﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  AYMARA 
  — 
  TSCHOPIK 
  559 
  

  

  from 
  vaguely 
  defined 
  " 
  powers" 
  to 
  clearly 
  personified 
  supernatural 
  

   beings. 
  Although 
  the 
  majority 
  are 
  ambivalent 
  in 
  their 
  attitude 
  

   toward 
  human 
  beings, 
  depending 
  upon 
  how 
  they 
  are 
  treated 
  and 
  

   upon 
  who 
  manipulates 
  them, 
  some 
  are 
  always 
  malevolent 
  and 
  others 
  

   benevolent. 
  

  

  All 
  unusual 
  natural 
  phenomena, 
  whether 
  inhabited 
  by 
  good 
  or 
  evil 
  

   spirits, 
  are 
  called 
  wak'a. 
  Although 
  this 
  word 
  is 
  usually 
  employed 
  

   for 
  oddly 
  shaped 
  stones, 
  which 
  are 
  frequently 
  anthropomorphic, 
  and 
  

   for 
  mountain 
  peaks, 
  meteorites, 
  places 
  struck 
  by 
  lightning, 
  and 
  the 
  

   like, 
  La 
  Barre 
  states 
  that 
  it 
  also 
  applies 
  to 
  such 
  things 
  as 
  twins, 
  per- 
  

   sons 
  with 
  a 
  harelip, 
  and 
  those 
  born 
  feet 
  first 
  (La 
  Barre, 
  ms.). 
  In 
  

   general, 
  spirits 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  definitely 
  malevolent 
  are 
  called 
  grand- 
  

   father 
  (acacila), 
  while 
  evil 
  spirits 
  and 
  demons 
  are 
  called 
  auk* 
  a 
  or 
  

   SUPAYA, 
  words 
  which 
  also 
  are 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  "devil" 
  of 
  Christian 
  belief. 
  

   As 
  animals 
  and 
  plants 
  are 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  "owned" 
  by 
  a 
  higher 
  order 
  

   of 
  supernatural 
  beings, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  general 
  lack 
  of 
  plant 
  and 
  animal 
  

   spirits. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  important 
  class 
  of 
  supernatural 
  beings 
  consists 
  of 
  the 
  

   several 
  types 
  of 
  place 
  spirits, 
  which 
  are 
  ranked 
  in 
  a 
  hierarchy 
  depend- 
  

   ing 
  upon 
  their 
  powers 
  for 
  good 
  or 
  evil 
  and 
  upon 
  their 
  intelligence. 
  

   In 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  informants, 
  the 
  house 
  guardians 
  (uiwiri) 
  are 
  least 
  

   important; 
  next 
  rank 
  the 
  place 
  spirits, 
  which 
  dwell 
  everywhere, 
  but 
  

   are 
  most 
  important 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  human 
  habitations. 
  Of 
  great- 
  

   est 
  importance 
  are 
  the 
  spirits 
  which 
  inhabit 
  mountains, 
  rivers, 
  lakes, 
  

   springs, 
  and 
  the 
  like. 
  Spirits 
  of 
  local 
  mountains 
  and 
  rivers 
  are 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  considered 
  more 
  influential 
  than 
  those 
  in 
  remote 
  regions, 
  and 
  

   those 
  of 
  high 
  mountains 
  more 
  important 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  smaller 
  ones. 
  

   These 
  spirits 
  (acacila) 
  are 
  conceptualized 
  as 
  invisible 
  old 
  people, 
  

   mostly 
  male, 
  who 
  live 
  under 
  the 
  earth. 
  The 
  house 
  spirits 
  (uiwiri) 
  

   can 
  only 
  prevent 
  the 
  theft 
  or 
  loss 
  of 
  property 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  house, 
  but 
  

   the 
  place 
  spirits 
  may 
  send 
  disease, 
  misfortune, 
  or 
  prosperity 
  according 
  

   to 
  their 
  disposition 
  or 
  whether 
  they 
  are 
  persuaded 
  by 
  offerings. 
  

   Spirits 
  of 
  natural 
  phenomena 
  may 
  send 
  illness 
  because 
  of 
  temporary 
  

   or 
  natural 
  malevolence. 
  Place 
  spirits, 
  particularly 
  those 
  who 
  live 
  

   near 
  human 
  habitations, 
  exercise 
  considerable 
  social 
  control, 
  because 
  

   they 
  regularly 
  punish 
  evildoers. 
  

  

  The 
  major 
  place 
  spirits 
  (acacila) 
  control 
  meteorological 
  phe- 
  

   nomena, 
  sending 
  rain, 
  hail, 
  or 
  frost, 
  but 
  winds 
  are 
  sent 
  by 
  spirits 
  

   which 
  inhabit 
  volcanoes. 
  The 
  concept 
  of 
  "owners" 
  of 
  the 
  food 
  re- 
  

   sources 
  is 
  not 
  clear. 
  Fish 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  owned 
  by 
  the 
  Lake 
  Spirit, 
  who 
  

   demands 
  that 
  they 
  be 
  well 
  treated. 
  (See 
  Fishing, 
  p. 
  525.) 
  All 
  Aymara 
  

   agree 
  that 
  respect 
  should 
  be 
  shown 
  to 
  vegetable 
  products, 
  some 
  main- 
  

   taining 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  owned 
  by 
  place 
  spirits 
  and 
  others 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  

   controlled 
  by 
  a 
  vaguely 
  defined 
  female 
  fertility 
  spirit 
  (pa 
  6a 
  mama). 
  

  

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