﻿568 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  bull. 
  143 
  

  

  The 
  houses 
  are 
  filled 
  with 
  miniature 
  clay 
  animals, 
  utensils, 
  implements, 
  

   and 
  articles 
  of 
  clothing 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  the 
  owner 
  may 
  acquire 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  

   things 
  during 
  the 
  following 
  year. 
  A 
  mock 
  market 
  is 
  held 
  during 
  

   which 
  the 
  objects 
  are 
  bought 
  and 
  sold 
  with 
  potsherds. 
  They 
  are 
  

   later 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  children 
  for 
  toys. 
  In 
  parts 
  of 
  Bolivia, 
  images 
  of 
  the 
  

   fertility 
  spirit 
  (eq'eq'o) 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  houses. 
  The 
  fiesta 
  is 
  accom- 
  

   panied 
  by 
  considerable 
  sexual 
  license 
  among 
  the 
  younger 
  Aymara. 
  

  

  Diseases 
  and 
  medicines. 
  — 
  Curing 
  is 
  an 
  absorbing 
  interest 
  of 
  the 
  

   Aymara. 
  Its 
  elaborate 
  development 
  is 
  reflected 
  in 
  the 
  extensive 
  term- 
  

   inology 
  of 
  diseases, 
  medicines, 
  practitioners, 
  and 
  curing 
  techniques. 
  

   It 
  is 
  recognized 
  that 
  people 
  of 
  different 
  ages 
  are 
  susceptible 
  to 
  special 
  

   ailments. 
  All 
  adults 
  have 
  some 
  knowledge 
  of 
  simple 
  herbal 
  remedies 
  

   and 
  treat 
  slight 
  injuries; 
  a 
  doctor 
  is 
  not 
  consulted 
  unless 
  the 
  ailment 
  

   or 
  injury 
  is 
  persistent 
  and 
  specialized 
  knowledge 
  required. 
  

  

  Diseases 
  are 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  due 
  mainly 
  to 
  evil 
  spirits 
  and 
  witch- 
  

   craft, 
  although 
  a 
  few 
  are 
  attributed 
  to 
  natural 
  causes. 
  All 
  the 
  latter 
  

   are 
  classified 
  as 
  hot 
  or 
  cold 
  and 
  require 
  a 
  remedy 
  of 
  the 
  opposite 
  

   temperature. 
  These 
  concepts 
  of 
  hot 
  and 
  cold 
  may 
  come 
  from 
  Spanish 
  

   influence. 
  The 
  general 
  procedure 
  is 
  for 
  the 
  practitioner 
  to 
  divine 
  the 
  

   cause 
  of 
  disease 
  according 
  to 
  his 
  particular 
  method, 
  and 
  then 
  to 
  cure 
  

   it 
  by 
  medical 
  or 
  magical 
  techniques. 
  

  

  Beliefs 
  about 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  disease 
  are 
  numerous. 
  They 
  include 
  

   seeing 
  ghosts, 
  the 
  soul 
  becoming 
  lost 
  or 
  having 
  been 
  kidnapped 
  by 
  evil 
  

   spirits 
  or 
  witches, 
  dreams, 
  being 
  looked 
  at 
  by 
  evil 
  spirits, 
  intrusion 
  of 
  

   an 
  object 
  into 
  the 
  body, 
  mutilation 
  of 
  one's 
  effigy 
  in 
  witchcraft, 
  and 
  the 
  

   "evil 
  eye," 
  the 
  last 
  possibly 
  being 
  a 
  Spanish 
  concept. 
  Most 
  of 
  these 
  have 
  

   been 
  discussed 
  earlier 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  witchcraft 
  and 
  supernatural 
  

   beings. 
  Soul 
  loss, 
  an 
  ailment 
  particularly 
  common 
  among 
  children, 
  

   results 
  from 
  fright 
  or 
  shock. 
  If 
  the 
  child's 
  mother 
  is 
  unable 
  to 
  make 
  

   the 
  soul 
  return 
  by 
  calling 
  to 
  it, 
  a 
  doctor 
  makes 
  an 
  image 
  of 
  the 
  child's 
  

   clothes, 
  entices 
  the 
  soul 
  into 
  it, 
  and 
  places 
  the 
  image 
  in 
  the 
  child's 
  bed 
  

   (Paredes, 
  1936, 
  pp. 
  116-17). 
  The 
  intrusion 
  of 
  a 
  fragment 
  of 
  human 
  

   bone 
  into 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  "chullpa 
  sickness," 
  which 
  comes 
  

   from 
  witchcraft 
  or 
  malevolent 
  spirits 
  which 
  inhabit 
  ruins. 
  The 
  bone 
  

   is 
  extracted 
  magically 
  in 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  ways, 
  but 
  is 
  not 
  removed 
  by 
  

   sucking. 
  

  

  A 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  medicines 
  are 
  taken 
  both 
  internally 
  and 
  exter- 
  

   nally. 
  Most 
  are 
  vegetable, 
  the 
  roots, 
  seeds, 
  leaves, 
  and 
  flowers 
  being 
  

   taken 
  for 
  specific 
  purposes. 
  One 
  or 
  several 
  plant 
  species 
  may 
  be 
  com- 
  

   bined 
  in 
  a 
  given 
  medicine. 
  Remedies 
  of 
  animal 
  derivation, 
  next 
  in 
  

   importance, 
  include 
  various 
  portions 
  of 
  mammals, 
  birds, 
  reptiles, 
  fish, 
  

   larvae, 
  insects, 
  starfish, 
  sea 
  urchins, 
  and 
  mollusks. 
  Minerals 
  rank 
  

   third 
  as 
  medicines, 
  mercury 
  being 
  used 
  to 
  treat 
  syphilis 
  and 
  certain 
  

   clays 
  to 
  stop 
  internal 
  bleeding. 
  Last 
  in 
  importance 
  ranks 
  human 
  flesh, 
  

   desiccated 
  bits 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  eaten 
  to 
  cure 
  ghost 
  sickness. 
  

  

  