GAMES ON THE BIRTH OF THE MALE CHILD OF A
CACIQUE.
The love implanted in the minds of all nations towards their prince
never shows itself more clearly than when the birth of an heir is
announced. Festive fires, theatrical games, joyous acclamations, songs,
paintings, sculpture, elegant dances, and various other things attest
the public joy. This custom of the Europeans, the savage and warlike
Abipones in their fashion imitate. They make public show of rejoicing
for some days, when informed of the birth of a Cacique's son. As soon as
a report is spread of the birth of the son of a Cacique, the whole crowd
of girls, bearing palm boughs in their hands, repair to the house of the
infant amid festive acclamations; they run round the roof and sides of
it, shaking the palm boughs, by which percussion they happily augur that
the child will become famous in war, and the scourge of his enemies. The
use of the palms, and the other ceremonies which follow all have
relation to this. The strongest of the women is covered from the loins
to the legs, with a sort of apron made of the longer ostrich feathers.
That woman has every day the most business to perform; for in company
with the other girls, she visits all the huts, and with a hide, twisted
in the form of Hercules's club, whips, puts to flight, and pursues all
the men that she finds in every house, and those that are met by the way
are soundly beaten by the girls, with the palm boughs. The first day is
passed in this running up and down, amidst the laughter of the
flagellated men. Next day the girls, who are distributed into bands,
wrestle with one another, and the boys do the same in a separate place.
On the third day they are called out to dance, the boys on one side, and
the girls on the other. They all join hands till a circle is formed, an
old woman, the directress of the dance going round striking a gourd: and
when after a whirling for some time, they grow giddy, they rest at
intervals, and then renew their dancing, which contains nothing worthy
of admiration, but the patience displayed on the part both of the
spectators and of the performers, and is perfectly devoid of art. On the
fourth day, the woman with the apron of ostrich feathers traverses the
town, surrounded by girls, challenging the stoutest and strongest woman
she finds in every house, to contend with her in the street; and now
throwing her adversary, now being herself thrown, affords an amusing
spectacle to the assembled people. During the remaining days, (for those
games last eight days,) either the former sports are renewed, or the men
joyfully indulge in public drinking-parties, wherein songs are
alternately sung to the sound of drum. Of the other games, on the
occasion of some person's being admitted to the rank of captain, of the
celebration of any signal victory, of the death of a noble, the removal
of the bones of the dead, the shaving of a widow's hair, &c. we shall
discourse elsewhere. Of this I am quite certain, that the Abipones
Nakaiketergehes, or wood-Abipones, are much more observant of national
rites and ceremonies than the rest. It is incredible what time and
labour it cost us to abolish the national rites of this ferocious
nation, which the example of their ancestors had hallowed in their eyes.
An oak a hundred years old, which has stuck its roots deep into the
ground, is not felled at a blow. But now, from nuptial and natal games,
let us proceed to things of a more gloomy character, to diseases,
physicians, and medicines.