Borade – Asõrenie Ore
Loin cloths and lances:
Long ago men made string and it was called ‘borade’ (a term now used for cloth):
And they say the men who lived long ago left for war, and they tied loincloth string on a Picanerai clansman. And when they finished tying string on him, they tied a loincloth around a Chiquenoi clansman, and the Chiquenoi then had a loin cloth. And they brought the Dosapé clansman and tied a loincloth around him. And they brought the Étacõri clansman and tied string on him, but just those four brave leaders were ready for war because they had finished putting loincloths on them.
They finished that and then they tried out Lances:
They finished them and now they gave out lances; first to the Picanerai, and then to the Chiquenoi. Then they had them try out the lances together. The Dosapei tried out the lances, and he had the Étacori try them out.
Brave leaders and fierce ones:
The loincloths and the lances made them brave leaders and fierce ones.
The Picanerane could not be conquered, neither could the Chiquenone, the Dosapéode, or the Étacorone. They finished off the cojñone (white men).
They overcame that day, and no one made fun of them again, for they were victorious warriors.
Totem Pole – Namacádedie
For the Totem Pole they used the tall cactus called Darujna – they wrote on it; they put food before it.
The Cutamuraja Clan claims the namacade ceremony as their ‘clan possession.’
They would ask the Totem Pole to give them cojñone (white people) to kill.
They wouldn’t let little children get near the Totem Pole. Only grown men could look upon it from underneath. (The Totem Poles were very tall.)
Oidábiadé – Campo Loro, Paraguay – 1988.
Transcribed and translated to English by: Maxine Morarie.
