ITINERARY, xvii 



flourishing coiiditiou. Basides making broiivuli, he Ls also supposed to 

 have power over evil spirits, and on one occasion, when a child was 

 ill at Kwainiatta, our friend was sent for, and we had the pleasure of 

 hearing him make horrible noises in his throat and shake a rattle all 

 night, with the object of driving away the malignant spirit. 



There seems to be no religion amongst these people, with the ex- 

 ception of a belief in evil spirits called Kanaima, and these are 

 generally to be frightened away by shouting or by any loud noise. 

 The people are apparently continually seeing them, generally about 

 dusk, and it was by no means an uncommon occurrence just after the 

 sun had gone down to see a stampede from one of the houses ; on 

 making enquiries we would be told that a Kanaima had appeared, 

 and the only other information forthcoming would be that it had the 

 form of a man. On one occasion I remember the people moving from 

 one corner of the village suddenly : we asked the reason, and were told 

 that several Kanaimas were walking up and down a little way in the 

 savanna., and that one woman had actually been seized by the elbows 

 from behind. A curious feature is that these apparitions are seen by 

 many people at the same time. We used to chaff the peo^jle and tell 

 them we wished to catch one, but we never succeeiled in obtaining a 

 specimen for our collection. 



Any illness or bad luck is put down to a visit from a Kanaimn, and 

 they imagine that a piaiman blowing on them will help to put things 

 straight again. While coming up in the boat, one of our party was 

 down with fever, and it was proposed that the oldest man in the 

 company should blow on him for luck. 



A superstition or custom worthy of menticm is that of lacerating 

 their bodies or otherwise causing pain to bring luck in hunting or 

 fishing : six or eight cuts down the thigh and calf of the leg, deep 

 enough to leave a scar for life, are supposed to bring luck in fishing. 

 While on our return journey one woman used to fish with a continual 

 lack of success; this was ascribed to want of luck rather than to the 

 flooded state of the river, and Simon, the old man of the party, was 

 called upon to cut her in the manner described. Similar cuts on the 

 arms and chest bring luck in shooting game-birds. 



Another charm, the Nose Bena, is made from the leta-palm fibre, 

 plaited to a fine point at one end and loose at the other, the whole 

 beini^ ;iV)out two feet in length and as thick as a lead-pencil. This is 

 piissed up the no.se into the back of the throat and pulled rapidly 

 through the mouth. We saw one man perform this operation appa- 

 rently without pain, and he was amu.sed at our expressing surprise. 

 Different substances rubbed on this bena bring luck in hunting 

 different game — for instance, a small ground-nut is the cliMnii for 

 deer and a leaf, not unlike a small caladium, for tapir. 



Probably the worst bena is that to which a beginner is suljjected. 

 A large number of manourie ants are fixed f>etwe«Mi thin strips of leed 

 in such a way that they caiuKjt escape, I)ut are still al)le to sting; tlu^y 

 are then applied either to the back or chest. The pain must ho tvxcrii- 

 ciating, the stings Vjeing very long and poisonous, anil in some cases 

 one is sufficient to bring on nn attack of fever. 



The Indians are clo.se observers of nature — every insect, liNh.or pl.nit 



b 



