﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  AYMARA 
  — 
  TSCHOPIK 
  551 
  

  

  not 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  fields, 
  since 
  their 
  organs 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  are 
  thought 
  to 
  

   absorb 
  the 
  earth's 
  fertility. 
  Similarly, 
  they 
  should 
  not 
  handle 
  agri- 
  

   cultural 
  implements. 
  Menstrual 
  pads 
  are 
  not 
  used. 
  

  

  Death. 
  — 
  Omens 
  and 
  divinatory 
  techniques 
  are 
  important 
  in 
  the 
  

   event 
  of 
  a 
  death. 
  When 
  a 
  person 
  is 
  gravely 
  ill, 
  a 
  diviner 
  (yatiri 
  — 
  see 
  

   Keligion, 
  p. 
  563) 
  is 
  paid 
  to 
  ascertain 
  whether 
  he 
  will 
  recover, 
  and 
  a 
  

   doctor 
  (qolasiri 
  — 
  see 
  Curing, 
  p. 
  569) 
  is 
  engaged 
  to 
  divine 
  whether 
  the 
  

   medical 
  treatment 
  being 
  used 
  is 
  effective. 
  The 
  dying 
  person 
  is 
  made 
  

   as 
  comfortable 
  as 
  possible 
  and 
  his 
  relatives 
  summoned. 
  When 
  death 
  

   occurs, 
  all 
  present 
  wail 
  loudly. 
  Formerly, 
  a 
  dying 
  person 
  was 
  stran- 
  

   gled 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  release 
  his 
  soul 
  and 
  prevent 
  the 
  return 
  of 
  his 
  ghost 
  

   (Forbes, 
  1870, 
  p. 
  39; 
  Paredes, 
  1936, 
  p. 
  217) 
  ; 
  today 
  a 
  rope 
  is 
  tied 
  around 
  

   the 
  corpse's 
  neck 
  immediately 
  after 
  death. 
  The 
  mourners 
  (hac'ira), 
  

   who 
  include 
  only 
  the 
  immediate 
  relatives 
  of 
  the 
  deceased, 
  don 
  black 
  

   clothes 
  and 
  hoods, 
  while 
  friends 
  and 
  more 
  remote 
  relatives 
  prepare 
  the 
  

   corpse 
  for 
  burial. 
  Bertonio 
  mentions 
  this 
  practice, 
  and 
  adds 
  that 
  

   these 
  relatives 
  had 
  to 
  abstain 
  from 
  salt 
  and 
  aji 
  (Bertonio, 
  1879 
  b). 
  

  

  The 
  night 
  following 
  the 
  death, 
  a 
  wake 
  is 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  deceased's 
  

   house. 
  All 
  present 
  drink, 
  chew 
  coca, 
  and 
  extol 
  the 
  virtues 
  of 
  the 
  de- 
  

   ceased 
  during 
  his 
  life, 
  stressing 
  his 
  role 
  as 
  an 
  economic 
  supporter 
  of 
  

   the 
  family. 
  A 
  llama 
  is 
  tethered, 
  the 
  rope 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  corpse's 
  hand, 
  

   and 
  the 
  animal 
  sacrificed 
  to 
  accompany 
  the 
  deceased 
  to 
  the 
  next 
  world. 
  

  

  Burial 
  today 
  is 
  in 
  cemeteries 
  which, 
  in 
  more 
  remote 
  regions, 
  are 
  lo- 
  

   cated 
  at 
  crossroads. 
  11 
  The 
  corpse 
  is 
  carried 
  on 
  a 
  litter, 
  followed 
  by 
  

   the 
  mourners, 
  friends, 
  and 
  relatives. 
  The 
  women 
  wail 
  in 
  a 
  stylized 
  

   falsetto, 
  while 
  morbid 
  jokes 
  are 
  made 
  about 
  the 
  deceased, 
  who 
  is 
  

   blamed 
  for 
  dying. 
  The 
  mourners 
  stress 
  the 
  economic 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  fam- 
  

   ily 
  which 
  the 
  deceased 
  has 
  caused 
  by 
  dying. 
  Bowls 
  of 
  food, 
  jugs 
  of 
  

   water, 
  and 
  a 
  grass 
  broom 
  are 
  placed 
  with 
  the 
  corpse, 
  then 
  everyone 
  

   throws 
  earth 
  into 
  the 
  grave. 
  Young 
  children 
  and 
  ailing 
  persons 
  are 
  

   made 
  to 
  jump 
  over 
  the 
  grave 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  ghost 
  sickness 
  will 
  depart 
  

   with 
  the 
  deceased. 
  

  

  After 
  the 
  funeral 
  everyone 
  turns 
  his 
  outer 
  clothing 
  wrong 
  side 
  out, 
  

   washes 
  his 
  mouth 
  and 
  hands, 
  and 
  returns 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  the 
  dead 
  

   person 
  by 
  a 
  new 
  route 
  to 
  avoid 
  misfortune 
  and 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  ghost 
  

   from 
  following 
  them. 
  A 
  feast 
  follows, 
  which 
  is 
  accompanied 
  by 
  the 
  

   usual 
  drinking 
  and 
  coca 
  chewing 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  regions 
  by 
  dancing. 
  

   In 
  Bolivia, 
  around 
  Guaqui, 
  the 
  deceased's 
  clothes 
  and 
  an 
  offering 
  of 
  

   food 
  are 
  burned 
  after 
  the 
  funeral; 
  in 
  Ulloma, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  burned 
  

   offerings, 
  the 
  dead 
  man's 
  dog 
  and 
  the 
  llama 
  which 
  carried 
  his 
  clothes 
  

   to 
  the 
  pyre 
  are 
  killed 
  (La 
  Barre, 
  ms.). 
  

  

  The 
  mourners 
  may 
  not 
  wash 
  their 
  hair 
  during 
  the 
  following 
  week. 
  

   After 
  8 
  days, 
  the 
  dead 
  person's 
  clothes 
  are 
  washed 
  in 
  a 
  river, 
  stuffed 
  

  

  " 
  Bandelier 
  states 
  that 
  formerly 
  the 
  dead 
  were 
  interred 
  in 
  abandoned 
  houses 
  or 
  under 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  occupied 
  

   houses 
  (Bandelier, 
  ms.). 
  

  

  