﻿154 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  the 
  seemingly 
  highly 
  religious 
  background 
  of 
  the 
  grave 
  offerings 
  was 
  

   replaced 
  by 
  other 
  themes. 
  

  

  The 
  feline 
  deity 
  or 
  a 
  feline 
  cult 
  is 
  widespread 
  in 
  Peru. 
  When 
  the 
  

   cat 
  demon 
  appears 
  in 
  the 
  Cupisnique 
  culture 
  it 
  is 
  conceived 
  of 
  an- 
  

   thropomorphically 
  and 
  is 
  represented 
  walking 
  erect 
  on 
  its 
  hind 
  feet 
  as 
  

   a 
  man. 
  In 
  some 
  cases, 
  cat 
  and 
  human 
  representations 
  appear 
  on 
  

   the 
  same 
  modeled 
  face: 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  countenance 
  feline 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  

   half 
  humanized-feline, 
  highly 
  stylized. 
  

  

  The 
  condor 
  and 
  the 
  serpent 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  other 
  minor 
  Cupisnique 
  

   divinities. 
  

  

  Burial 
  procedure 
  was 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  uniform, 
  with 
  some 
  variation 
  in 
  

   the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  

  

  Graves. 
  — 
  The 
  graves 
  were 
  irregular 
  holes 
  excavated 
  directly 
  into 
  

   the 
  earth. 
  The 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  grave 
  depended 
  upon 
  the 
  position 
  and 
  

   the 
  degree 
  of 
  flexure 
  or 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  corpse. 
  Some 
  graves 
  were 
  

   circular, 
  others 
  elongated 
  or 
  elliptical. 
  In 
  some 
  graves, 
  the 
  dead 
  had 
  

   been 
  covered 
  with 
  angular 
  rocks. 
  Depth 
  of 
  the 
  graves 
  varied 
  from 
  

   32 
  inches 
  (80 
  cm.) 
  to 
  6 
  feet 
  (2 
  m.). 
  

  

  Disposition 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  — 
  The 
  flexed 
  position 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  

   (pi. 
  69, 
  top), 
  the 
  head 
  being 
  turned 
  either 
  to 
  the 
  left 
  or 
  right 
  or 
  

   doubled 
  forward 
  on 
  the 
  chest; 
  the 
  skeleton 
  was 
  found 
  either 
  on 
  its 
  

   side, 
  on 
  its 
  back, 
  or 
  face 
  downward; 
  the 
  legs 
  were 
  tightly 
  flexed 
  and 
  

   usually 
  drawn 
  up 
  together 
  near 
  the 
  chest, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  those 
  

   individuals 
  placed 
  on 
  their 
  backs, 
  the 
  legs 
  were 
  sometimes 
  spread 
  apart 
  

   and 
  flexed 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  body. 
  Some 
  skeletons 
  were 
  only 
  slightly 
  

   flexed. 
  

  

  No 
  definite 
  orientation 
  to 
  the 
  cardinal 
  points 
  was 
  observed 
  for 
  

   either 
  graves 
  or 
  the 
  bodies 
  found 
  within 
  them. 
  

  

  Coloring 
  of 
  the 
  bones. 
  — 
  The 
  bones 
  were 
  commonly 
  colored 
  with 
  a 
  

   red 
  powder 
  composed 
  of 
  clay 
  with 
  traces 
  of 
  lead 
  and 
  mercuric 
  oxides. 
  

   The 
  coloring 
  of 
  the 
  skeleton 
  is 
  not 
  complete, 
  although 
  in 
  some 
  instances 
  

   the 
  bones 
  are 
  so 
  nearly 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  red 
  pigment 
  as 
  to 
  suggest 
  

   that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  burials 
  were 
  secondary. 
  In 
  some 
  cases, 
  the 
  skull 
  

   was 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  double 
  cloth 
  beneath 
  which 
  was 
  a 
  thick 
  layer 
  of 
  the 
  

   red 
  powder. 
  Double 
  burials 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  grave 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  found. 
  

  

  Red 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  funeral 
  color 
  of 
  Cupisnique 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  for 
  

   the 
  North 
  Coast 
  until 
  the 
  rise 
  of 
  the 
  Chimu 
  Empire. 
  In 
  one 
  Cupis- 
  

   nique 
  grave, 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  green 
  powder 
  was 
  found. 
  

  

  Grave 
  offerings.- 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  whether 
  the 
  dead 
  were 
  clothed 
  for 
  

   burial, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  cases 
  artifacts 
  and 
  jewelry 
  were 
  placed 
  

   with 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  body. 
  

  

  Many 
  grave 
  objects, 
  including 
  pottery 
  vessels, 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  purely 
  

   ceremonial 
  or 
  religious 
  nature, 
  although 
  some 
  graves 
  contained 
  pottery 
  

   marked 
  by 
  fire 
  as 
  though 
  in 
  cooking. 
  Vessels 
  were 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  sides 
  

   of 
  the 
  body, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  in 
  the 
  hand. 
  

  

  