786 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 
man whose death they were revenging. ‘ Look (they would say) 
you are the man who killed So-and-So; see, there is his house, 
these are his weapons ; these trees belonged to him ; this is his 
garden ; now we are going to eat you in payment for what you 
or your people have done.” If the man were living he would 
answer these taunts, either admitting them or denying them, and 
saying who it was that had done the deed. Sometimes, in such a 
case, some friend of his would produce a large quantity of diwara 
and ransom him, but in most cases he was killed and eaten. 
This illustrates the idea of revenge as the inducement of 
cannibalism. The other idea is shown by another example. One 
of Tepang’s relatives is killed, and, of course, there is no rest for 
his spirit until proper satisfaction is given. His house is kept in 
order, his spears are stuck in the ground in front of the house, 
and his tomahawk is hung on the wall. A dead branch of a tree 
is stuck in the ground in front and a small basket is hung upon it 
in which Tepangand his friends put small pieces of food from 
time to time. In course of time they either kill the man who 
killed him or one from the same village, or failing that they buy 
such a man or a piece of one from some other village. Then the 
family of the murdered man assemble and each one eats a smail 
piece of him, another piece is put in the basket, which I have 
mentioned as being hung near the dead relative’s house, and 
another piece is flung in the direction of the village of the man 
who killed him. The piece which is put in the basket of the dead 
relative is to assure his spirit that his death is avenged and that. 
he may now go away in peace. Tepang and his friends then pull 
up the spears, take down the tomahawk, uproot the dead branch, 
let the house go to ruin and go to their ordinary business quite satis- 
fied that they have done their duty. The skulls of these victims, 
however, are often kept as trophies and may be seen stuck up on 
poles, either in front of Tepang’s house or on the spot where his 
relative was killed. In some places the jawbones are kept, and I 
have seen in one house thirty-five of these relics hung up on the 
battens of the house. 
OF TEPANG’S POLITICAL LIFE 
T can say but little in this paper. Asa man of influence he had 
to take his part in all the deliberations regarding taboos, and help 
to enforce the penalties which followed any breach of the laws. 
This institution, however, is not so far reaching nor so frequently 
used as it is in other groups. He had also to take his full share 
of all the fighting, which is frequent enough to satisfy any man. 
Tepang and his people were always at feud with neighbouring 
towns and villages. Sometimes peace would be made, and there 
would be a settling up of all the differences ; but this state never 
i 
y 
