386 RKCORDS OF TFIK ATSTHA LIAX MlSKl'M. 



gatheivcl togetlier, and tliis may take sev^eral days, the grass- 

 covering' of tlie Iiut is i-eiuoved, but the frame-work allowed to 

 stand. Certain of the old men and the dead man's nearest 

 relatives — and tliere are here reckoned to l)e his group-motlier's 

 or blood mother's brothers — next dig him up, la}' him on the fiat, 

 and carefully examine for any bruises or marks of external 

 violence, and consult as to tbose that ma}' be accounted for, and 

 those that may be laid at the door of some enemy. They next 

 start removing the whole of the outer skin, commencing opera- 

 tions by pressing with the ball of the tlnnnb and so peeling off 

 the cuticle with its colouring matter and leaving beliind a com- 

 paratively pale surface. Another examination is now made for 

 any marks of violence, and of course certain bruises are invariably 

 discovered. Then follow two vertical cuts, one on either .side close 

 to the spine, cutting through the proximal ends of the ribs and so 

 removing the whole of the head and back-bone in one piece : a 

 view is thus obtained from behind into the tlioracic and abdominal 

 cavities with the object of obtaining any additional confirmatory 

 clues as to the cause of death, which are always forthcoming in 

 the shape of a wooden splinter, spear-tip, etc. Finally, tlie whole 

 of the left u])per extremity, including the shoulder-blade, and left 

 lower extremity, minus the pelvis, are remo\'ed, and together with 

 tlie head and back-bone sewn up in a bark trough of the pleat- 

 type" : this trough is taken charge of by the mother or mothers 

 during the day, but by a blood- or group-brother at night, when 

 it is often utilised as a pillow. On top of this pillow are placed 

 portions of the deceased's hair which will subsequently be worked 

 up with fibre-twine to make mourning strings. The whole of the 

 remainder of the corpse is then either re interred in the same hole 

 which it had previously occupied, but now made deeper, or else 

 occasionally cremated. 



After various deliberations, the old men, relatives and friends 

 of the deceased, come to an unanimous conclusion as to the owner- 

 ship of the wooden splinter, spear-tip, etc., that is alleged to have 

 been removed from the inside of tlie corpse ; the ownership is 

 practically always tacked on to some individual, resident or 

 stranger, who happens to have no powerful friends or who may 

 have the reputation of making himself generally objectionable all 

 round. Of course tlie accused indignantly denies the charge, and 

 argues to shew that he had always been on amicable terms with 

 the deceased, tlif.t they had often gone out hunting together, that 



^* Bull. 7--Sect. 5S, and figs. 223 and 22(;. 



