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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 15 



with a bamboo sliver. The placenta was wrapped 

 in a piece of cotton cloth and buried because it 

 was believed that if it were picked at by birds it 

 would cause sickness and misfortune to the mother 

 and child. The child was then washed, wrapped, 

 and given to the mother. Later it was given the 

 name of one of its ancestors. 



During the seclusion period the mother and child 

 were believed to be in a state of ritual danger 

 (wanki). They were not permitted to go out in 

 daylight and had to be fed and cared for by the 

 female relatives. The first menses released the 

 mother and child from seclusion, this release being 

 known as tadaunuto. Shortly afterward the father 

 invited the villagers to a ceremony (itabienli) 

 during which the nokigora and taddnwa flutes were 

 played and only the women danced. By means of 

 this ceremony the mother was reintegrated into 

 the life of the family and the village. 



After 3 years of age both boys and girls began to 

 copy their elders, the boys playing with bows and 

 arrows and the girls with spindles. By the time 

 the boys and girls reached puberty they knew 

 how to perform most adult activities. 



PUBERTY RITES 



When the girls had their first menses and the 

 boys reached the age of 13 or 14, they had to go 

 into seclusion (posegeiro) for a period of 2 months 

 to a year. It was believed that the longer the 

 young people stayed in seclusion the stronger they 

 would become physically. The longer periods of 

 seclusion were also believed to enhance the prestige 

 of the family. The boys and girls were not per- 

 mitted to come out in daylight, and were fed and 

 cared for by their parents. While the boys and 

 girls were in seclusion they made pots and baskets 

 for family use. 



With boys the seclusion was inaugurated by an 

 ear-piercing ceremony. A number of men with 

 sons of about the same age would perform this rite 

 collectively before invited guests. After eating 

 and drinking, the poinwdto song and dance were 

 performed. The boys were now in a state of wdnki, 

 ritual danger, and were secluded immediately after 

 this rite. The girls' ears were pierced when they 

 were babies, but the ear piercing of the boys 

 corresponded to the period of the first menses of 

 the girls. 



The release from seclusion was signalized by the 

 feast of tadaunuto. The parents of the young 

 people accumulated much food and went on a big 

 hunt on the day before the feast. The chief and 

 all the villagers were invited to the ceremony 

 during which all the Bacairi songs and dances 

 were performed and the young people were pre- 

 sented gifts by the villagers. The girls would 

 now take the strings of beads from around their 

 waists and wear them around their necks and 

 their mothers would give them cotton cords which 

 they put around their hips and to which the 

 uluri were attached. The bo3 7 s and girls were now 

 eligible for marriage. 



MARRIAGE (TODOHOKUINLE) 



Marriages were arranged by parents or by 

 older brothers or sisters. The father and mother 

 of the boy, for instance, would take presents of 

 ornaments and food to the parents of the girl. 

 If the parents of the girl accepted the gifts it 

 meant that they favored the marriage, and if they 

 refused it meant that the suitor was not accepta- 

 ble. The marriage ceremony took place in the 

 girl's home, the date being arranged by the parents. 

 At the girl's house the young couple were seated 

 side by side with linked arms. They were then 

 given advice by their respective parents and rela- 

 tives. Marriage was not considered a period of 

 ritual danger, nor were extensive feasts given. 

 It appears to have been an affair involving only 

 the families of the young couple. 



BURIAL (EPIODfLE) 



The body was painted, ornaments were put on, 

 and then the body was wrapped in a hammock 

 and buried in a grave with the feet to the east so 

 that the face would be toward the rising sun 

 Although old and worn objects were burnt, most 

 of the property of the dead was shared among 

 the relatives. The part of the house occupied by 

 the dead person was washed, and clean sand was 

 sprinkled on the floor. There was a mourning 

 period (loguno) of 1 month, during which the 

 immediate relatives were in a state of wdnki. 



SHAMANISM 



When a person died, the ghost (kadope) went 

 into the sky or into the water or sometimes wan- 

 dered upon the earth. Ghosts of the dead often 



