433 Chapter Seven Cosmos For the Matsigenka of Shimaa, kameti ...

(Baer 1979: 110-111). Itinkame look out for the well-being of their species, and to that end
may exercise spiritual force for or against humans.
In stories (Chapter 4), the spirit rulers of yaniri “howler monkey” and osheto “spider
monkey” threatened other protagonists with violence. Tsiroenti “hummingbird” is the spirit ruler
of yairi “paper wasp,” whose spirit form is a huge wasp that shoots arrows into people, causing
pneumonia (ikentakena yairi “he-shot-me wasp”). As with many demons, yairi can take either
male or female form. For example, a married couple, Aradino and Rosa, returned from a
foraging trip convinced they had been shot; yet Aradino said “He shot me” (ikentakena),
whereas Rosa said, “She shot me” (okentakena). Both were pale and terrified.
Matsontsori (Jaguar). The category matsontsori includes jaguar, puma and ocelot. It is
the largest predator in the forest, besides man, and is the main threat to domesticated animals.
But the primary danger of matsontsori is spiritual. Long ago, people and animals
metamorphosed (ipeganaka) freely into matsontsori, but in the present, only a limited number of
animals are capable of converting into jaguar, including armadillo, squirrel, woodpecker, frog,
turtle, and several monkeys and birds. These animals are potentially very dangerous, therefore,
and must be hunted and killed with respect. In particular, if the hunter laughs at them, or takes
their eggs or their young, they are liable to convert right then and there into matsontsori.
The man who kills jaguar is considered to be very brave, and must be a wise hunter to
succeed. Once killed, matsontsori is no further threat, although most people observe a
restriction against eating its meat. They say, “I don’t know how, I never learned,” and fear
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