THE ASSOCIATIONS OF THE ŜERÉNTE

H E Ser6nte of the Rio Tocantins are of the Akwi branch of the T Central G&, which further includes the SakriabL, extinct since the beginning of the nineteenth century, and the Savbnte. The Savjnte and Serente, while politically distinct, are essentially identical in language and custom, so that as late as about 1850 they were still frequently designated by the joint name “SavLnte.” However, their local separation was a t that time a well recognized fact, accentuated by the recurring feuds between these closely related groups. Several efforts a t consolidation failed and became hopeless when about the middle of the century the Savinte abandoned the country east of the Araguaya, even discontinuing raids in that direction. Notwithstanding a greater sense of tribal solidarity than is customary among Brazilian natives, each SerCnte village is a virtually autonomous unit with its own council of elders, chiefs, peacemakers, and associational leaders. The houses are ranged peripherally in horseshoe shape, with the Siptat6 moiety on the south and the sdakr5 moiety on the north. The bachelors’ hut occupies the center of the settlement, and each of the five associations, including the women’s, assembles a t a definite spot within the horseshoe. Contrary to Canella practice: the exogamic moieties are patrilineal and divided into clans, each localized on the periphery; and residence is patrilocal. Without tracing their descent from the celestial bodies, the Siptat6 and sdakr5 are connected with sun and moon, respectivcdy. In consequence the former chant during solar eclipses, being merely accompanied by the complementary group, while a t lunar eclipses the parts are reversed. The sun reveals himself to his moiety through planetary go-betweens, viz. Jupiter and Venus; the intermediaries between the moon and his half of the village are Mars and the Seven Stars. The solar planets grant visions in the daytime, the lunar stars a t night.