Anthropological Expedition Ch. 02

Part Two -- The Vision

"I'm pregnant," kept drumming in his ears along with the throbbing pressure in his head. Suddenly thrashing and gagging Jack bolted up mumbling "I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant!"

Debbie, cradling his head in her lap and toweling the sweat from his brow scolded "You are something else Jack. No, you are not pregnant, just excessively drunk! You have been unconscious for hours."

Opening his eyes Jack could only make out the faintest figure before him. Blinking his eyes his sight finally cleared and he was staring into the face of his wife, Debbie. "I feel sick to my stomach, I think I'm going to throw up," he choked.

"It would serve you right. Our first night with the Bide and you make an ass of yourself by drinking too much. It's a wonder you are alive," Debbie explained.

"Ayahuasca," injected Hoopoe.

"What," asked Jack? Slowly coming to his senses Jack looked around and saw Hoopoe with a big toothless grin sitting with his legs athwart on the sleeping mat across the hut.

"Ayahuasca, it is a hallucinogen, Jack. The Bide men drink it like beer, but it is much more potent and can cause hallucinations. You have been rambling that you are pregnant," she laughed nervously.

He was hallucinating? It all seemed so real. "I need some water," he pleaded as he felt the contents of his stomach growl forth. "I am so exhausted, can we talk about this in the morning," he asked? Nodding, she laid his head down and covered him. As he closed his eyes he tried to recall what exactly he had imagined. Through a fitful night he alternated between recurring sexual dreams involving Debbie which he couldn't seem to identify with. Finally, exhaustion overtook him and his dreams gave way to a deep sleep. He awoke feeling energized instead of drained like a hang-over usually leaves you. He quietly arose and went to the gathering area to make some tea and try to remember the events of the night before.

Debbie soon joined him as the Bide were also beginning to stir. Their daily routine generally did not begin early in the morning, but rather mid-morning as they often slept in, unless the hunters were going out. "Jack, I am so relieved that you are ok. I was frightened to death when you started having a seizure last night," she said.

"I guess I made a fool of myself," he stated flatly.

"It is not unusual for the men to have convulsions and other frightening reactions to the drink. It's just that they are used to it. That drink is used mostly in ceremonies and by the Magi in a strong potion. Since you are not that accustomed to it, it would have been better to have drunk a lot less," she admonished.

Over the next couple of months they fell into a routine where Jack spent the day taking photographs and Debbie would spend the day interviewing individuals, participating in daily chores and learning the various crafts like making baskets, cloths, utensils, and meals. Each night they would gather their notes from the day and prepare a log of their activities. Hoopoe would spend nearly the entire day with Debbie helping as an interpreter and at night would teach them the Karaja's native language.

As a professional anthropologist Debbie's approach to her work involved experimental immersion and participatory observation. Basically it meant she would live as the Bide not just among the Bide so her knowledge came from first hand experience and not just general observation.

During this period both their language skills grew rapidly and soon Jack was able to communicate well enough that he began to develop a close personal relationship with Minjue, the tribal elder. Sitting quietly together there was a bond that Jack could feel. He liked Minjue and had come to respect his calm leadership of the Bide and knew they followed him not from a position of authority, but rather because of his serene manner and selfless wisdom.

One afternoon sitting in the shade of a Curandero tree Minjue said to Jack "I saw your dream. You are troubled but should not be. Ayahuasca show what is in the heart," nodding as if confirming his understanding.

Jack frequently found himself immersed in the dream from his first night with Bide. Confused by what Minjue saw he asked "What dream?"

"The dream on your face," he answered looking off into the distance.

He was wise but how much could he see on Jack's face?

"Do not worry what is in your heart. She will take a husband," he said rising and walking off into the gathering area.

For the rest of that day Jack brooded over what Minjue had said that Debbie would take a husband! He was distressed by the sexual vision but it excited him as well. He was full of both dread and desire, and yes it troubled him.

That evening sitting in the gathering area Hoopoe was very animated and laughing. He wasn't a Karaja but of a different tribe. He was of African heritage, coal black. He was about Debbie's height, slightly built as were nearly all of the jungle peoples. His hair was speckled with grey. He had a broad flat nose and a wide mouth. His hands were large for his stature and hardened by years of toil.

Jack remembered when Debbie accepted this project she went in search for a guide and translator. A Brazilian outfitter suggested Hoopoe. They said he was elderly, in his mid-seventies but very fit and capable. At first Debbie was reluctant because of his age, but she knew enough to listen to the outfitter. She hired him when she found he knew the jungle and the language and his energy put her at ease.

Listening in on the conversation Hoopoe was telling Debbie he was like her husband. He protected her, showed the ways of the jungle, and hunted food. He explained this made him very happy to have a family once again.

Like a husband Jack thought as he drank of the Ayahuasca again, but more slowly. Soon the Bide started to leave to their huts for the night. Debbie said "I think I will get ready for bed too." She left to the hut to change into her night shirt.

Nodding Jack sat and sipped on his drink quietly staring at the red and yellow hues of the fire sitting along side of Hoopoe. Bizarre thoughts swirled inside his mind. Hoopoe and Debbie had built a very close bond. Had he become her protector and mentor in a way that Jack had taken for granted? Were these strange dreams he was having an involuntary jealousy?

It was the rainy season and common for torrential rains with terrible thunder and lightening. During the night a horrifying wind began to blow with thunder that seemed to shake the ground. A sudden flash of lightening and the strike of thunder caused Debbie to bolt upright, frightened by the nearness of the hit. Shaking she lay back down facing toward Hoopoe.

Jack looked toward Hoopoe and could see his eyes were open looking intently at Debbie. He stretched one arm toward her with hand open and Debbie reached and put her hand in his. Smiling he squeezed her hand reassuringly. Jack realized it was true, Hoopoe had become her protector.

The next days turned to weeks and before he knew it they had been with the Karaja for nearly 5 months. Debbie had immersed herself in the ways of the Karaja. Simple things like a daily bathing ritual for the women only, to participating in the rite of passage for youngsters when they became adults. She cooked meals and gathered nuts and roots from the jungle and caught fish in the streams. She had learned their language and dances, songs and stories.

Jack for his part in the project maintained a professional removal from these behaviors. As a photographer his role was to capture their way of life on film. To do so he practiced an art of being hidden from view so he could capture the reality of life without affecting it by his overt presence. He wondered if this practiced invisibility was also contributing to the growing closeness between Debbie and Hoopoe. Had he become indiscernible to her as well?

His only personal attachment to the Karaja was his relationship with Minjue. He considered the elder a close friend. He was friendly with all the rest of the Bide, but he had a special relationship with Minjue, he confided in him and took counsel from him.

This morning while sitting around the gathering area, Minjue came and sat with him. "You are not happy with the Bide," he asked?

"The Bide are a wonderful family, why do you ask," Jack replied?

"Your face shows you are still troubled by your dreams. Ayahuasca has given you a vision," he explained matter-of-factly. "You are not with joy because of this vision," he continued?

Jack thought deeply about this question. A voyeur had been exposed in himself that devoured the sensuous ecstasy of Debbie's sexuality. But his moral breadth rebuked these feelings and carried remorse and anxiety to his heart. He didn't understand how he could be joyous about wanting to see his wife with another?

"I have mixed feelings," Jack explained. "What troubles me is I don't understand the vision."

Minjue thought about this for a while and then abruptly said "we will call upon Yurupari in the maloca tonight," and he rose to his feet and strode off to the Magi hut.

Jack went in search of Hoopoe to find out what Yurupari and maloca meant. He found him at the clearing near the river fishing. He explained to Hoopoe that Minjue had said they would call upon a Yurupari in the maloca tonight and asked "what does that mean?"

"It is a tribal ritual with Ayahuasca that begins at sunset and takes place in the maloca, or longhouse. Yurupari is a spirit that is asked to influence fertility, and for improving the man's prestige over women," he answered.

At sunset Minjue gathered the Bide in the maloca. The men sat in a circle around a small fire and the women and children sat in the back in the dark. Minjue asked Jack to sit next to him, a place of honor.

Minjue leaned toward Jack and explained "The Magi Kayapo will call upon Yurupari. We will drink now and visit your vision."

Over the next two hours the men drank and played drums and flutes and sang. In the back the women joined in the song with a shrill laughter. Jack had soon lost count of the gourds of Ayahuasca he had. He felt numb but not drunk. The Magi suddenly halted the singing and motioned to the darkened back for someone to come forth. Jack looked up and saw Debbie step into the ring of men and stand before Kayapo. She was wearing an aboriginal style print sarong, tied above her breast. She was handed a gourd of Ayahuasca to drink. Jack could see her sway as she drank. The music started again, this time instead of singing the men chanted.

Debbie had become the center of attention. He could see her speaking to Kayapo in the Karaja native tongue, and then she slowly stood standing quietly in front of him. Although he could not hear the words of Kayapo, she seemed to know what was expected. He watched as without questioning she untied her sarong and opened it, holding her arms wide and then let the light material loose. It drifted like a feather to the ground at her feet. She was naked!

Standing in the flickering fire light Jack marveled at the magnificence of her body. The fire danced a reflection on her skin as she turned slowly so all those circling the fire could see her. His eyes were drawn to her breasts standing proud and supple on her chest with areolas the size of silver dollars and soft pert nipples. Her trim waist flared to shapely, sensuous hips. A light golden fleece veiled her vulva. Her nipples, only slightly protruding, revealed she was at ease with her nudity. His eyes traced her silhouette, caressing the gentle swell of her rounded bottom. Her body lightly tanned swayed beneath the glare of the fire light teasing his eyes. He felt his heart beating in his chest as if trying to free itself of confinement.

Debbie was slowly rocking her hips back and forth in a languid motion. Jack gazed, captivated by her exhibitionism. He recalled from his dream that exposing her entire body meant she was showing her availability. He sensed a torrential wave of sexual arousal wash over him as he looked upon her. Knowing that all of the Bide were watching the naked body of his wife dancing fed his new found voyeurism.

Hoopoe rose and stepped into the circle with her, removing his loin wrap in the process. Now both he and Debbie danced naked in the ring of fire. He picked up a gourd and poured the contents over Debbie's body, then poured some on his hands. He started to caress her, rubbing the oily substance over her skin. His large black hands on her pale skin fashioned an exotic image to Jack. He held her breasts in his hands and rubbed his thumbs over her nipples, sliding one hand down to her vulva her inserted a finger into her. Sliding his oily hands down her legs her massaged her skin with a physical simplicity that excited Jack. He moved around to her back and caressed the oily substance all over her stopping to cup the cheeks of her bottom. He tenderly pushed a long finger completely into her anus as Jack watched Debbie quiver and rise to her toes in response.

Minjue leaned over to Jack and whispered "he is claiming her."

Minjue's words fell on deaf ears. The Ayahuasca had affected Jack's judgment and the only emotion he was feeling where those fueled by the purely sexual exhibition of Debbie in front of him. The vision was erotic and his cock was pulsing to the rapid thump of the inferno coursing through his veins.

Debbie had now taken the gourd and poured the oily substance over Hoopoe and was oiling his coal black skin with her hands. She took his inflamed cock in her tiny hands and started to rub back and forth. Kneeling in front of this naked black man her tongue bathed the swollen tip. Cupping his testicles in one hand she bowed her head as the soft skin slid across her tongue, the head probing into the back of her throat. She pressed down until he was totally in her, her lips stretched and jaws wide apart. She worked her tongue around as she lifted her face from him, stopping to suck and explore the tiny hole on the head.

Jack watched enthralled as his eyes burned with lust as her mouth savored the rigid black cock. Opening her mouth she kissed the head of his penis and then engulfed it completely, taking him as deep as he would go into her throat. With her hand cupping his sack and squeezing lightly she moved her head up and down his stiff member.

Minjue leaned to Jack and whispered "she has accepted him. The Magi will now bind them as husband and wife."

Jack heard the words but didn't grasp the implication. Kayapo came forward and the music and chanting stopped. Debbie stood up still holding the turgid cock in her hands. Hoopoe stepped into Debbie so their bodies were pressed together. Jack could glimpse her breasts burning into the black skin of his chest. Kayapo used a woven chord with strands of grass and tied it around their combined waist, binding them together. A grass skirt thought Jack, meaning she was now unavailable!

Hoopoe kissed Debbie on the lips as she opened her mouth to accept his tongue in a deep, passionate kiss. The men began their music and singing again with the shrill trilling of the women and children in the back in a joyous celebration. Minjue stood and pronounced the Yurupari complete, and turning to Jack he said "my son, Yurupari has lifted your burden and offered her a husband and she has accepted him." With that the Bide all rose and left the longhouse.

The celebration however was far from over. The Bide moved to the gathering area and the festivities continued with music and dancing and laughter. Jack sat next to Minjue watching as Debbie and Hoopoe joined the people in their dance and song.

Jack gazed as Debbie slowly rocked her hips back and forth in a languid motion, building a craving within him he knew long ago. He felt the heat of the fire on his skin, and could see the flames licking at the sky, and in the shadows, the Bide as they knelt in the sand.

Jack stared, captivated by Debbie's explicit exhibitionism. He felt a torrential wave of arousal wash over him watching the naked body of his wife writhing on the sand in a dance next to Hoopoe. He saw Debbie dig her heels in as she bucked her hips upward meeting the imaginary thrusts of a lover. With her face contorted and whipping her head back and forth she continued the rhythmic pumping of her hips into the air, up and down in tempo until her muscles tensed and she shuddered for several moments.

Sometime around midnight the Bide started to leave for their huts. Jack watched as Debbie and Hoopoe also went to their hut. Jack was immensely turned on and followed, not knowing exactly what awaited him.

As he entered the hut he saw Debbie lying with Hoopoe. She offered him the warmth of her naked body. Burying his face against her soft breast his lips drew on a nipple. Jack could see his tongue taunting her causing a quiver deep inside. A hand cupped her other breast, teasing the soft skin around her nipple with a loving touch. She gently caressed his face feeling the smooth texture of his dark skin. With her fingers she lightly traced along his lips nursing from her breast.

He could smell the scent of her sexual arousal. Hoopoe lifted his face from her breast as his lips reluctantly let her nipple slip from between them. Her soft lips parted as she felt the electric thrill of his tongue touching hers. The kiss was tender at first, then demanding as he pressed his lips hungrily into her.

Debbie could feel the unmistakable warmth of Hoopoe's penis against her belly. Reaching down she touched him then held him unable to close her fingers around his thickness. Laying back on the woven grass mat Debbie spread her legs in submission. He drew her nipple into his mouth as she cradled his head to her. His tongue pressed her nipple as he sucked. She could feel the sensation deep within her womb as her clitoris hardened and she felt an orgasm course through her body.

With her hand, Debbie guided his throbbing penis to her wet opening. The pressure of his cock at her sex increased as the engorged head slid slightly between her soaked lips. She arched her back to ease his entry. Inch by inch she was giving herself to this old black man. His cock was pushing into the open folds of her moist vulva. She felt the delicious warmth as his thickening black penis slide deeper and deeper into her, penetrating her, as she willingly opened her sheath to him. Erotic sensations were willing her to press against him until his firm cock probed fully into her. The warm pink folds of her pussy enveloped his black cock as it claimed her.

He stroked into her once, twice, and then again. Her lust had created an ache of desire for this mating. His shaft, glistening with her secretions slid in and out of her body, his hands fondling her soft white breasts, and his lips suckling upon her nipples.

He moved in and out of her for what seemed like an eternity as his cock made slow deliberate fucking motions into her, then out of her, then back in, stretching her and filling her.

Her pink lips spread wide, as his penis fit firmly inside her, possessing her, her soft folds reveling at the feel of this unfamiliar cock. Her lover's black body moved in unison with her pale body. She felt shameless bound in this willful mating, her sex suckling his cock as it fucked in and out of her.

She locked her legs around him as she dug her heels into his buttocks in orgasm, pulling him into her, forcing his cock to fill her need until there was nothing left outside. Her hips rocked as he withdrew his hardness from within her. His muscles tensed as he drove harder into her. She heaved her hips meeting his thrusts. He lurched and Debbie felt his seed spill into her womb.

Sated she lay exhausted to his side kissing his face. She opened her mouth to his tongue and drank at his lips.