794. NILOTIC NEGHOES 



a dead person shave their heads for three days after the death. The 

 eldest son of the deceased sits on a stool outside the village, and has his 

 head shaved. If any one of importance dies, the neighbours do not 

 cultivate for three days after the death. If a big chief dies, all the 

 surrounding peo})le collect at the village, and in such cases even hostilities 

 between clans are suspended, and all join in the funeral rites of the late 

 cliief. even if he happens to be at war with some of his dependent clans. 

 In the case of the death of a chief, a new hut is built. The grave of the 

 chief is dug by his brother. A new ox hide is placed at the bottom of 

 the grave, and the head of the corpse is covered with a water-pot. Seeds 

 of every kind of gi-ain grown in the vicinity are put into the grave, but 

 sweet potatoes are excluded. The people dance and drink '"tembo" for ten 

 days, and slaughter many oxen. The men wail for ten days, but the women 

 wail every morning for a year. No one cultivates the fields for ten days. 



When a man dies, his property goes to the brother, if the children are 

 small. If the eldest son is grown up, he takes the property and gives his 

 brothers a share, but a man is not allowed to take the amount paid by 

 any one who marries one of his sisters. This marriage payment goes to 

 the deceased father's brothers. The brothers of the deceased take his wives, 

 but the eldest son probably takes the youngest wife of his deceased 

 father. When a chief dies, the son whom he has chosen succeeds him. 

 This successor is chosen really some years before the chief dies. The 

 successor divides the private property of the chief with his brothers. 



When a warrior has killed a man in xvarfare, he must (besides 

 shaving his head) catch a fowl and hang it round his neck head uppermost. 

 He must not enter his home village until this has been done. Whilst 

 the fowl is suspended to the man's neck by the beak its head is r^evered 

 from the body, and the head is left hanging from the man's neck. The 

 warrior then enters the village, and shortly afterwards prepares a big feast 

 to propitiate the man he has killed, so that his ghost may not give 

 trouble. If a house is struck by lightning, and any one is killed inside, 

 the head-man of the village must obtain a male fowl of a red colour and 

 walk round the house holding up the fowl three times. The house is 

 then broken up, and the wood is used for other purposes. When desiring 

 to make peace with another tribe with whom they have been at war, 

 they kill a sheep and put part of it into a wooden mortar such as is 

 used for crushing grain. The representatives of each side then take out 

 ])ieces of the flesh and exchange them reciprocally. An old man belonging 

 to the side which has been worsted, and which is suing for peace, must 

 then go to the head village of the conqueror and proceed to sweep up the 

 cattle kraal. This is accepted as a kind of submission. 



Like the Bantu Kavirondo, the Ja-luo are in the main a healthy people. 



