COOK] BORORO INDIANS OF MATTO GROSSO, BRAZIL 53 



tive and his body guard, exhausted, sit on the ground to rest, and 

 a substitute, or rather those who are to represent them, his brother 

 tribesmen, proceed to call the bope by offering some tobacco or 

 other delicacy. Soon one offers himself as a bope-representative by 

 dropping on all fours and creeping slowly toward the caller, emit- 

 ting a noise like the grunt of the tapir ; and finally, springing to his 

 feet, he rushes with outspread arms to the center and quietly stands 

 on a spot prepared for him. Others repeat the performance, until 

 five are in line in the center. They are smeared from head to foot, 

 hair and all, with a coat of clay. Black streaks are painted around 

 the eyes and other decorations added, and the five bope again drop 

 on all fours, and the caller (still acting as adjutant for the decorated 

 soul-representative, standing in the path to the village) beckons 

 and calls as before. At the same time the remaining band seeks to 

 drive the bope to the village by pushing them with instruments used 

 to frighten evil spirits, jumping, screaming, and swinging their 

 arms. But the bope advance slowly, constantly making their 

 squeak}^ grunt. Just as they enter the village path a man suddenly 

 springs up before them, frightens them with a yell, and they wheel 

 and begin creeping away from the village. The drivers then be- 

 come more frantic than ever to prevent the escape of the bope with- 

 out resurrecting the body. Finally the bope again head toward the 

 village, enter the path, suddenly spring to their feet, mount their 

 " horses," fellow red men, gallop into the village, dismount, squat 

 around the burial mound, and claw the earth with their fingers. 

 But this is only a feint of what is to happen later, and the body still 

 lies covered, while the bope retire, having finished their part in the 

 drama for the present. A large fire has now been kindled, and in 

 order that the spirit of the departed may not return to haunt the 

 family his belongings are passed piece by piece to the adjutant, who 

 hands them to his master, who throws them in the fire while they 

 both dance and waltz around it. This done, the soul-representative 

 and his adjutant sit astride the grave, and having called the father 

 of the deceased, who crouches beside them, he fortifies him against 

 evil spirits by passing a hand over his head and face, whispering 

 and blowing in his mouth and ears, after which he deposits all his 

 paraphernalia, except the pariko, upon the grave. The day's per- 

 formance concluded, all the males sit in two groups just outside the 

 baehytu, and the daily feast is served by the females. 



Early next morning the bope-representatives resurrect the remains 

 by means of the pole, carry them to the river, scrape and wash the 

 bones and pack them in a basket, keeping the skull separate when 



