NO. I HONDURAS — STRONG, KIDDER, AND PAUL ^ 1 5 



if a girl, a spindle of cotton ; and the mother made a streak of soot mixed with 

 water on the right foot of the child, which they believed would prevent it, when 

 grown up, from being lost in the woods. At the end of twelve days, the child 

 was taken to the priest, green branches being scattered under the feet of the 

 bearers. The priest gave it the name of its grandfather or grandmother, as the 

 case might be, and they presented it with cacao and fowls, which were the 

 offerings made to the priest. When it was taken back to the house, the mother 

 carried it to a river and bathed it, offering to the stream, cacao and copal, that 

 it should never do evil to the child. 



As regards the rites for the dead ; if the defunct were a cazique or captain, 

 or the wife or child of either, all the people mourned for four days and nights. 

 At the rising of the sun on the fifth day, the high priest announced that the soul 

 of the dead was with the gods, and that it was useless to mourn any longer. 

 They buried the dead man dressed in all of his riches, in a sitting posture, and 

 in his own house. Their manner of mourning during the four days and nights 

 resembled a mitote, in which they chanted the lineage and deeds of the dead. 

 If he were a cazique who died, the high priest and all the people, immediately 

 recognized as his successor his son or daughter; or, if he had neither, his 

 brother or nearest relative. 



On such occasions they had great feasts, dances and sacrifices, and the new 

 chief entertained in his house all the priests and captains. If a common man died, 

 only his children and relatives mourned; and if a woman lost her child, she 

 reserved her milk for four days, without giving it to another ; for they believed, 

 if she failed in this, the dead child would do the living one some injury. This 

 sacrifice they called navitia. 



It was the office of the cacique to order the plantings, and direct the marriages. 

 They always married when young; and when the affair was arranged, and the 

 affianced groom met his future father-in-law he turned aside, as also did the 

 affianced bride when she met her future mother-in-law. They did this, because 

 the devil had made them believe that such encounters would prevent their having 

 children. Marriages were celebrated in this wise : the male relatives of the 

 woman sought the bridegroom and made him bathe in a river; and the female 

 relatives of the woman did the same with the bride ; they then wrapped each of 

 them in a new, white cloth, and took them to the house of the bride, where they 

 tied them up naked, in their garments. The relatives of the young man then 

 made presents to the bride of cloths, cottons, fowls and cacao, while those of 

 the bride gave presents of the same kind to the bridegroom ; after which they 

 all feasted together. At these marriages the high priest and cazique were obliged 

 to be present. 



Concerning relationship : They have a tree painted, with seven branches, which 

 represent the seven degrees of relationship in direct descent, within which no 

 person might marry, excepting those who had distinguished themselves in war, 

 but even these might not marry within three degrees of blood. In respect of the 

 line collateral, they made use of another tree with four branches, which repre- 

 sented the four degrees within which no one could marry. 



Aside from other laws which these Indians possessed in common throughout 

 the province, those of this nation have the following as inviolable : 



Whoever contemned or ridiculed the sacrifices to the idols, or the ceremonies 

 connected therewith, was condemned to death. 



Whoever had connection with a strange woman, was condemned to death. 



