1769 MOURNING CEREMONIES 171 



the younger people cut off all or a part of their hair, and 

 throw that also under the bier. 



When the ceremonies have been performed for two or 

 three days, the men, who till now seemed to be entirely 

 insensible of their loss, begin their part. They have a 

 peculiar dress for this occasion, and patrol the woods early 

 in the morning and late at night, preceded by two or three 

 boys, who have nothing upon them but a small piece of 

 cloth round their waists, and who are smutted all over 

 with charcoal. These sable emissaries run about their 

 principal in all directions, as if in pursuit of people on 

 whom he may vent the rage inspired by his sorrow, which he 

 does most unmercifully if he catches any one, cutting them 

 with his stick, the edge of which is set with shark's teeth. 

 But this rarely or never happens, for no sooner does this figure 

 appear than every one who sees either him or his emissaries, 

 inspired with a sort of religious awe, flies with the utmost 

 speed, hiding wherever he thinks himself safest, but by all 

 means quitting his house if it lies even near the path of 

 this dreadful apparition. 



These ceremonies continue for five moons, decreasing, 

 however, in frequency very much towards the latter part 

 of that time. The body is then taken down from the 

 ewha&a, the bones washed and scraped very clean, and 

 buried according to the rank of the person, either within or 

 without some one of their marais or places of public 

 worship ; and if it is one of their earees, or chiefs, his skull 

 is preserved, and, wrapped up in fine cloth, is placed in a 

 kind of case made for the purpose, which stands in the 

 marai. The mourning then ceases, unless some of the 

 women, who find themselves more than commonly afflicted 

 by their loss, repeat the ceremony of poopooing, or bleeding 

 themselves in the head, which they do at any time or in any 

 place they happen to be when the whim takes them. 



The ceremonies, however, are far from ceasing at this 

 stage ; frequent prayers must be said by the priest, and 

 frequent offerings made for the benefit of the deceased, or 

 more properly for that of the priests, who are well paid 



