Ethnoecology, Resource Use, Conservation And Development In A ...

upon the father. For a period of around two weeks following the birth, the father
must spend most of his time resting in his hammock, and avoid all but the lightest
work. Proscribed activities include both traditional pursuits such as hunting, and the
non-traditional such as sharpening or using a cutlass and inflating bicycle tyres. He
must abstain from any sexual relations and must follow a severely restricted diet
devoid of all meat and all but a few smaller species of fish. Violation of the couvade
incurs consequences prejudicial to the health of the infant, including bleeding from
the navel, swollen abdomen and incessant crying, conditions which will ultimately
prove fatal without the intervention of a marunao. Private ceremonies are performed
to mark the father’s resumption of activities such as hunting, fishing, and farm work.
These involved the bathing of the infant in water which has been blown, the latter
involving a spoken prayer which invokes the spirit of certain animals: the maroro
(Priodontes maximus) prior to resuming farm work, for example, a species of heron
known as washanao (Ardea sp.) prior to resuming fishing on the savannah. The
dietary restrictions (although not, according to some people, the injunction against
work) also apply to the mother, and hence normally extend to the entire household.
They exist to protect the infant from the risk of its spirit being captured by that of
the animal consumed, which could have fatal consequences. The household may
resume the consumption of particular meats after the infant has reached an
appropriate age, as advised by a marunao, who also attends the first meal to include
the meat, in order to blow the latter. The period of abstention may be fairly short, as
in the case of the two peccary species. In the case of animals whose spirits are
considered to be stronger, particularly the sowai (Mazama gouazoubira), it may
extend to two or three years. The spirits of spider monkeys (Ateles paniscus) and
tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) are also considered to be particularly strong, and according
to some informants consumption of these meats is subject to post-natal prohibitions
enduring for a year or more.
5.4 Further forms of nature spirits
A number of locations on the savannah, in forests, and along rivers are considered to
harbour entities of a variety of forms believed to possess supernatural powers and
capable of endangering human well being and life. Among these are aquatic anteaters
referred to by the same Wapishana names - paashim and tamanwa — used,
sometimes inconsistently, to refer to the species Myrmecophaga tridactyla and
Tamandua tetradactyla . They are described as being smaller than these species and
entirely white in colour, and are said to reside underwater in specific locations in