Going through my fieldnotes, I came across a day in May, when I encountered a strange turte. The turtle is called Iyo, or in Venezuelan it is called Matamata. I must say I was quite surprised to see this animal. It has a hidious appearence, and looks as if its got a bad case of genital warts all over. When I returned to Hobure, I asked several people if they ate it. Some youth claimed they would, but all of the elder generation said they would not eat it. And it was never eaten, but died in captivity in our household.
It is apparently connected to the spirit, or hebu Boroboro, a spirit that is connected with measels and copper (Sarampian). The diseases affects the skin, producuing acne or other types of infections. Looking at the Iyo, it is a very obvious connection.
Iyo is a fresh water turtle with tubercle - a range of worty outgrowth on the skin. It has a flat head and flaps of skin. The two barbels on the chin is used to search for food in the murky waters in the naba.
