The physical and emotional well-being of the Tapirapé depends on the power of their shamans. According to the Tapirapé, for a woman to conceive a child, the shaman, or paxe, must deliver the child’s soul to the mother. This is because, in the supernatural world of the anchunga spirits, there is a finite number of souls. The spirit, or soul, of the child enters the woman, invoked by the paxe. In this way, infertility or fertility among women is explained by the intervention of their shamans.
The Tapirapé believe that the main "reserve" of children's souls—essential for the group's continuity—is located in the Urubu Branco (White Vulture) Mountain Range. More specifically, it is said to reside within a large rock wall that, during the rainy season, forms a majestic waterfall called Yrywo’ywawa, meaning "the place where the white vulture (or king vulture) drinks water." This sacred site is the home of Tarepiri, a mythological figure who appears only to shamans who seek him out. Tarepiri is regarded as the guardian of Yrywo’ywawa and Towajaawa (also known as St. John’s Mountain, another sacred site considered a home of the white vulture). He is referred to as the "father of the children of the place where the white vulture drinks," or Yrywo’ywawa hakawa. Tarepiri defends the sanctity of the site from strangers but grants access to the paxe.
To ensure continued births within the group, the paxe must travel to Yrywo’ywawa during their dream journeys to capture the souls of children and implant them in the wombs of women. Another significant guardian of Yrywo’ywawa and Towajaawa is Karowara, the thunder, who also holds many children's souls.
The Marakayja, the largest and most extensive Tapirapé ritual, represents the culmination of their ceremonial cycles: the initiation of boys and their passage into manhood. To perform this ceremony, the Tapirapé travel to the Urubu Branco region, where, guided by their paxe, who are said to control the hunt, they remain long enough to gather the food required for the Marakayja. Teams formed by the halves of the wyra chase particularly the herds of peccaries, considered excellent food, competing to see which half will secure the largest catch. In their dreams, the paxe travel to the "house of the peccaries," located in the Towaiyawá or Towajaawa mountains, where they engage in sexual relations with female peccaries, stimulating the growth of the herds. The Marakayja ritual is postponed until the required amount of meat is obtained.
