Kuarup Log 

Xingu Ceremony of the Dead

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.