of this human 

 lair are sprawled on a palm-leaf rug, with a log of wood four inches 

 in diameter for a pillow, and sleeping, or gnawing an ear of corn, 

 a bit of fish or vegetable, or sitting tailor fashion, making beads, 

 arrows, or other objects, or kneeling by the little fire preparing food. 

 When the filth becomes unbearable or disease is prevalent, they do 

 not trouble to clean house, but simply abandon and burn the old 

 and build a new one on a clean spot. Usually the entire village 

 moves to a new place some distance away. 



Two families nearly always occupy one hut, and sometimes three 

 or four, or even five. Each family has its camp-fire, which, how- 

 ever, is very small, since the gathering of firewood costs the. women 

 much labor. Just over the fire and about two feet above the ground 

 is a small wooden rack where fish and meat and vegetables are roasted 

 or baked. About five feet above the fire is a second and quite large 

 rack, the family pantry, where perishable food is preserved by the 

 smoke of the fire below. Each family or individual has its mattress 

 or rug of long woven palm leaves, and each one a pillow made by 

 binding a small roll of green banana stalks or a length of wood three 

 or four inches thick. 



A day or so after our arrival a child of seven or eight years be- 

 longing to one of the leading families died. This gave us an oppor- 

 tunity to witness a strange ceremony. 



A loud, deep, prolonged hee-aw, ho-o, ah-ah, was bellowed by 

 a quartette of naked, painted, and feathered savages, squatting 



