152 HUNTING AND PISHING EACES 



The Crees and the Blackfeet, for instance, waged ' unceasing 

 war ' ; ^ the warUke instinct of the Chepewayans is well known. ^ 

 The tribes of Western Washington and Northern Oregon engaged 

 in constant warfare, though the actual encounters did not result 

 in any great loss of life.'^ In Central California ' battles, though 

 frequent, were not attended with much loss of life '.^ In Southern 

 California we hear of ' frequent and deadly wars ' ^ from one 

 author and of ' continual wars ' from another,® the last laying 

 stress upon warfare as an important factor in the population 

 question. The Seri Indians of Tiburon Island engage in practically 

 continuous warfare,' and the Comanches ' highly honour 

 bravery on the battlefield '. From early youth they are taught 

 the art of war.^ ' In consequence of continual hostilities ' the 

 Ygauzas ' cannot travel the country nor make many exchanges '.* 

 Among the Puelches war is both common and sanguinary,^" and 

 the same is the case with regard to the Guaycurus " and the 

 Charruas.i"^ The Fuegians are ' almost always at war with adjoin- 

 ing tribes ; they seldom meet, but a hostile encounter is the 

 result '.1' 



11. Passing to the consideration of feuds it is found that they 

 originate largely from motives of blood revenge. The expression 

 blood revenge suggests retribution for a murder actually committed, 

 but among primitive races the origin of blood revenge is far more 

 often the natural death of some member of the tribe. Owing to 

 the almost universal belief among these races that death is never 

 natural in our sense of the word, the loss of a relation or fellow- 

 tribesman is attributed to magical influence, and the guilt fastened 

 upon some individual by a process of magical divination. It 

 appears that women are judged to be equally capable with men 

 of causing death, and that therefore elimination from this cause 

 falls equally upon both sexes. 



' No such thing as natural death is recognized by the [Australian] 

 riatives ; a man who dies has of necessity been killed by another 

 man or perhaps even by a woman.' ^^ 'If an Abipon die from 



1 Catlin, loc. cit., vol. i, p. 53. ^ MacKenzie, loc. cit., vol. i, p. 171. 



3 Gibbs, loc. cit., p. 190. * Bancroft, loc. cit., vol. i, p. 379. « Ibid., 



vol. i, p. 562. 8 Baegert, loc. cit., p. 359. ' MacGee, 17th A. R. B. E., 



pp. 157_and 273. He speaks of a ' frequent decimation of the warriors ' (p. 273). 

 ' Bancroft, loc. cit., vol. i, p. 499. ' Cabe9a de Vaca, loc. cit., p. 54. 



>" Guinnard, loc. cit., p. 125. " Azara, vol. ii, p. 146. '^ ibid., p. 7. 



" King and Fitzroy, Narrative, vol. ii, p. 183. See also Featherman, Social 

 History, vol. iii, p. 508. 



" Spencer and Gillen, Native Tribes, p. 45. To show the length to which this 



