SMALL-POX AMONGST THE BA-RONGA. 697 



to the ground, they can fall on two principal sides, the concave 

 side, which means inactivity, death (as an animal lying on his 

 back), or on the convex side, which means activity, life (as an 

 animal on his legs). 



Suppose now that the bones are thrown to make a choice 

 amongst the batukulu. The name of one of them will first 

 be pronounced and the bones be consulted in relation to him. 

 The astragalus of the wild pig will be especially w-atched. The 

 wild pig means many things . . . doctors who dig the ground to 

 find medicinal roots, just like pigs with their snouts, but also 

 any kind of angry i>eople ready to bite. Should then the wild 

 pig's astragalus fall on its convex side, it indicates that the 

 ntukulu, whose name has just been pronounced, may bring a 

 malignant form of the disease. Better try another! The name 

 •of the second one is then brought 'forward. If the bone falls 

 on the concave side, it shows that that boy will bring a mild 

 form of small-pox. Let him be trusted with the errand 1 



The bones are also consulted in the same manner to choose 

 the village of the neighbouring clan where the bdtiikulu must 

 'go to fetch the virus. There will be no objection on the part 

 of the neighbours ; they are always ready to provide the serous 

 fluid required. But it will never be taken from married people 

 for the reason indicated above, only from old people or from 

 children, from those that one may call " asexuate." 



The ntukulu designated by the bones inoculates himself 

 first ; then he inoculates his comrades, making an incision or two 

 on their forearms. The stem of a dry grass is used for the 

 purpose of carrying the virus from one ami to the other. No fee 

 IS paid to the providers of the fluid. 



On their return home the batukulu wait a week till the 

 pimple has become a pustule ; then the whole |x>pulation i ? 

 assembled, and all the members of the clan who have not yet 

 suffered from the disease are inoculated in the same manner 

 from the batukulu s arms. 



3. The Taboos of tiie Marginal Period. 



From this day up to the end of the marginal period severe 

 taboos are imposed on all the members of the community. Some 

 are the same as observ-ed in other similar circumstances; some 

 are directly related to small-pox. 



First of all, nobody is allowed to zvash his body during the 

 whole period. People are reminded by the dirt of their bodies 

 that they are subjected to the taboos. 



Besides sexual taboos, previously explained, the most 

 stringent are the alimentary taboos. The use of salt in food is 

 strongly prohibited, a taboo which is met with also in the circum- 

 cision rites, in the piercing of ears, which is {performed by boys, 

 and in the tattooing of girls. The reason of this prohibition is 

 tliat salt makes the blood run quicker in the body and may cause 

 the wounds to get sore. 



In the same way, any kind of meat is excluded, except fish. 



