MeghanRose

Anth310
Prof.Buzon
6December2014
MortuaryRitualsAmongtheKayapo
ThegroupwhichIdecidedtoresearchforinformationonmortuarypracticesandthe
relationofthesepracticestofeelingsandactivitiesinlifeisthatoftheKayapo.TheKayapoare
agroupofJespeakingpeoplethatresideintheXinguriverbasinoftheNorthernBrazilian
Amazon.ThesepeoplerefertothemselvesasMebengokreversusthatofKayapo.HereI
willsummarizesomeofthemortuaryritualspracticedbythesepeoplewhilehighlightingaspects
ofliferelatingtotheseritualssuchas:emotionalreactions(todeath),culturalbody
modifications,treatmentofthecorpse,kinship,andplacingthedead.Ihavefoundfewscholarly
sourcesonthistopicregardingtheKayapo.However,Ispenttimedoinganethnographicfield
schoolinaKayapovillageduringthesummerof2013withDr.LauraZanottiinwhichI
observedandwastoldstoriesofthesemanyritualsandbeliefs.Iwillusethesepersonal
experiencesinconstructingthispaperinadditiontothesourcesusedforfurtherresearch.
DeathtotheKayapoisseenasanirreversibleseparationofthebodyandtheloosely
translatedwordforsoul,
karon
(Cohn2010).However,thelivingandthedead(referredtoas
mekaron)
arealwaysconnectedasthedeadarealwaysseekingcontactwiththeliving.Thereisa
lotofdiscussionabouttheworrytheKayapohaveaboutlosingthe
karon
whichcanhappen
duringsleeporthe
mekaron
cantakefromachild,whoismostatriskoflosingtheir
karon
ifleft
unattended.

Whenapersondiesinthevillage,onealmostimmediatelyknows.Thesoundofwailing
inresponsetoadeathcanbeheardthroughoutandbeyondthevillage.Thisweepingisseparate
fromthatofkeeningwhichisseenuponthedepartureorarrivalofarelativefromatrip(Lea
2004).Itisoftenassociatedwiththetypeofcrying/wailingofachild.Theactofwailingis
hierarchical.Womenwithoutchildrenarenotpermittedtowailinmourning,butarelefttoweep
silently.Theolderawomanandthemorefamily/childrenshehaslost,themoreoftenandlouder
sheispermittedtowail(Lea2004).Thisismostdefinitelyreferredtoasanemotionalresponse
tothedeathofanindividualwhichwasdiscussedthoroughlyinclass.Somemayarguethatthis
putslimitsorexpectationsonthenaturalprocessofgriefwhileothersdonotbelieveittobereal
emotion,butinsteadsomethingthatisritualizedandculturallyexpectedofapersonwhetheror
notheactuallyfeelsthisway.MuchlikethecasestudypresentedinclasswiththeNyakyusaof
TanzaniaandMalawi,theKayaposhowintenseemotionaldisplaysinreactiontodeath.Bothof
thesegroupsusedeathasanincentivetocorrectlypracticeandperformtheseritualsinorderto
stayawayfromthepossibilityofdeath,whichmayhappenifperformedincorrectly.
Alongwiththeemotionalresponseofweeping,thereisalsoflagellation.LeaandCohn
discussthisseeminglybizarrepracticeamongtheKayapowomen(2004,2010).Herewecan
reallyseetheintensityofthegriefandtheimportanceofoutwardlyshowingthisgrieftotherest
ofthevillage.Awomanwillbeatherselfintheheadandplacesonherbodywheresheusedto
holdherchild(suchasthearms)withamachete,rock,orsomeothersharpobject.Otherwomen
willthenjoinin,tryingtotakethemacheteanduseitonthemselvesbashinguntilthebloodis
runningdowntheirfacesandbodies.Themotherofadeceasedchildwillalsothrowherself
backwardsonthegroundrepeatedly.Manytimes,theseoutwarddisplaysemotionalrelease

throughviolenceinflictedononeselfandselfmutilationwillbestoppedduetotheintervention
ofanothercommunitymemberbeforesomeonekillsthemselves(whichhappensonrare
occasions)(Lea2004).Icanimaginethatalackofthisdisplayorahalfheartedattemptatthis
performancewouldbeverytaboo,especiallyifthemotherofadeceasedchildwastheone
lacking.IdidnotfindasmuchrestrictionontheflagellationasIdidtheweeping.Perhapsthisis
moreopenandlessbasedonageorrelationtothedeceasedthantheweeping.
Afterdeath,thecorpseofthedeceasedisthenpreparedfortheburial.Inlife,thebodies
ofindividualsarepaintedwithablackpaintfromthe
Jenipapo
seedinvariousgeometricforms
andmotifsthatvarydependingonagesetandoccasion.Sometimesthebodiesarealso
highlightedwithared,thick,waxypaintmadefrom
urucu.
Childrenarepainteddifferentlythan
adults,especiallybeforethechildrencanwalk.However,ifachilddies,thenheistreatedasan
adultwouldbetreatedduringaceremony/festivalinhisdeathasfarasbodypreparationis
concerned(Cohn2010).
Beforethebodypaintingoranyotherformofpreparationoccurs,thebodyisvery
thoroughlycleansed.AswiththecasestudyofthePazyrykofChinaandMongolia,theskinis
seenasaboundarybetweenthe
karon
andtheoutside,realworld.Hardeningoftheskinasones
ageprogressesisimportantinensuringthe
karon
remaininsidethebody(whichiswhychildren
aremoresusceptibletobeingtakenbythe
mekaron
,duetotheirsoftskin).Thebodypainting
allowsforthissortofrecognitioninthepersonslifetoshowwhichstagetheyarein,andina
waypresenttoothersthedurabilityoftheirboundarycalledskin.Theheadofthedeceasedis
alsoshavedinatriangleonthetopofthehead,withthewidepartofthetrianglerunningalong

thehairlineoftheforeheadjustasanadultsheadwouldbeshavedduringafestival(Cohn
2010).
Ashintedatabove,wecanseethetreatmentofthecorpsereflectingtheculturalbody
treatmentofalivingpersoninthenormallifeofthecommunity.Asonemayimaginefromthe
informationabove,theprocessofbodypaintingissignificantinthispopulation.Itsignifiesthe
agesetofaperson,possiblyanydermatologicalflawstheymayhave,whichsetofritesof
passagehavebeencompleted,etc.Forexample,achildthathasnotyettakenhisfirststepor
learnedtospeakwillbepaintednearlyentirely.However,achildthatispastthisstagewillbe
paintedalloverwiththeexceptionoftheneck,forearmsdown,andcalvesdown.Thissignifies
thestageoflife,statusofaperson,andpersonhoodingeneral.
Wealsonoticetheuseoflabretsinthisgroup.Ears(formalesandfemales)andlabrets
(formales)arepiercedduringchildhood,sometimesdirectlyafterbirth.Cohnmentionshowthe
typeofadornmentpresentedbythelabretismeanttoaccentuatethemaleskilloforatoryandare
useduntiltheyarearoundtenyearsofage(2010).Thepracticeoflargelipdisks,wornbysome
elders,hasbeenabandonedbytheyoungergenerationsofmen.
Onecanalsoseethevariationinhaircutsforcertainagesetsorvillage
activities/festivals.ThemostcommonformsofhaircutsthatIobservedwhileinthevillageof
Aukre
werethatofthetrianglementionedaboveandalsothatofastraight,mediumwideline
runningdownthemiddleoftheheadtoaboutthecenterofthetopofthecrown.Thetrianglecut
seemstobethatattributedtoanadult,butmayalsobepresentinchildren.Therewasanaming
festivalinprogresswhileIwasvisiting
Aukre,
somanyofthevillagershadfreshlyshavenheads
whichsomeofmygroupmembersdecidedtheywantedtoparticipatein.However,theKayapo

performingthecuttinggavethemdifferentcutsdependingonwhetherornottheyhadchildrenor
weremarried.Ifthegroupmembersdidnothavechildrenorweremarried,theyreceivedacutof
thatofaKayapochild(widestraightline).
TheadornmentswornbytheKayapogobeyondthatofthelabret,bodypaint,or
piercedears.Duringfestivals,feathers,beads,coloredcotton(sometimessimplyintheformof
yarn),headdresses,ankletnoisemakers,etc.areworn.Thereisslightvariationinwhowears
whatduringthesefestivals,withthechiefwearingthemostgrandioseheaddresswithmany
featherswhileothersmaywearasinglefeatherhangingfromtheirneck.Thepatternsmadefrom
thebeadswornonthearmsandlegscanvarydependingonpersonalflareofthedesigneror
representingageometricdesign.
ThereasonthatImentionthesemanydifferentformsofbodyadornmentisduetothe
factthatoneisabletoseethesesocialandculturalaspectsreflectedintheburialpractices.Along
withtherepaintingofacorpseandrecuttingofthecorpseshair,thebodyisalsoadorned.Ifthe
bodyisnotadornedandthenplacedinthegrave,thenatleasttheobjectsofdailyandritualuse
arekeptbesidethegrave(Cohn2010).Itisimportanttonotethatthepreparationofthecorpseis
equaltothatofthepreparationofanadultforfestival(Cohn2010)whichmayleadoneto
believethattheKayaposeedeathasanotherriteofpassageanothersetofpracticestoensurethe
completionofthenextpartofexistence.Perhapsthisisevenfurtherconfirmedforthefactthat
theKayapobelievethatwhenapersonpasses,hecontinueslivinglifeinthesamesequencein
theafterlife,inavillageofthedeadwherelifecontinuestobecarriedout(Cohn2010).
Tocontinuetheconversationofburial,alongwiththepossessionsofdailyandritualuse
beingpresentalongsidethegrave(becausetheKayapopracticeinhumation)waterisalso

present,incasethedeceasedisthirsty,andafireislitintheeveningsfollowingthedeath.Ido
notknowhowlongthisformofattendancegoeson.Cohnmentionsthatinthepast,theywould
waituntiltheEarthhadconsumedthefleshalmosttototaldecay,andthentherewouldbesome
sortofsecondaryburial,whichwecanseeinvariousdifferentcultures,inwhichtheattendance
ofthegravewouldthenbehalted(2010).
Theplacementofthevillagecemeteryispresentoutsideoralongsidetheboundariesof
thevillage.ThismaybeduetotheideathattheKayapobelievethedeadarealiveandwantingto
interactwiththeliving,butduetothepowerthe
mekaron
exertandthepossibilityofhavingyour
karon
stolenbythedead,theKayapodonotwishtohavethecemeteriesinclosecontactwiththe
villagecenter.Thegardensofeachhomeareontheoutskirtsandboundariesofthevillageas
well,andbecauseoftheKayaposawarenessofthe
mekaron
,theycanbeseenspittingor
smokinginordertoridthe
mekaron
ofthearea(Cohn2010).The
mekaron
alsotendtoshowup
atfestivals.Becauseofthisreason,duringthenightsoftheculminationofthefestival,families
willsleepoutsideoftheirhouseswithfireslitbecauseatthistimeofthefestival,the
mekaron
thenoccupythehousesoftheindividuals(Cohn2010).ThisissomethingthatIalsowitnessed
whilevisitingthevillageof
Aukre.
Aswehavealreadydiscussedthegeographicalplacingofthedeadincemeteriesoutside
ofthevillage,wewillnowdiscusstheactualpositioningofthebodies.Thebodiesofthe
deceasedKayapoareusuallyfoundfacingtheeastwhichparallelsthatofmanydifferent
populationsincludingtheexampleoftheMinoantombsfoundontheislandofCrete.Perhaps
thisisduetotherelationshiptheKayapohavewiththesunandthemoon,butitissomethingthat
seemstooccurinmanyculturesandpopulations.AnotherattributeoftheKayapoburialsisthat

mostcommonersareburiedinaseatedposition.Thiswasalsoseeninsomeofthe
archaeologicalworkthatwasdoneinPeruwhichwediscussedinclass.Possiblythereisa
correlationwiththeregion.Theexceptionisthatofthechiefwhomaybeburiedwrappedinhis
hammocklyingdown.
Asinmanysocieties,especiallythoseofsmallersize,likethehorticulturalistKayapo,we
seethatkinshipisveryimportant.Theretendstobelessfocusonthenuclearfamilyasthereis
hereintheUnitedStates.Instead,everyoneworkstogetheranddecisionsofindividualsare
guidedbyandaffectfamilymembers.TheKayapokinshipsystemissomethingthatisvery
confusingtome,soIwillnotdelveintothat.However,itisclassificatoryandmatrilineal.
Everyoneworkstogetherinrearingchildren,alongwiththeolderchildrenthemselves.
Onegreataspectofkinshipisthatofkeepingancestorsalivethroughtheactofname
giving.Theceremony/festivaloccurringduringmytimein
Aukre
wasthatofanamingceremony
forafewchildren.Theparentsofthechildmaynotgivethebeautifulnametothechild(which
canonlybecalledbeautifulifgivenduringafestival),instead,thegrandparentsareoftenthe
onesgivingthenames.Thegrandparentsusuallygivetheirownnames,butmaygiveothersif
theyfinditmoresuitable.Oftentimes,anindividualhasmanydifferentnamesusedindifferent
circumstances,whichcanbecomeveryconfusing.Notallchildrengettohavethesenaming
festivals,butmanydo,andtheyusuallyhaveafewormanychildrenbeingnamedinthesame
festival(Cohn2010).Thisnamegivingensuresthecontinuingrelevanceoftheancestorsand
alsoholdsfamilytiesstrong.Whilein
Aukre
,Iwasgiventwodifferentnameswhichhave
escapedmeatthispointintime.However,theywerenotconsideredbeautifulbecausetheywere

simplygivenbythe[adopted]sisterofDr.Zanottiandanelderinthecommunity,norwasI
givenaceremony.
OnelastpointIwouldliketotouchonisthatofthemourningprocess.Thewailingand
theflagellationseemtobesomethingthatoccursshortlyafteroratthetimeofdeath.Cohntells
usthatitiscommonfortheparentsorverycloserelativesofthedeceasedtopainttheirbody
afterthedeathoftheirlovedone.Oncethispaintfades,themournersareallowedtoreturnto
dailyactivitieswithoutthelimitationsofthemourningstate.However,inthestoryCohngivesin
herarticle,wecanseethatthereisstillsomestateofsocialstandardsandexpectationsofthis
process.Adoptedparentsofadeceasedchildwerepaintedquicklyafterthedeathwhichwould
allowforaswifterreturntonormalactivities,andtheywerecriticizedforthis(2010).Thereis
alsotheactofcuttingthehairshortafterthedeathofanindividual.Idonotknowthistobetrue
ofallrelativesthatpass,butthehaircuttingappliesatleasttothedeathofachild.
Insummary,onecandeterminethatmanydifferentcomponentsareincludedwhen
thinkingofthefuneralprocesspreandpost.MuchgoesintotheKayapolife,social,personal,
andcosmologicalasitdoesinmanyothercivilizations.Ihavepresentedtheparallelsthatsome
oftheKayaporitualsandpracticeshavewithotherculturesandpopulationsaroundtheworld,
whichperhapsshowssomewhatofancoincidentalcorrelationofpractices.Withmyoverviewof
emotionalresponsestodeath,culturalbodymodifications(inlifeanddeath),adorationofthe
body(inlifeanddeath),kinship,andplacementofthedead,Ihavegivenarobustyetbrief
conclusionoftheKayapofuneraryandmortuarypractices,whichcouldusemoreindepth
research,giventhelackofpublishedinformationonthistopic.

References
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Children,Death,andtheDead:theMebengokrXikrinCase.translatedfrom

HorizontesAntropolgicos
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Lea,Vanessa.MebengokreRitualWailingandFlagellation:APerformativeOutletfor
EmotionalSelfExpression.
Indiana
21(2004):113125.