IN HIGHER PEOPLES 165 



taunted by the old women ; if he is married, his 

 wives quit him; if he is unmarried, not a single 

 young woman will speak to him ; his mother con- 

 stantly laments that she has given birth to a son 

 so craven; and his father treats him with re- 

 proaches and contempt. ' ' 



The Kukis, an Asiatic tribe, are even more fa- 

 natical. "Like all savage peoples, the Kukis are 

 of a most revengeful nature. Blood must always 

 be shed for blood. If a man is killed by the acci- 

 dental fall of a tree, his relatives assemble and 

 reduce it to chips.'' 



As a general rule among primitive peoples, the 

 injury of one member of a tribe by another is not 

 a matter of public concern. It is a matter to be 

 settled by the two individuals concerned, or by 

 their families. The chief of the tribe takes ac- 

 count of those offenses only which concern the in- 

 terests of the community generally. The aveng- 

 ing of private injuries is left to the individual. 



It is said of the Indians of the Caribbean is- 

 lands: *'Tlie administration of justice is not ex- 

 ercised by any magistrate or judge ; but he who 

 thinks himself injured gets such satisfaction from 

 the offender as his passion dictates or his strength 

 permits him to obtain. The public does not con- 

 cern itself at all with the punishment of criminals. 

 And if any one suffers an injury or an insult and 

 does not revenge himself for it, he is slighted by 

 all the rest." 



Among the North American Indians generally 



