Michael Cremo - Human Devolution - A Vedic Alternative To Darwin's Theory

Nature spirits ( kolubi ) have an even greater degree of independence than hiuruha (Coelho 1955, p. 237). The nature spirits included evil bush spirits ( mafia , or maboya ). Coelho (1955, p. 153) says, “The spirits called mafia, who wander through the streets at night, sometimes entering the house, are responsible for domestic accidents, and may strangle people in their sleep. They also attract women coming from gardens in the hills . . . The chief is named Uinani, often identified with Satan.” One Carib informant said that Uinani is “a monster seen by the soul or spirit alone.” Sometimes it appears like an alligator, a demon, or a dragon. It generally appears at night, from eleven o’clock to three or four o’clock. Seeing the Uinani in dreams makes one ill. A medical doctor may not be able to help, but a spirit medium may deliver a cure (Staiano 1986, p. 125).

The agauima is a female evil spirit found in pools or cascades of rivers. The agauima can capture a man’s soul, bringing sickness or death. She assumes the form of a beautiful woman with long hair (Staiano 1986, pp. 122–124). She usually appears during the middle of the day, from

11:30 to 12:30, when things are calm and peaceful, according to a Carib informant (Staiano 1986, p. 124). This informant, who was sixty years old at the time, said: “When I saw her, I was quite young. She dashed herself into the bush backwards when she became aware of our presence. There were a group of us going to the river bank to do some fishing. When I saw her, I turned back at speed. The others, having become alarmed, followed me. Four days later, one of my youngest brothers died. He was only five at the time. On the second day after we returned he had fits. He had been well until then. agaiuma may be harmful to the human body and may cause death. I believe it was the effects of the haunting which caused him to die” (Staiano 1986, p. 124). An agaiuma can also appear in male form. A Carib woman said, “She can make you sick. Your illness may start with a fever or chills. She appears to a sick person in their dreams. If it is a woman who is ill, she will come to her like her husband” (Staiano 1986, p.

124). The disease brought on by an agaiuma can be cured only by a spirit medium, not an ordinary medical doctor.

Among the evil spirits is the ogoreu (Coelho 1955, p. 256). It usually appears as a blue lizard, but sometimes appears in other forms, such as an armadillo, snake, or crab. It lives in a burrow in the corner of the house. The Carib believe it must be offered milk, cheese, cassava, and manioc beer. If this is not done, the orogeu will cause accidents in the home. The orogeu attaches itself to women and will cause stillbirths and deaths of babies. Intervention by a spirit medium can prevent this. It is said by some that the orogeu will follow the woman to whom it is attached wherever she goes. If a man believes an orogeu is attached to a woman and causing problems, he may give up his relationship with her (Coelho 1955, p.152).

The duendu and pengaliba are also evil spirits, resembling the devils of Christianity. They live inside large trees and come out for a few hours at noon and again at midnight. Ambitious people will sometimes make pacts with the duendu in order to acquire property or money. For example, a duendu may reside near a cattle ranch. The duendu is fond of items such as silk, cheese, and butter. The rancher desires to prosper by expanding his herd. In exchange for the items he desires, the duendu causes this to happen (Coelho 1955, p. 154). The duendu appears like a short man with a big chest. He wears a red cap that gives him an air of authority, like an official of the Church. Sometimes a pact with the duendu requires that the soul of a family member be signed over in return for quick wealth. Similar pacts are made with the pengaliba. If it is seen that a family becomes suddenly rich after the death of a younger member of the family, people may attribute this to a deal that an elder member of the family has made with a pengaliba . The soul, or afurugu, of the victim must serve the penga-liba until the Judgement Day. In some cases, the death of the younger member may be postponed. For example, it was seen that the son of a wealthy cattle rancher mysteriously disappeared a few years after the rancher acquired his riches. In this regard, it is said that a poor old woman went to the town of Trujillo to purchase some entrails to cook for food. But she arrived many hours before the market was scheduled to open at 4 o’clock in the morning. So she was waiting for the opening of the market, which happened to be near a cemetery. At midnight she saw in the road a tall man dressed in a black uniform with golden metal insignia. He asked the old lady what she was doing. She said she was waiting for the market to open. The man said he had some private business with someone, and to get rid of the woman, he gave her some money and told her to go buy some fish in her home village. Normally, she would not have been able to afford fish, so she took the money and left. Before she left, she asked who was coming. She learned it was the cattle raiser. This incident happened a short time before the cattle raiser’s son disappeared (Coelho 1955, p. 155).

According to the Black Carib, the human soul has three parts. The first is the vital force or animal spirit ( anigi ). It is located in the heart. Generally, it ceases to exist at death, although it may sometimes persist for a few months after the death of the body. The anigi can be perceived in the beating of the heart, the pulsing of blood in the arteries, the drawing of the breath, and other bodily functions (Coelho 1955, p. 136). In infants, the pulsing of the blood can be seen in the veins of the head. The Carib thought the vital force of the infant was in need of special protection, and relied upon magical means to accomplish this (Ceolho 1955, p. 137).

The second part of the Carib soul is the iuani, located in the head. Whereas the anigi is material, the iuani is immaterial and normally invisible, although it can appear in dreams (Staiano 1986, p. 96). It corresponds to the soul in Christian thought. It leaves the body immediately after death. Staiano (1986, p. 96) says that “death is defined as the absence of the iuani. ” The physical body itself is called ubugu (Staiano 1986, p.98). There are different ideas about what happens to the iuani at death. According to one view, at death the iuani leaves the body and goes by a long road to Sairi, crossing a river along the way. Valentine (1993, p.11) says: “This journey is a long one. It is beset with many obstacles. The spirit has to travel through deserts, wilderness, mud and rough seas. Sometimes the spirit is in the company of other spirits, but most of the time it finds itself alone. Most of the time it is wet with sweat, rain and dew; full of dust and grime. There are times when the distant lights of Seiri [Sairi] are visible. Other times, the way is total darkness, beset with many dangers and seemingly, without direction.” The length of the journey depends on the character of the soul. For souls who have manifested goodness during their life, the journey is short—about three months. Therefore, about three months after death, most families will hold a bathing ceremony for the departed soul, who thus cleansed from the journey can enter Sairi. For those who have behaved badly, the journey is longer, and through a medium such a soul will request another bathing, sometimes long after the one that was given three months after death (Valentine 1993, pp. 11–12). Sairi is the world of the pagan spirits ( hiuruha ). Upon entering the gate to Sairi, the soul sees a land of thatched houses and rich agricultural fields. The inhabitants greet the newcomer with food and drink. But if the time is not right for the soul to enter Sairi, a barking white dog chases the soul back across the river and the soul reenters its body (Taylor 1951, p. 107).