Don't Sleep There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle

by Daniel L. Everett

Part of the reason this student had chosen to do his graduate research on the Pirahãs was that he had heard of my claim that the Pirahãs have no creation myths, that is, no stories about their past—where they come from, how the world was created, and so on. “OK, let’s hear it,” I replied, keenly curious. So we put on the tape. It began with the anthropology student’s voice, speaking with a Pirahã man near the tape recorder, in Portuguese. The student did not know more than a few Pirahã words, so was obliged to conduct his interview in Portuguese, even though few Pirahãs spoke more than a few words of Portuguese. Student: “Who made the world?” Pirahã man: “The world . . .” (repeating only the last two words of the question). Student: “How was the world made?” Pirahã man: “World made . . .” Student: “What was first? First?” Longish silence. Pirahã voice in the background, quickly repeated by man next to mic: “Bananas!” Student: “Then what? Second?” Pirahã voice in the background: “Papaya . . .” Pirahã man next to mic: “Papaya”—then loudly, switching gears: “Hey, Dan! Are you hearing me? I want matches! I want cloth. My baby is sick. He needs medicine.” The Pirahãs proceeded to talk to me on the tape about the village, who was there, what they wanted, when was I coming back, and so on. The student had thought that this part of the tape, which was clearly fluent and animated, was their creation myth.