I5A. Thunder tapir. .57.61.62.64. (.67.) .72.

Tapir is associated with the upper world (thunder, sky, moon).

Sanema, Yanomam, Yanomami, Siona, Urubu, Gamella, Kreñe.

Southern Venezuela. Sanema [hunters cook tapir liver; Lipaugus vociferans (her voice heralds thunder) is initiated; he is not told to eat the liver; he throws it into the sky, it turns into a month]: Wilbert, Simoneau 1990b, No. 3:31; Yanomam [Thunder was a tapir, lived on earth; people are tired of listening to his voice, killing; the liver is letting his son-in-law Lipaugus vociferans eat it; he throws it into the sky, it turns into Thunder, he himself turns into a bird, it screams in response to thunder; humans can't kill Thunder, it causes other Thunders]: Wilbert, Simoneau 1990b, No. 4:31-33; Yanomami: Wilbert, Simoneau 1990b, No. 5 [a man kills Thunder Tapir; he is only given bile; in anger, he throws a liver into the sky, it turns into Thunder], 6 [Hai-Hai-Yome-Riwe kills the tapir, throws it up; that turns into the sky, he himself becomes a small bird]: 34.

Western Amazon. Zion: Chaves 1958:134-136 [He lived with Tapir's two daughters for a month; he led them to a juansoco palm tree, they ate fruit, got drunk; they had animals like fish in their vulvas, the Month took them out, threw them into the river, they became fish; joined both women, wanted to put in pieces of a fragrant vine; the bird frightened him with her scream, he climbed back into the tree; the girls woke up, the eldest kicked the trunk , it grew tall; the monkey ate the fruit and fell asleep; saliva flowed from her mouth, became a vine, N. went down it; shot the turkey, put thorns in it, told his father-in-law to pick it up, he stabbed his leg ; turned into a tapir, sank into the ground; he, the Father of Earth, moving, causes earthquakes; The month has come to a village where people drank chicha, beat drums; you do like pigs; they turned in pigs; What are we going to eat? He answered; other people made spears - you'll be cerrillos; etc. (turned groups of people into monkeys, bears, pauhil birds, turkeys, etc. - depending on their clothes and colors, the color of the feathers); menstruating women - red monkeys], 143-145 [Ñañagüé Nianyague (Month) did not like his wife because she had to look in his head; climbed a juansoco tree, threw fruits at them, they became intoxicated from them and fell asleep; N. pulled piranha teeth out of his wife and sister's vagina (further as in 134-136); on the way he took the trapped birds, put rotten leaves in them, sent them father-in-law check the traps; father-in-law returned, asked his daughters to remove the thorn from his leg; N. told him to lie not in a hammock, but on a bark bed, to become a tapir; the tapir ran, leaving a trail - the Milky Way; N. ordered he will become Mother of Earth; when he moves, there will be an earthquake; N. changed his appearance, came to his wife; she fell in love with him, smeared his face with soot at night; he washed her away; then with a genipa, these spots are still visible pores; Turtle hid all the water; N. cut down the bamboo, the grove turned into a river, both women swam; N. did not let his wife go ashore, her sister came out; there was a palm tree in the water, the wife went to her; M. If you approach the shore, storms will begin; he told the turtle to eat rot; his wife's sister, to be the mother of the living, the patroness of the dead, sent him to the land of the dead].

NW Amazon. Yukuna [He échú is heaven, tapir, god; he had all his food; a rat stole some cassava from him, ate slowly; he had two daughters; he caught one of them in the Kanumá River; she went to my father, brought him a basket of yams, taught him how to cook; next time she brought pineapple from my father (and the rules for the corresponding holiday), then coca]: Herrera Ángel 1975a: 395-416.

Eastern Amazon. Urubu [there's a huge tapir in the sky, you can hear his footsteps and whistles]: Ribeiro 2002:498.

(Wed. Brazil - Guaporé. Takana [on a moonless night, the hunter saw a male tapir cover a female; she tells the male she is full, she has just eaten the moon, if he meets her, he will have a big dick and three testicles; he did not listen, since then the tapirs have a big dick; the tapiriha ran away, hunter for her; gave birth to a new moon at the end of the world; tapirs have a large genital organ, because she gives birth to the moon all the time; tapiriha met a hunter married; this hunter is the owner of the forest (Ehihe Deha, aka Deaveavai); he taught people how to hunt, weave baskets; when the moon is old, ED says to his wife: go, daughter; tapiriha hurries to the southern edge of the world, devours the dying moon, then runs to the north edge and gives birth to it]: Hissink, Hahn 1961, No. 61:163).

Eastern Brazil. Gamella [people shot the tapir, the shooter immediately fell dead; the tapir was Thunder]: Nimuendaju 1937:70; krenje [(Nimuendaju 1914:635-636); animals used to talk; humans met an animal in the forest that was mistaken for a tapir; when shot at him, there was a thunder; some decided not to shoot, others shot again, they were thunder, the Thunder rose to heaven in anger; The village chief told people to ask him before shooting; since then, animals have stopped speaking human language]: Wilbert 1978, No. 94:248; (cf. kayapo: Wilbert 1978, No. 35 [(Banner 1957:46-48); the Bekororoti hunter was deprived of dividing the tapir, he was given only his skin; he shaved his head, painted himself black paint, took a wooden sword, called his wife, left the village; his voice was heard, the people went out to kill him, but he killed them with fire from his eyes, and with a wave of his sword, struck them with thunder and lightning; went up into the sky, the first thunderstorm began], 36 [(Lukesh 1968:167-169); the Bebgoroti hunter was deprived of sharing the tapir, left giblets; he refuses them too; he is told to wash his hands, he says they should be covered in blood; cut off his wife and children's hair, on He shaved a triangle on his head, since then Kayapo has had this hairstyle; tells him not to leave the house when he is in heaven; finds a genipu tree, painted himself and his family with black paint (since then, from the fruits of the genipa they make black paint) makes the first sword club, painted the handle with a genip, wiped his bloody hands on the end; he climbed the mountain with a club, cursing people, his words began to turn into thunder blows; rises to heaven; arrows fired at him fall at his feet; he hits enemies with lightning coming from his club; since it rains across the sky, waving his club, thunder and lightning; raised heaven is also wife and children]: 115-116, 117-119; Wilbert, Simoneau 1984a, No. 13 (pau d'Arco) [(Nimuendaju, MS); the Bebó hunter killed the tapir, but was deprived when dividing him; he refused to wash off the blood from his hands, did A sword, told his wife to paint his body with black latex, climbed a tree; they tried to pull him down, but he killed many with a lightning strike and went up to heaven]: 43-44).