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Why was a Guayaki woman's burden basket burned after her death?
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Basketry
Overview of basketry on Madeira Island, Portugal.
Among the Guayaki Indians of eastern Paraguay, the burden basket is symbolically identified with the female. Because men are traditionally hunters and women are the bearers who carry items while wandering through the forest, the basket is considered an extension of the woman's role. Consequently, when a woman dies, her last burden basket is ritually burned so that it may die along with her.1