﻿Vol.2] 
  THE 
  AYMARA 
  — 
  TSCHOPIK 
  565 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  district 
  of 
  Chucuito 
  were 
  accused 
  of 
  being 
  laiqa, 
  no 
  individuals 
  

   in 
  the 
  town 
  proper 
  were 
  named 
  as 
  witches. 
  

  

  Neither 
  the 
  paqo 
  nor 
  the 
  laiqa 
  is 
  a 
  shaman 
  in 
  the 
  Asiatic 
  sense. 
  

   Both 
  are 
  "normal" 
  psychologically, 
  having 
  no 
  epilepsy, 
  no 
  trances 
  

   during 
  their 
  seances, 
  and 
  no 
  possession 
  by 
  supernatural 
  spirits. 
  

   Although 
  ventriloquism 
  is 
  employed 
  to 
  impersonate 
  the 
  spirits 
  and 
  

   demons 
  that 
  arrive, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  magician's 
  soul 
  takes 
  

   flight. 
  These 
  individuals 
  engage 
  neither 
  in 
  display 
  of 
  power, 
  con- 
  

   tests, 
  nor 
  conjuring. 
  The 
  Ay 
  mar 
  a 
  of 
  Chucuito, 
  however, 
  a 
  typically 
  

   believe 
  in 
  a 
  female 
  witch 
  who 
  eats 
  live 
  coals, 
  removes 
  her 
  eyeballs, 
  

   and 
  makes 
  a 
  magical 
  flight 
  to 
  hell 
  during 
  the 
  seance, 
  but 
  these 
  con- 
  

   cepts 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  Spanish 
  introduction. 
  In 
  general, 
  the 
  black 
  and 
  

   white 
  magicians 
  lack 
  familiar 
  spirits 
  and 
  possess 
  no 
  power 
  in 
  their 
  

   own 
  right 
  other 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  conversing 
  with 
  the 
  supernatural 
  beings. 
  

   Their 
  magical 
  prowess 
  rests 
  on 
  their 
  ability 
  to 
  coerce 
  spirits 
  by 
  means 
  

   of 
  offerings 
  to 
  do 
  their 
  bidding. 
  

  

  The 
  Aymara 
  live 
  in 
  terror 
  of 
  the 
  black 
  magician, 
  who 
  performs 
  at 
  

   night 
  in 
  secret, 
  remote 
  places. 
  Although 
  the 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  witch 
  

   (laiqa) 
  are 
  not 
  well 
  known, 
  his 
  chief 
  function 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  to 
  kill 
  

   people 
  with 
  magic, 
  to 
  send 
  disease 
  at 
  the 
  bidding 
  of 
  his 
  clients, 
  to 
  

   cause 
  accidents, 
  and 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  victim's 
  livestock. 
  12 
  Apparently, 
  

   he 
  also 
  cures 
  some 
  diseases, 
  discovers 
  and 
  punishes 
  thieves 
  through 
  

   black 
  magic, 
  and 
  performs 
  love 
  magic. 
  He 
  divines 
  by 
  using 
  coca, 
  

   by 
  interpreting 
  dreams, 
  and 
  by 
  invoking 
  the 
  spirits 
  of 
  the 
  dead, 
  of 
  

   demons, 
  and 
  of 
  owls. 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  magician 
  (laiqa) 
  resorts 
  to 
  familiar 
  techniques 
  of 
  imita- 
  

   tive 
  and 
  contagious 
  magic. 
  To 
  produce 
  a 
  spell, 
  bodily 
  exuviae 
  or 
  old 
  

   clothing 
  of 
  the 
  victim 
  are 
  required. 
  An 
  effigy 
  of 
  the 
  intended 
  victim 
  

   is 
  made 
  of 
  his 
  clothing 
  or 
  of 
  maize 
  dough 
  ; 
  or 
  the 
  person 
  is 
  represented 
  

   by 
  a 
  live 
  toad, 
  lizard, 
  or 
  rat. 
  The 
  effigy 
  is 
  strangled 
  or 
  mutilated, 
  to 
  

   produce 
  similar 
  effects 
  in 
  the 
  victim, 
  and 
  is 
  then 
  made 
  into 
  a 
  bundle 
  

   with 
  the 
  exuviae. 
  This 
  bundle 
  is 
  deposited, 
  together 
  with 
  fox 
  fat 
  and 
  

   threads 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  twisted 
  backward, 
  on 
  a 
  hilltop, 
  at 
  crossroads, 
  

   in 
  a 
  chullpa, 
  or 
  at 
  the 
  abode 
  of 
  an 
  evil 
  spirit, 
  or 
  is 
  buried 
  on 
  the 
  victim's 
  

   property. 
  With 
  the 
  bundle, 
  the 
  witch 
  leaves 
  offerings 
  to 
  the 
  evil 
  

   spirit 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  invoked 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  spell 
  effective; 
  the 
  offerings 
  

   are 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  left 
  hand. 
  The 
  witch 
  may 
  also 
  accomplish 
  his 
  

   evil 
  designs 
  by 
  bewitching 
  the 
  victim's 
  urine 
  and 
  pouring 
  it 
  out 
  at 
  his 
  

   door, 
  by 
  summoning 
  his 
  soul 
  at 
  night 
  and 
  injuring 
  or 
  killing 
  it, 
  or 
  by 
  

   bribing 
  the 
  place 
  spirit 
  to 
  send 
  disease. 
  

  

  The 
  blood 
  or 
  urine 
  of 
  a 
  witch 
  is 
  drunk 
  to 
  counteract 
  witchcraft; 
  

   amulets 
  are 
  carried 
  and 
  coca 
  plastered 
  on 
  the 
  forehead 
  to 
  ward 
  it 
  off. 
  

   The 
  spell 
  may 
  be 
  reversed 
  by 
  washing 
  the 
  victim 
  and 
  dumping 
  the 
  

   water 
  at 
  the 
  witch's 
  door, 
  or 
  simply 
  by 
  looking 
  at 
  the 
  witch, 
  or 
  at 
  the 
  

  

  12 
  Payments 
  to 
  laiqa 
  usually 
  consist 
  of 
  substantial 
  sums 
  of 
  money, 
  coca, 
  alcohol, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  food- 
  

  

  