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The Kuarup log plays a prominent role in the Kuarup Ceremony of the Dead (Egitsu
in Kalapalo).
Kuarup (sometimes spelled Kwarip, Kwarup, or Quarup) basically is a funeral ceremony
or wake, but in practice is much more and involves Xingu cosmology,
intervillage competitions (Huka Huka wrestling), and rites of passage of young girls (Ritual of the Flutes). Kuarup
is intertribal in nature and serves to reinforce the relationships between
different Xinguano tribes. The Kuarup log represents the dead and is
related to the Xingu belief that the first humans were created by the gods
out of wooden logs. The logs, which are decorated with belts from the
men and feathers, act as a focus for mourning and the various activities involved in the
Kuarup Ceremony. |