The Arrival of Guests. 
159 
with wing-cases of brilliant diamond 'beetles (Buprestidae) , hung 
down the back: the ankles encircled by strings threaded with the hol- 
lowed-out seeds of the Thevetia nereifolia Juss. that cause a tinkling 
noise with every step— and you have a description of every Indian ac- 
companying the chief. Only a few amongst them were specially notice- 
able through wearing a feather mantle made of the closely-threaded 
long tail-feathers of the Indian raven (Powis) which, like a halo radial 
ing downwards, enclosed the shoulders. Leading their children by the 
hand, dressed in simple bead-ornaments and thickly painted, the women 
closed the interesting procession. 
554. Although our large corial had certainly roused the arriving 
guests to a high pitch of curiosity, and the sight of so many Strangers 
filling the village must have increased their astonishment still further, 
the column proceeded earnestly and silently on its way without taking 
(he slightest notice of us. Only the children threw shy and stolen 
glances in our direction, it being probably the first time in their lives 
that they had seen white and black people, and, frightened at our appear 1 
ance, anxiously nestled close up to their mothers. When the procession 
arrived at the chief’s house, the two commanders greeted one another : the 
visitor sat on a stool already placed there, bis dependents standing 
around in a half-circle. 
555. The salutation ceremony of the Akawais is fairly brief. Guest : 
“I am come.” Host: “It is well, art thou come?” Guest: “Yes, I am 
there.” From what Caberalli told me, the salutation and welcome 
ceremony of the Arawaks exactly corresponds with this, e.g. Guest : “ 1 
am come.” Host: “It is well: art thou come?” or also only “It is 
well.” Host: “Are you there?” Guest: “Yes, I am there.”! As the 
guest uttered the last word, the wife of our chief handed him the drink- 
ing vessel filled with paiwari, while another placed a pot of meat before 
him. After drinking he handed the calabash to the next man on his 
right, and seized onto the meat, whereupon the host excused himself for 
not having anything better to set before him, an apology which was ac- 
cepted with an “It is good.” All his remaining male companions were 
(hen supplied with paiwari and meat, while the women, who never dare 
eat at the same time with the men. inquisitively turned their bashful 
looks upon us: as soon ns they had eaten and drunk, they approached 
this or that resident, spoke with him, or stepped up to us, and only now 
was it permissible for the women to still their thirst and satisfy their 
hunger. 
55fi. Troop thus followed upon troop, the reception ceremony being 
repeated with each one. Amongst the whole of this vast assemblage 
there were not two individuals where absolute correspondence could be 
found in the painting of the face. 
557. Every guest bad brought with him his cotton-woven hammock 
which, directly after the salutation scene, was fetched out of the cor- 
ials by the women, slung up in one of the houses, and taken possession 
of by the owner. Resting in it, he would talk with his comrades lying 
close by, or make some funny satirical remarks about us, our people, or 
f Compare Quandt: Naehricht von Surinam und seinen Bewohnern. 
