The islands of Titicaca and Koati, illustrated . ings to the deceased. The people werepining for rain, and they believe that, when the bones of theancient inhabitants are disturbed, drouth follows.^^^ Wehad begun our excavations, and the Indians were mortallyafraid of the consequences. On the night, however, of theday mentioned it began to rain and thereafter rained abun-dantly. The Indians thus became reconciled to our doings,and we never had better laborers and more willing onesthan at Llujo.^^^ Whether the auqui-auqui had anything todo with their intercessions we could not ascertain. That t
The islands of Titicaca and Koati, illustrated . ings to the deceased. The people werepining for rain, and they believe that, when the bones of theancient inhabitants are disturbed, drouth follows.^^^ Wehad begun our excavations, and the Indians were mortallyafraid of the consequences. On the night, however, of theday mentioned it began to rain and thereafter rained abun-dantly. The Indians thus became reconciled to our doings,and we never had better laborers and more willing onesthan at Llujo.^^^ Whether the auqui-auqui had anything todo with their intercessions we could not ascertain. That thechacu-ayllu is a rain-dance was at least not denied by ourold wizard on Titicaca Island. The first indication of an organization, are the ofiicerscalled Irpa, in Spanish maestros de hayles (literally,teachers of the dances). These officers, according to whatwas stated to us at Tiahuanaco, are appointed for life, buton Titicaca we were assured, by the Indians themselves, thatthe irpas are selected for each dance (by whom they did not > r\ o. THE INDIANS OF THE ISLAND OP TITICACA 119 say), and that every band of dancers is divided into twogroups, each with its director j^^^ one group representingAran-saya and the other Ma-saya. At Tiahuanaco it wasasserted that each of these clusters danced on its own sideof the square, the Aran-sayas on the north, the Ma-sayason the south, and that if one section trespassed upon theground of the other, bloody conflicts would ensue. Wenoticed such a division in church, but at the dances the con-fusion became so great, at Tiahuanaco as well as at Copa-cavana, that it was impossible to ascertain anything. TheIndians of Titicaca belonging to the cluster of Aran-sayaof the Peninsula of Copacavana, there could be no divisionon the Island. The irpas are not remunerated for theirwork. It is an honorary office, as well as that of alferezbanner-bearer, or godfather to the festival, an introductionfrom colonial times. The dances of the Aymara being a
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