156 Erunotocy Ink x A, and D, |, Levinson. 1569, National Characters The Sty of Modal Pewinalay aad Sococltaral Syste. Handbook of Socal Psych “ ea a pene otele Reda Mate mm of Political Values in Stateless Societies. ity and Socialization: An Evolutionary View. Hand- cory and Research, ed, D. A. Goslin, pp. 505547. Campa Cosmology’ Gerald Weiss Florida Atlantic University “The Campa of eastern Peru, who number perhaps 30,000 (Fast, 1962), oc: py a large teritory that includes the watersheds of the Ene, Perené) and Tbe rivers, plus the Gran Pajonal (sce Map 1). These four geograp! terms—Fne, Perené, Tambo, and Gran Paj tural regions differing to a ¢ the Gran Pajonal region be Pereng, and Tambo rivers and those of the ind very little intermarria might be called the River Campa and the Pajonal two different cultural systems. The this paper was drawn from the River Campa cul doubtedly the Pajonal Campa hold many similar b ma should be ma mind ‘cosmology. Each idea, each det quency of occurrence, within the sal in that population, others nearly so, but many are more li less, certain general understandings are in terms of which their more specific cos- it seems, is that shared by mogtaphic and cosmogoni leas are by and large comy idl the resul a completed picture of which each sme fragment, however large or ences there are variational ‘of the same myth, but again the ‘common to the several versions. 15 Canta UNIVERSE, ‘The Campa identify themselves as ashdninka, derstand themselves to occupy a definite region on a flat ea Small directions to unknown limits. They recognize that they are sur by neighboring tribes and peoples, each occupying ry Rrnwetha Camisha), the Cashibo (kashivo), the Conibo (konica), the Shipibo (shipivo), the Piro (shimirints’), the Machiguenga (machikénka)> 157158 Erunovocy there are the invading Caucasians ly out of a lake in Campa iginally resided, but whose present ity of the river's end. Cantra Cosmorosr 159 largely terra incog- ” world are reached re that two important geographical The main river Ucayali—has its source at Ri of the known world, and at smost point, where the main river fal knows where. Many Campa (ent river's level. B the known world is Iriméka, 1m reports of the existence Rimac). Some Campa extend the of good t beyond OF the conceptualized world—whether there is land or unknown, The earth, as thus described, is commonly referred to as kipdt 1a who give it a specific nam because it is on the earth “the land of cluding man, dw. 1¢ earth which they inhabi The sky, Inkite—also referred to by ste number of such strat some Campa reco dence of good the stronghold o' For the Campa the w they can observe, eyes. These are the spirits—immort instantaneous transformation. TI fon one or another ha, “our fellows,” which that the Campa feel to many of the latier were ‘The good spirits are frequen reflects the close friendship and exist between themselves and the good spix60 Eranovocy ‘once Campa here on earth. A more specific term applied to the good spivits is amatsénka, which might be translated as “our spit fellows.” Good spirits are also known as maninkar, the “hidden ones. ‘The good spirits reside in settlements located (1) on the mountain ridges in Campo tetitory (hese ae the otshise or “mountain ridge dwellers), (2) along the rim of the known world (these include the intatoniséti, the otstirikositi, and the irimakaséti), and (3) on other strata in the universe— rata, the stratum of the clouds, and the first subterranean d respectively by the henokisiti, the menkorisiti, and the ese abodes the good spirits live in their true or human form, Rivintistti. Ta much as the Campa live except that they have all good things and know them- nothing of sickness, misery, or death. They periodically rejuves River of Eternal Youth. ayahuasca, Banisteriopsis sp.) and to instruct the Campa Mashikinti and his family reached a state of perfection by taking ayahuasca with suitable continence over a period of time, and flew to the sky and fon a raft. The belt and scabbard of Orion is Porinkari. . Porinkari’ was Mashikinti’s brother-in-law, whom Mashfkinti so loved that he let down a rope from the sky for Porinkari and his family to clamber up. In another version, Porfnkari was a Campa pursued by a warrior wasp (still jan form at that time); Porinkari escaped by climbing rope con earth and sky and then i before receiving an arrow in his leg. Another henokisitt is Kirdkis the Milky Way is is time to plant maize (shingi). Other features of the night sky are rec- ognized. For example, the Campa have names for the planets, and they idemtify the Larger Magellenic Cloud as a sloth (soréni) and the Coal Sack in the Southern Cross as a bees’ nest (aéri), But the Campa do not presume that all the stars are Aenokisdti, or even to know what they are. ‘As with mortals, there are both male and female spirits, and they have offspring. ‘The good spirits, however, are equipped wi tive geni- tala, lack the passion of lust, and reproduce by means other than sexual union. Furthermore, they are spared the burden of infant and child care; their offspring are born standing, and reach adulthood in a single luna- tion or so. In their true form, the good spirits are human in shape but invisible to th normal human eye. Only shamans have the ability, because of their sp powers, to sce spirits in their true form, both when good spirits come to and when the shaman himself (or rather his soul) goes to visit them at places of residence. The good spirits, however, do take on visible forms when they visit or pass through Campa territory. Lightning flashes mark the pas- sage through the air of good spirits or of the souls of shamans traveling to or from distant places. Cantra Cosmouocy 16r se of certain specics of birds and ani- those which are good spirits in visible led kite, Elanoides forficatus (@ particulary sn Good spirits can also assume. the ‘als. The sacred birds of the Campa form—include tsonkiri (humm species of hummingbird), Aamévira (a mingbird), tsirési (the yellow-rumped cacique, Cacicus cela), mankdri (the scarlet-rumped cacique, Cacicus uropygialis), pichoti (the paradise tanager, Calospiza chilensis), pitéroro (the barbet, Eubucco sp.), yorini (the cockof the-rock, Rupicola peruviana), ddvo (the white-necked heron, Ardea cocoi), Jatiri (the anbinga, Anhinga ankinga), and shankénti (the timelo, Parra jasana?). ‘These are the most commonly recognized sacred birds; there are others whose recognition is less common. The highest-ranking sacred bird is ashivanti, In each case, the visible bird is understood to be the “clothin of the good spirit appearing in its form. the Campa have chosen as the material manifestations of 1g forms possessing a power denied to themselves—that the forms most beatuti also believe that good spirits, when they sox human form to lead and instruct a group of Campa for a time ing case is reported by Padre Sala (in Taaguirre 1923-29: x, 53253 546)- Certain game birds are understood to be raised and thus provided by the good spirits who reside on the mountain ridges. The Campa call these birds jofraitbrai Pad or ivira otishiséti, “creatures raised by the children of the Sun, or the mountain ridge dwellers.” They include the toucan chéri (Remohastos ambiguus), the razor-billed curassow tsamtri (Mitw mitw), and the guans Aandri, sankéti, and tsiéni (Pipite cumanensis, etc.). The mountain ridge dwellers also Nasua nasua) 2s their eq} peccary (shintéri), an important game animal, is feina Paes. Jn addition to the sacred beings mentioned, there are a few creatures with an ambivalent status; they are good spirits rather than demons, yet they do only harm of some sort. One is the yaandite, described as a kind of atboreal beast living in the mysterious, uninhabited mountain reaches of Campa territory. These yaandite kill and eat any Campa intrepid enough to enter their habitat, yet they are not demons for they are identified as ixémi Pévd. Te is impossible to determine from its description whether the is an entirely imaginary creature, an actual species of animal that ‘of several animals. : amémpore and tsini. From its description, amémpore would appear to be the condor In Campa thought, Amémpore—i.c, the “father” of the amémpore birds— resides between earth and sky. The danger is that the soul of a Campa may encounter Amémpore, take him to be the “true God,” which he is hot, and remain with him. Etséni is another species of bird, with dark plumage and a white throat. What seems to have caught the imagination