231 



that period entirely on roots, berries, fruits, cfec. There is a kind 

 of wild parsnip, of which the natives are very fond ; this, if in 

 season, is eagerly sought for durinf^ the first few days after child- 

 birth. A few hours after the child is born the mother walks 

 about apparently as strong as ever. The number of days she 

 remains away from her husband depends a good deal on the 

 number of his wives. 



9. The husband makes no difference in his mode of living 

 either before or after the birth. 



10. The father always names the child, but without the slightest 

 ceremony. Usually it is called after some dead relative, and it 

 is very seldom that a name has to be manufactured. No t\AO 

 children bear the same name. 



11. In the case of the death of an elder brother or sister they 

 will give the name of the deceased to a child just born, the 

 naming taking place as soon as it is born, but without ceremony. 



12. It is a common occurrence to kill the firstborn, irrespec- 

 tive of sex. The fact that the child has been killed is not always 

 known to the father, and he takes no trouble to enquire into the 

 matter ; in the mother extreme youthfulness is one of the reasons 

 for killing the firstborn. If the birth has been a painful one, the 

 mother will herself sometimes kill it ; and if she be too weak, it 

 is often killed by the attendants. 



13. The child ahvays takes the name of the father's tribe, and 

 belongs to that tribe; but if the child be a female, and having 

 been stolen by another tribe marries one of its young men, she of 

 course l^ecomes a member of it. 



14. Adoption is largely practised, and in the case of the adop- 

 tion of a female child, she is at the disposal of the foster mother, 

 who generally gives her to some young man of the tribe in 

 exchange for some ornament, trinket, or food. No ceremony 

 accompanies the adoption. If it is a boy, he manages to get 

 food as he best can, though while he is a baby he is cared for as 

 much as the girl. The boys, however, get very little meat until 

 they are able to obtain it for themselves. 



Puberty, 



15. The only ceremony of any very great importance is per- 

 formed at puberty, and is always carried out with great pomp and 

 ceremony. I will endeavour to describe the ceremony as observed 

 by myself. A camp or open space, which I will call "the circle," 

 is cleared to a diameter of thirty yards and swept (|uite clean. 

 Half of "the circle" is fenced round with bushes, on the inner 

 side of which are seated the councillors or leaders of the ceremony, 

 the chief being in the centre of them. None of the women or 

 children are allowed near " the circle," but are camped some two 



