25i 
Indian Myths and Christian Mixtures. 
Being, but who does not worry liiiii.self about mankind, stands above 
Kururumany, the tutelary god of the Arawaks. Wurekaddo and Emisi^ 
waddo are the wives of Kururumany : the first ^^•ord means also "Some 
one who works in the dark/' while the second is the name of the Cushi- 
ant and signifies "some one who rakes up the earth.'' A similar myth 
is found among the Tamanacs, a tribe living on the banks of the Orinoco.* 
Tlieir Supreme Böing on whom all things depend, is called Amalivaca. 
He has a brother Voeci : both together created the world : when they made 
the Orinoco a long discussion arose liow to fix up the tidal effects so that 
the paddlers would always be al)le to travel uji aud down it, instead of 
tiring themselves out by pulling against the current. Amallivaca, how- 
ever, had a daughtw who A\ as foml of going for ii walk, so lie broke her 
legs to break her of the liabit. After Amalivaca had lived long with the 
Taimanacs, he used a corial to take him to the fartlier side of the salt 
water whence he had come. As he an as just on the point of leaving, he 
called out to them in an altered voice : "You will change your skins," i.e., 
"You will always keep young, like snakes, cockroaches, etc." A doubting 
old woman, ]u)\vever. cried out "Oh,"' which annoyed Anmlivaca so much 
that he now said "You shall dlie." 
583. The Maipuri, another tribe of the Orinoco, called their Supreme 
Being Burrunamiuari : he made the men. His wife is Taparimarru, and 
his son Sisiri. Taparimarru A\ as a beautiful young woman. Burrunami- 
nari fell in love with her and his desires, without any i^hysical contact, 
made her the mother of Sisiri. 
58i. Remaining traditions which Oili relates of other tribes bear 
like the last mentioned, an apparently evident Christian mixture, for 
which reason 1 do not refer to them further, in this category I migh^: 
also mention the traditions of the AVarraus according to which a womau 
who fiew through the air and, >\'ithout having had anything to do with a 
man, gave birth, in the neighbourhood of the Orinoco, to the first Warrau, 
from whom all other tribes were derived. 
585. The Maipuri again, and according to Alexander von Humboldt 
the Tamanacs also, have a legend that once upon a time the whole earth 
was flooded with water. Only two people, a man and a woman, saved 
themselves on the summit of the high mountain Tamanaku, As they 
wandered round and round in deep misery at the loss of their friends, 
they heard a voice instructing them to throw the Mauritia fruit over their 
shoulders behind their backs : this done, the fruits that the man threw 
became men, and those that the woman threw, women. According to the 
myths of the Macusi the only man who surN ived the general flood threw 
stones behind him, and liy that means populated the earth afresh. 
586. Amongst all the tribes that we became acquainted with, it was 
the aged women Avho take the part of the old-time bards, aud transmit 
these traditions from one generation to another. 
587. I have also nowhere found the slightest trace of idolatry or 
fetishism. All the forces of nature are the outflow of the Good Spirit so 
long as they do not interfere with the repose and comfort of the Indians: 
P« Salvator CtIU op.^ cif. 
