﻿618 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  grave. 
  Rattles, 
  bells, 
  and 
  a 
  trumpet 
  are 
  still 
  other 
  Atacameno 
  instru- 
  

   ments. 
  

  

  Petroglyphs. 
  — 
  Petroglyphs 
  of 
  simple 
  animal 
  and 
  human 
  figures 
  are 
  

   common 
  in 
  North 
  Chile 
  and 
  Northwest 
  Argentina, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  

   undoubtedly 
  pertain 
  to 
  the 
  Atacameno 
  Periods. 
  Also, 
  rock 
  caves 
  are 
  

   described 
  which 
  have 
  painted 
  walls 
  with 
  designs 
  like 
  the 
  petroglyphs. 
  

  

  Art. 
  — 
  The 
  only 
  outstanding 
  art 
  achievement 
  is 
  in 
  woodcarving. 
  

   This 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  snuff 
  

   tablets 
  and 
  tubes, 
  the 
  paint 
  boxes, 
  the 
  wooden 
  whorls, 
  and 
  other 
  

   wooden 
  artifacts. 
  Otherwise, 
  the 
  decoration 
  of 
  the 
  bone 
  spatulas, 
  

   the 
  pottery, 
  and 
  the 
  textiles, 
  is 
  competent, 
  but 
  not 
  outstanding. 
  Some 
  

   decorative 
  work 
  was 
  done 
  with 
  bird 
  feathers, 
  tufts 
  of 
  fur, 
  and 
  the 
  

   sewing 
  of 
  white 
  fur 
  patches 
  on 
  black 
  leather 
  backgrounds. 
  Still 
  other 
  

   techniques 
  are 
  incision, 
  inlay 
  work 
  with 
  shells, 
  dyeing, 
  and 
  some 
  

   painted 
  design. 
  

  

  RELIGION 
  

  

  Knowledge 
  of 
  Atacameno 
  religion 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  indirect, 
  archeological 
  

   evidence, 
  and 
  even 
  this 
  is 
  limited. 
  None 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  construction 
  

   units 
  appears 
  to 
  represent 
  a 
  temple 
  or 
  other 
  religious 
  type 
  of 
  building. 
  

   The 
  ceramic 
  designs 
  are 
  neither 
  pictorial 
  nor 
  symbolic, 
  and 
  are, 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  of 
  little 
  use 
  in 
  interpreting 
  religion. 
  Some 
  objects 
  have 
  been 
  

   found, 
  such 
  as 
  leather 
  demon 
  masks, 
  llama 
  feet 
  pierced 
  with 
  arrows, 
  

   and 
  reed 
  shafts 
  with 
  modeled 
  leather 
  heads, 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  religious 
  

   connotations, 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  refer 
  to 
  shamanistic 
  practices. 
  Elsewhere 
  in 
  

   South 
  America, 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  parica 
  as 
  snuff 
  is 
  generally 
  associated 
  with 
  

   religious 
  practices. 
  

  

  The 
  careful 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  graves 
  and 
  corpses 
  is 
  

   indicative 
  of 
  considerable 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  deceased. 
  The 
  types 
  of 
  

   burials 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  described, 
  but 
  one 
  type 
  of 
  burial 
  chamber 
  

   deserves 
  special 
  mention 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  resemblance 
  to 
  a 
  type 
  of 
  family 
  

   mausoleum 
  which 
  is 
  said 
  still 
  to 
  exist 
  in 
  North 
  Chile. 
  Today, 
  it 
  is 
  

   claimed, 
  the 
  underground 
  chamber 
  has 
  a 
  table 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  

   around 
  which 
  the 
  mummies 
  of 
  the 
  deceased 
  are 
  grouped. 
  A 
  member 
  

   of 
  the 
  family 
  who 
  is 
  seriously 
  ailing 
  is 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  chamber, 
  seated 
  

   at 
  the 
  table, 
  and 
  surrounded 
  by 
  offerings 
  of 
  food 
  and 
  gifts. 
  A 
  ceremo- 
  

   nial 
  dance 
  is 
  then 
  given 
  by 
  his 
  relatives 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  help 
  him 
  "die 
  well." 
  

   Once 
  a 
  year 
  these 
  mausolea 
  are 
  opened, 
  the 
  food 
  and 
  other 
  offerings 
  

   are 
  renewed, 
  and 
  the 
  death 
  dance 
  is 
  repeated. 
  This 
  ceremony 
  may 
  

   possibly 
  reflect 
  an 
  ancient 
  practice. 
  

  

  BIBLIOGRAPHY 
  

   For 
  bibliographical 
  references, 
  see 
  page 
  605. 
  

  

  