"According to Kayabi cosmology there were two earths (awa) prior to the present one.

The first was destroyed by a flood. It now exists where these floodwaters still persist, "down below" on the river bottom.

The second one arose when the water receded and ended when the sky was formed, creating that which is "above."

We currently live in the third mode of existence, between the river bottom and the sky.

A fourth mode of existence will come about when the sky eventually falls back down to earth, reunifying earth and sky but crushing all those below."

Myths or ancestors’ stories describe what these creatures were like in former times, when they were still alive." {If they are now dead and in the dream-world, would not this imply that the world of the dead (or at least its divine part) is the dream-world?}

p. 184, n. 7:2

"The Masters of the Fish, the Karuat, are the remnants of the first earth, which is now covered by water."

{This would correspond to the era of the [Maori god] Tangaroa, master of fishes.}

p. 163

... it was near the end of the second earth when animals and humans divaricated and began to live separately. The story about the origin of deer, for example, describes how a character called Deer, a person-animal who spent his days farming in the forest, had his body turned into the shape of a deer’s body. A certain Mait did this ... . ... This Mait continued to play similar tricks until all the contemporary animals were formed into their present shape.

p. 164

Discovering that his new wife among the People-without-Understanding was unfaithful, Tujarare killed her. ... her brothers set out to avenge her death. To serve as his warriors, Tujarare created the first Kayabi from ... muddy water, manioc porridge, necklaces, twine, toucans, foxes, and jaguar. A war ... ensued".

"it was a young Mait called Moon (Jay)

{The name /YAI/ ("Jay") is cognate with /YA<Ur/ (Strong’s 3265), meaning (according to Strong’s 3293) ‘honeycombed’, viz. ‘hexagonal’ : this the 6-petalled waterlily ("SSC’") Svadhis.t.hana, enclosing a MOON. As a lunar month hath some 30 days, so Ya<ur had 30 villages (S^PT.YM 10:4).}

who began the process of diminishing mankind’s access to the Mait’s powers. Moon ... destroyed all of their tools ... . ... Because the sun shone all the time, Moon’s elder brother had been making a basket for shade. When it was done,

Moon asked if he [Moon] could hang it in the sky. His brother gave him the basket but warned him not to travel too far. Moon could not resist the temptation,

{cf. North American Indian mythic moon-basket ("BWMS"; M, p. 183); African Kono mythic basket being carried to the moon ("D"). Among the Maori Kahungunu, "the basket carrying the moon was Te Kauhanga" ("FL").}

p. 165

however, and as a consequence he and the basket became stuck in the far distance, creating the sky. ... .

... two Mait brothers ... were making an incessant among of noise, Kayabi women began to complain ... about them. The brothers, not wanting to live with people who spoke poorly of them, convinced all Mait to move to the newly created sky. Their departure left humanity alone".

"Currently there are two groups of Mait, one that is hostile toward humans below and one that is friendly toward them and considers themselves to be the "grandparents" of the Kayabi. Those Mait who are hostile to the Kayabi are scheming to chop down the celestial tree and occasionally manage to begin work on this project.

Each time they do, however, the Mait who are humanity’s allies prop the tree back up and save those living below."

{with Kayabi /MAIT/ cf. Polynesian /MAuI-Tikitiki/ who "raised the sky" (Luomala 1949:119, quoted in "CB&T", p. 219).}

"Though collapse of the sky will crush those on earth, it will ... also bring about a reunification of perspectives. ...

The distant past and the distant future are related in a manner similar to the way Benjamin Lee Whorf described the Hopi universe : in the inconceivable distance from the observer – from all observers – there is an encircling end and beginning of things (1979, 63)."