INDIAN TRIBES OF NORTHERN MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL OBERG 



71 



and was combed with a comb (aekdji) made 

 by weaving slender cane teeth into a cotton holder. 



Although clothing, in the strict sense of the 

 term, was nonexistent, the Bacairi used, on cere- 

 monial occasions, beautiful, skillfully made orna- 

 ments. An important ornament was the orogo, a 

 diadem or feather headdress strapped to the fore- 

 head. The orogo was made by fastening a row of 

 green parrot feathers to a cotton band, above 

 which was fastened another row of yellow weaver 

 bird feathers. Two long blue macaw feathers were 

 set in the center so as to stand straight up above 

 the forehead. The orogo was worn only by men. 

 These headdresses are still used, for some were 

 seen in the village of Simao Lopes. 



There were at least four kinds of necklaces. The 

 megesduwa was made from small thin round disks 

 of white or pink snail shell, as many as 400 being 

 strung on a string. This necklace was worn 

 around the neck by women and around the waist 

 by men and girls. The ikwiheno was also made 

 from snail shell, but the disks were oblong with 

 holes in both ends through which strings were 

 passed. Although the ikwiheno was particularly 

 used by men, women sometimes wore it together 

 with the megesduwa. The sawaldpi was a necklace 

 made from black disks of tucum palm nut and 

 could be worn by both men and women at all 

 times. Both men and women also wore necklaces 

 made from the teeth or claws of the jaguar called 

 the dodojeri. The Bacairi still use the megesduwa, 

 ikwiheno, and the sawaldpi. 



Besides necklaces, the Bacairi used a variety of 

 other ornaments. The upauwj, were annlets and 

 anklets of cotton material decorated with feathers 

 of different colors. The armlets, which were about 

 2 inches wide, were fastened tightly above the 

 biceps and were believed necessary for the devel- 

 opment of the muscle, with similar bands worn 

 below the knee and around the ankles. Both men 

 and women used the bands. An American mission- 

 ary who experimented with Bacairi arm bands 

 claimed that they caused him a great deal of dis- 

 tress but he has observed no ill effects among the 

 Indians. The pai was a feather ear ornament 

 made from red toucan and yellow parrot feathers 

 suspended from the lobes of the ears. Holes in the 

 ears were made with a sharpened jaguar bone or 

 with a sharpened rhea feather. The tajikaino, worn 

 only by men, consisted of two blue macaw feathers 



placed in a hole in the septum of the nose, so that 

 the feathers swung one on each side of the head. 

 Although the pdiko, or scratcher, was not strictly 

 an ornament, it is mentioned here because it had 

 ritual meaning. The pdiko was made by setting 

 fish teeth into a gourd holder and was used for 

 scarifying the skin of the arms, legs, chest, and 

 back so as to cause bleeding. The wounds were first 

 washed with water and later smeared with the 

 juice of the mukuna vine. The pdiko was used by 

 boys and girls during puberty seclusion and by 

 adults who had sores on their bodies. It was 

 believed that the use of the pdiko made people 

 strong and healthy. As far as could be ascertained 

 the Bacairi did not mutilate the teeth, genitals, or 

 other parts of the body. There was no sign of 

 tattooing, but pubic hair was carefully pulled out 

 by both men and women. Formerly the Bacairi 

 kept large birds, believed to belong to the eagle 

 family, in their villages for their feathers. The 

 Brazilians call the bird "harpia" and claim that it 

 is still kept by the Indians in the Xingu Basin. 

 The "harpia" was captured by shooting it with a 

 blunted arrow, and it was kept in a special hut and 

 fed. Villages often had several of these birds in 

 captivity, the feathers being used particularly for 

 feathering arrows. Parrots and macaws were also 

 kept, their feathers being used only for ceremonial 

 decorations. 



SUBSISTENCE ACTIVITIES 



Vegetable foods formed the basis of Bacairi diet, 

 with fish and meat taking second and third places. 

 The principal animals hunted were monkeys, 

 deer, wild pigs, tapir, and the jaguar. The jaguar, 

 however, was not eaten, but was hunted for its 

 skin, teeth, and claws. The principal weapon 

 used was the bow and arrow. Hunters would stalk 

 game alone or in groups with the aid of dogs driv- 

 ing game into water or into steep rocky enclosures. 

 There is no mention of the spear being used, but 

 deadfalls and pitfalls were used. Man} 7 varieties 

 of large fish were shot with the bow and arrow, 

 either from canoes or from the river bank. Lizards, 

 turtles, and a wide variety of wild fruits, roots, 

 tender shoots, and honey were collected at certain 

 seasons of the j r ear. 



The major part of the food supply, however, was 

 obtained through agriculture. The Bacairi cul- 

 tivated bitter manioc, 6pa; sweet manioc, taisq; 



