ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
be seen. Upon the head was worn a cap of wax, in which 
were stuck a great number of arrows, so that it looked 
just like the back of a disturbed porcupine. 
Naturally those “ souls ” were merely special girls 
dressed up for the occasion. Rut credulous Bororo women 
believed they were actually seeing the souls of their dead 
relatives. They worked themselves into a great state 
of excitement. 
The same implement which was employed by the 
Bororos to reproduce the sound of the aigi or ajie 
(hippopotamus) —a board some ten inches long and 
three inches wide attached to a string and revolved from 
a long pole — was also used by them to announce the 
departure of souls from this world to the next. The 
women were ordered to cover their faces or hide altogether 
inside their huts when these noises were produced. Should 
one be curious enough to inquire into their origin and 
look, she was generally condemned to death, frequently 
by starvation. The Bacururu, or the Coroado Indians, 
believed that after such an indiscretion nothing could 
save the life of a woman. 
Before starting on a hunting or fishing expedition, 
prayers were offered to the souls of the departed, so that 
they might not interfere with the success of the expedition, 
and if possible help instead. 
The funeral rites of the Bororos were singular. On 
the death of a man, a chorus of moans began, and tears 
were shed in profusion, while some one sang for several 
days the praises of the defunct in a melancholy monotone. 
The body was covered for two entire days, during which 
all articles that belonged to the deceased, such as bow 
and arrows, pots, and musical instruments, were smashed 
or destroyed. The debris was stored behind a screen in 
the hut, where subsequently was also kept the hearse in 
which the body was conveyed to the burial spot. The 
body, wrapped in a palm-leaf mat, was then interred in 
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