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The next day there are mourners for a young boy who had died the night before. His relatives have eaten his bones during the night. The bones having been burned, powdered and then mixed into banana soup. the bananas have come from the boy's garden. Later in the day, the tree is chopped down by the men, never to bear fruit again.
A group of men form a circle, crouching down within the larger circle within the shabono. An old 'Shabori' or witch doctor is gesticulating above them. The circle grows as other men join them in the chanting and then all rise en-masse and whirl away , splitting into smaller groups like constellations of stars after the 'big bang'. Some of the mourners pair off and fall upon each other wailing and sobbing, their limbs loosely intertwined as they lay in the dirt. In another part of the shabono in a hammock under the cover of the thatched roof, a man sits painfully straddling his hammock as five other Shaboris screech and articulate a cure collectively with their bodies.
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The men form a circle in the middle of the shabono.
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In time, after the mourners and drug takers have drifted away, another spectacle begins. Fresh banana leaves are laid about the center stage of the common area. Men approach this center from all directions bringing stacks of fresh cassava bread and place them on the leaves. Woven backpacks laden with monkey and tapir meat are also brought forth. The wealth is divided up, and the rightful portion is brought back to the hearth of each family. The family repacks the food, each into their own individual backpacks. This is the food that they will exist upon during their long hike back home. In the midst of every activity, children play and prance, their mothers involved in the daily practice of tending fires, suckling their infants and painting each other's faces. People don't seem to mind the camera and I am occasionally asked by my subjects if I wish to have my picture taken.
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A woman applying ritual makeup to a young boy.
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The next morning people begin to paint themselves using big balls of red urucu which is painstakingly collected from little pods. One woman squiggles bold red lines down another's legs, back and arms. She spits on the ball periodically as she twists it here and there on the flesh of her companion to make large red spots. The exact pattern varies depending on the artistic ability and whim of the person applying the pigment. Young girls decorate each other, small children draw on babies, husbands decorate their wives. One man caringly covers his wife's back with lovely undulating lines in counterpoint with large red dots. she continues the design on the front of her body lifting her breasts to continue the design. Feathers are brought forth for the ears. Arm bands of tall Macaw feathers, Necklaces with teeth, pods and rattling bills complete the picture for many. Another celebration of life in the shabono begins.