TBA-20140827-ESR-PI-anutukaidvd

Pe’i is playing the purikai, Maria Tadeu and Maria José are playing the wawa, Raimundo is playing the atuehẽhẽ’i and Apolinário the kiripasazu. When these four flutes are played together it is called anutukai'ene. These different types of Aikanã flutes are: The wawa flute consists of two small bamboo flutes tied together with one square hole, played from the top like a whistle. The atuehẽhẽ’i (“the angry grandfathers”) is played sideways by humming and talking into an incised part at the side, making an angry kind of sound, thus the name. The purikai, is a longitudinal flute with four holes, played with outstretched index and middle fingers of both hands. Few people still know how to make the purikai flutes, which were used in now extinct initiation customs. Today only Unpe’i plays the purikai flute. Bamboo flutes with four holes is the most common number occurring in South American flutes, and which according to Snethlage (1939: 33) can be found in the Xingu headwaters, among the Paresi, in northwestern Brazil and the Yeltuanh, as well as in Colombia. Building on Erland Nordenskiöld’s information on the Huari (Aikanã), he further states that similar flutes like the purikai were encountered among the Mampiapä and Cuaratrigaja, played at dance festivities (Snethlage, 1939: 33). In general, Snethlage (p.36) sees the longitudal purikai flutes, as well as the rattle belts, as particularly characteristic of the Aikanã (Huari), Mequens and neighbouring Tupari-speaking groups. Becker-Donner (1955: 281) notes that two holy bamboo flutes, which she calls the purikai hani and the yäpoé, (probably the hijepɨi), were only played by men and during the night and were stored in a men’s house. It is not quite clear whether these men’s houses really existed, what is clear is that flutes like the purikai used to be strictly played by only men and Aikanã mythology tells about the stealing of the sacred flutes by the women in ancient times, which is why women were forbidden to play them today. The kiripasazu, is a short flute made of two turtle bones tied together that makes a shrill sound, almost like a “birdcall” or “Lockflöte”. It is played through the top end holes and blown in short intervals like a whistle. Nordenskiöld and Snethlage (1939: 34) mention a similar whistle made of bones, the wira-wirap, wirip-wirap, used to call animals. The sound of this bone whistle, with one or two pipes, comes through a hole in the middle (see also E. Nordenskiöld, 1924 [1915]: 191) and was used similarly by the Mampiapä and Guaratägaja to lure Tinamous and other prey (Snethlage 1939: 34). The music played with the different kind of Aikanã flutes tells the mythology about the origin of flutes and people