INDIAN TRIBES OF NORTHERN MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL OBERG 



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the shaman into contact with the mama'e of men, 

 animals, and plants; (2) tobacco has the power to 

 inject harmful objects into the bodies of one's 

 enemies or into gardens or objects such as canoes, 

 bows, and arrows. 



Tobacco, the Camayura say, is the gift of 

 pituhd, who taught the people how to cultivate 

 tobacco and to use it in shamanistic rites. Pituhd 

 is the "bemtevi" (Pitangus sulphuratus maxi- 

 miliani), a yellow-breasted bird about the size of 

 a robin. This saucy bird with its cheery song is 

 quite common in Brazil and is important in the 

 mythology of the Terena. Pituhd is today a 

 shaman, and the Camayura claim that he can 

 bring illness and misfortune to people. 



The cultivation and use of tobacco is restricted 

 to men. At the beginning of the rains men plant 

 tobacco seeds around the edges of their manioc 

 fields. After about 4 months the leaves are 

 gathered and hung from a cleft stick to dry. 

 Later the tobacco is cut into narrow strips, lightly 

 rolled, and stored in small baskets. For making 

 cigarettes the Camayura use leaves from several 

 varieties of trees. The central part of the leaf is 

 first removed and the strips of leaf are rolled 

 around the tobacco, new pieces of leaf being added 

 until a cigarette about 10 inches long is formed. 

 The end of the cigarette is tied with a piece of 

 buriti fiber. The cigarettes are pleasant to smoke, 

 the leaf giving the tobacco a strange flavor. 



FISHING (P1RAREHE) 



Fishing is a lifetime occupation among the 

 Camayura as among the other Upper Xingu tribes. 

 As soon as a boy is able to handle a small bow and 

 arrow he will accompany the men and stand on 

 the bank of a stream, waiting his chance to shoot a 

 small fish. Fishing continues to be his main task 

 until age weakens his muscles and impairs his 

 vision. Even old men, whose eyesight no longer 

 enables them to shoot accurately, will use conical 

 basketry traps in the shallow waters or just stand 

 around giving advice to the others. Not a day 

 passes without someone being out fishing, and as 

 the fisherman enters the village with his fish strung 

 on a vine or stick, a shout will go up from those 

 who see him, announcing that fish is to be shared, 

 cooked, and eaten. 



It follows from this that fish is the principal 



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protein food of a Camayura. He can get along 

 for a day or two without his menyu, but to pass a 

 day without fish is to have nothing to eat. Fish- 

 ing is surrounded by beliefs and avoidances. A 

 menstruating woman cannot eat, cook, or even 

 touch a fish. For greatest success in fishing, a 

 man should avoid sexual intercourse during the 

 night before an important fishing expedition. 

 He asks his personal mama'e to assist him in 

 fishing. Some of the large scaleless fish represent 

 mythical beings, like the aikq, and the uahiu, 

 who planted the original manioc field. An ex- 

 pectant mother and her husband must avoid eat- 

 ing scaleless fish. Although individuals sometimes 

 fish alone, one generally sees groups of two or three 

 in canoes, some paddling, others standing ready 

 with their bow and arrows to shoot promptly 

 whenever a fish appears within range. Large 

 fishing trips are arranged by the chief in which all 

 able-bodied men and boys take part. 



The Kuluene and Upper Xingu proper are 

 plentifully stocked with many varieties of fish. 

 In one catch of some 80 fish, 20 species were 

 counted. In my experience these waters were 

 the richest ever seen. Fishing in the main streams 

 with hook and line for 1 minute was usually 

 sufficient to catch a fish or to lose the bait from 

 the hook. The larger fish appear to inhabit the 

 deeper waters of the main streams where the 

 muddy water makes them relatively safe from the 

 arrows of the Indians. The favorite fishing 

 grounds of the Camayura are the headwaters 

 of the smaller tributaries where the clear water 

 makes shooting easier and where dams can be 

 built. Small lakes or sloughs are also used, 

 especially after the flood period, which leaves 

 large quantities of fish trapped in these basins. 



No effort was made to obtain a complete list 

 of the species of fish used by the Camayura. 

 Only the commoner kinds can be mentioned. 

 Perhaps the most common fish is one which the 

 Brazilians call the "piranha." There appear to be 

 two varieties in this region: one is the notorious 

 "piranha" that is said to attack bathers, and 

 the other is not dangerous to man. The dangerous 

 one is the smaller, averaging about 2 pounds, 

 being silvery bright and rather pcrchlike in shape. 

 The larger variety is similar in appearance, but 

 does not have the razor-sharp teeth of his danger- 

 ous companion. Both are edible and both are 



