﻿402 
  SOUTH 
  AMEBICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  act 
  would 
  constitute 
  heretical 
  idolatry 
  only 
  if 
  performed 
  in 
  the 
  belief 
  

   that 
  divinity 
  resided 
  in 
  the 
  heap 
  of 
  stones. 
  If, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  

   the 
  offering 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  no 
  assumed 
  divinity, 
  the 
  act 
  was 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  nonheretical 
  idolatry. 
  Finally, 
  if 
  the 
  offering 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  

   mere 
  belief 
  that 
  fatigue 
  was 
  thereby 
  lessened, 
  the 
  act 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  

   superstitious 
  and 
  as 
  only 
  a 
  venial 
  sin 
  (Pefia, 
  1698, 
  pp. 
  239-40). 
  

  

  After 
  1650, 
  many 
  Indian 
  rites 
  which 
  had 
  earlier 
  been 
  the 
  objects 
  of 
  

   the 
  campaign 
  to 
  extirpate 
  idolatry 
  suddenly 
  entered 
  the 
  class 
  of 
  rela- 
  

   tively 
  harmless 
  superstitions. 
  Among 
  them 
  were 
  such 
  customs 
  as 
  

   deforming 
  the 
  heads 
  of 
  infants, 
  various 
  puberty 
  rites 
  (as 
  in 
  the 
  wara- 
  

   chikoy 
  festival, 
  when 
  the 
  hair 
  of 
  the 
  boys 
  was 
  cut 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time, 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  rites 
  of 
  ablution 
  performed 
  when 
  girls 
  first 
  menstruated), 
  

   the 
  chuquiragua 
  ceremonies, 
  in 
  which 
  engaged 
  couples 
  were 
  driven 
  

   through 
  a 
  bonfire 
  of 
  green 
  branches, 
  and 
  certain 
  rites 
  of 
  therapeutic 
  

   magic. 
  Among 
  the 
  last 
  named 
  were 
  such 
  customs 
  as 
  placing 
  the 
  gar- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  the 
  sick 
  person 
  out 
  of 
  doors, 
  with 
  portions 
  of 
  herbs 
  or 
  corn, 
  

   so 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  stolen 
  by 
  casual 
  passers. 
  Therapeutic 
  baths 
  of 
  

   ritual 
  character, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  custom 
  of 
  spitting 
  into 
  ichu 
  bushes 
  

   were 
  also 
  tolerated 
  by 
  the 
  clergy. 
  The 
  household 
  ritual 
  of 
  placating 
  

   the 
  fires 
  on 
  the 
  hearth 
  with 
  offerings 
  of 
  corn 
  or 
  chicha, 
  public 
  lamen- 
  

   tations 
  during 
  eclipses 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  beating 
  of 
  the 
  dogs, 
  the 
  placing 
  

   of 
  guardian 
  stones 
  in 
  the 
  fields, 
  and 
  the 
  many 
  rites 
  connected 
  with 
  

   house 
  building 
  also 
  came 
  to 
  be 
  tolerated 
  (Pefia, 
  1698, 
  pp. 
  239-40). 
  

   In 
  these 
  instances, 
  the 
  clergy 
  attempted 
  to 
  determine 
  whether 
  the 
  

   work 
  of 
  the 
  Demon 
  was 
  present 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  standard 
  of 
  measure: 
  

   If 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  action 
  was 
  measurably 
  greater 
  than 
  its 
  cause, 
  

   diabolic 
  intervention 
  was 
  assumed 
  to 
  be 
  present; 
  if, 
  however, 
  the 
  

   effect 
  was 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  cause, 
  the 
  observance 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  unaf- 
  

   fected 
  by 
  demonic 
  influences 
  and 
  therefore 
  to 
  be 
  classified 
  among 
  the 
  

   harmless 
  instances 
  of 
  vain 
  observance. 
  Clear 
  instances 
  of 
  this 
  latter 
  

   were 
  the 
  innumerable 
  beliefs 
  in 
  bad 
  omens, 
  such 
  as 
  snakes 
  crossing 
  

   one's 
  path, 
  the 
  augury 
  of 
  a 
  sterile 
  year 
  from 
  the 
  birth 
  of 
  twins, 
  the 
  

   reading 
  of 
  evil 
  omens 
  in 
  the 
  cries 
  of 
  birds 
  and 
  animals, 
  prognosti- 
  

   cations 
  from 
  the 
  twitchings 
  of 
  muscles, 
  and 
  the 
  various 
  forms 
  of 
  divi- 
  

   nation 
  in 
  which 
  coca 
  was 
  used 
  (Pefia, 
  1698, 
  p. 
  241 
  ff.). 
  An 
  example 
  of 
  

   the 
  latter 
  was 
  the 
  custom 
  of 
  spitting 
  into 
  the 
  hand 
  with 
  fingers 
  point- 
  

   ing 
  downward; 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  coca 
  spittle 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  predict 
  

   the 
  outcome 
  of 
  the 
  event. 
  

  

  It 
  must 
  not 
  too 
  readily 
  be 
  taken 
  for 
  granted 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  concessions 
  

   came 
  from 
  the 
  clergy. 
  The 
  17th-century 
  distinctions 
  between 
  heret- 
  

   ical 
  and 
  nonheretical 
  idolatry, 
  between 
  superstition 
  and 
  vain 
  observ- 
  

   ance, 
  were 
  far 
  from 
  being 
  purely 
  doctrinal 
  solutions 
  to 
  the 
  problem 
  

   of 
  Christianization. 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  the 
  religious 
  education 
  imposed 
  

   upon 
  the 
  parishes 
  insisted 
  vigorously 
  upon 
  the 
  fundamental 
  articles 
  

   of 
  faith. 
  A 
  community 
  continued 
  in 
  its 
  course 
  of 
  heretical 
  idolatry 
  

  

  