﻿Vol.2] 
  INCA 
  CULTURE 
  — 
  ROWE 
  303 
  

  

  natives 
  of 
  Huaro, 
  near 
  Cuzco, 
  were 
  greatly 
  feared 
  and 
  respected. 
  

   They 
  placed 
  two 
  metal 
  or 
  pottery 
  braziers 
  end 
  to 
  end, 
  and 
  built 
  fires 
  

   in 
  them 
  with 
  slivers 
  of 
  wood 
  soaked 
  in 
  fat. 
  The 
  fire 
  was 
  controlled 
  

   by 
  blowing 
  through 
  a 
  metal 
  tube 
  with 
  a 
  copper 
  mouthpiece 
  and 
  the 
  

   lower 
  end 
  of 
  silver. 
  Around 
  the 
  braziers, 
  dishes 
  of 
  food 
  and 
  drink 
  

   were 
  set 
  out. 
  Then 
  the 
  officiating 
  diviner 
  took 
  a 
  quid 
  of 
  coca 
  in 
  his 
  

   mouth, 
  and 
  began 
  to 
  invoke 
  the 
  spirits 
  by 
  chanting 
  and 
  weeping, 
  

   inviting 
  them 
  to 
  come 
  and 
  partake 
  of 
  this 
  banquet 
  offered 
  to 
  them 
  in 
  

   the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  holy 
  Fire, 
  the 
  Sun, 
  and 
  the 
  Earth. 
  The 
  spirits 
  

   summoned 
  might 
  be 
  those 
  of 
  living 
  or 
  dead 
  persons. 
  As 
  the 
  flames 
  

   got 
  higher 
  and 
  began 
  to 
  come 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  openings 
  in 
  the 
  braziers, 
  the 
  

   voices 
  of 
  the 
  spirits 
  were 
  heard 
  coming 
  from 
  the 
  fire, 
  probably 
  by 
  

   ventriloquism. 
  First, 
  the 
  spirits 
  accepted 
  the 
  banquet 
  offered 
  to 
  

   them, 
  and 
  then 
  they 
  answered 
  questions 
  put 
  to 
  them 
  through 
  the 
  

   diviner. 
  At 
  times, 
  a 
  diviner 
  summoned 
  a 
  different 
  spirit 
  in 
  each 
  

   brazier 
  and 
  conversed 
  with 
  both 
  of 
  them. 
  The 
  spirit's 
  statements 
  

   were 
  ratified 
  by 
  streams 
  of 
  flame 
  issuing 
  from 
  designated 
  openings 
  in 
  

   the 
  brazier, 
  manipulated, 
  of 
  course, 
  by 
  the 
  assistants 
  with 
  the 
  blow- 
  

   ing 
  tubes. 
  This 
  method 
  of 
  divination 
  was 
  employed 
  only 
  for 
  very 
  

   serious 
  matters, 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  identify 
  treasonable 
  plotters, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  sacrifices 
  of 
  children, 
  spotless 
  white 
  llamas, 
  gold, 
  

   silver, 
  and 
  other 
  valuable 
  objects. 
  The 
  Emperor 
  himself 
  was 
  some- 
  

   times 
  present, 
  having 
  prepared 
  himself 
  by 
  fasting 
  for 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  days. 
  

  

  Government 
  officials 
  customarily 
  divined 
  the 
  outcome 
  of 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  decisions, 
  like 
  a 
  military 
  campaign 
  or 
  the 
  choice 
  of 
  an 
  heir, 
  by 
  

   a 
  sacrifice 
  called 
  kal'pa 
  (" 
  strength") 
  . 
  A 
  priest 
  sacrificed 
  a 
  llama, 
  took 
  

   out 
  the 
  lungs, 
  and 
  blew 
  into 
  a 
  vein; 
  the 
  markings 
  on 
  the 
  lung's 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  indicated 
  whether 
  the 
  augury 
  were 
  good 
  or 
  bad. 
  In 
  less 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  cases 
  a 
  similar 
  ceremony 
  was 
  carried 
  out 
  with 
  a 
  guinea 
  pig 
  or 
  

   even 
  a 
  bird. 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  13, 
  ch. 
  34; 
  Molina 
  of 
  Cuzco, 
  1913, 
  

   p. 
  129; 
  Sarmiento, 
  1906, 
  chs. 
  27, 
  62.) 
  

  

  Simpler 
  methods 
  of 
  divination 
  were 
  numerous 
  and 
  varied. 
  One 
  

   common 
  type 
  involved 
  counting 
  a 
  pile 
  of 
  small 
  objects 
  to 
  see 
  if 
  they 
  

   came 
  out 
  odd 
  or 
  even; 
  maize 
  kernels, 
  beans, 
  pellets 
  of 
  llama 
  dung, 
  

   and 
  pebbles 
  were 
  all 
  used. 
  The 
  pebbles 
  used 
  were 
  usually 
  supposed 
  

   to 
  have 
  a 
  magical 
  origin; 
  they 
  were 
  received 
  in 
  a 
  dream 
  from 
  the 
  Thun- 
  

   der 
  God 
  or 
  some 
  huaca, 
  or 
  a 
  woman 
  had 
  borne 
  them 
  after 
  being 
  made 
  

   pregnant 
  by 
  the 
  Thunder 
  on 
  a 
  stormy 
  day 
  in 
  the 
  fields. 
  Some 
  div- 
  

   iners 
  chewed 
  coca, 
  and 
  spat 
  the 
  juice 
  onto 
  the 
  palm 
  of 
  their 
  hand, 
  with 
  

   the 
  two 
  longest 
  fingers 
  extended: 
  If 
  it 
  ran 
  down 
  both 
  fingers 
  equally, 
  

   the 
  augury 
  was 
  good; 
  if 
  unequally, 
  it 
  was 
  bad. 
  Another 
  method 
  was 
  

   to 
  burn 
  llama 
  fat 
  and 
  coca 
  leaves, 
  and 
  watch 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  

   burned. 
  (Cobo, 
  1890-95, 
  bk. 
  13, 
  ch. 
  34; 
  Molina 
  of 
  Cuzco, 
  1913, 
  

   p. 
  129; 
  Gonzalez, 
  1608, 
  under 
  *achik 
  and 
  *huatuc.) 
  

  

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