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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.
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