470 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BulL 176 



sound convincing either to me, or to herseli,"* I therefore began to tease her 

 about the famous temper of the Kunyii :th gens, and that was the last I heard 

 of her suicidal intentions. 



It is of great psychological interest that Hama : Utce: expressed suicidal 

 thoughts, hostile feelings toward Tanu :, and thoughts comparing her troubles 

 with Tanu : to Taparevily's troubles with the same, chiefly while riding in a car 

 with me, though there were no reasons why she should not discuss this matter 

 also on other occasions, i.e., when not riding in a car. 



Comment 



The preceding case history illustrates two major aspects of Mohave suicide: 



(1) If a person from whom one expects love and support frustrates these 

 expectations, there is at first impotent anger, which, soon afterwards, turns 

 into self-aggression. 



(2) Frustrated and angry persons tend to identify with those who actually 

 killed themselves, especially if the suicide was a relative or was in some other 

 manner connected with the person who contemplates suicide, or was in a similar 

 predicament. This factor may be responsible for the "clustering" of Mohave 

 suicides, either in the same family, or else among the suitors of the same woman 

 or, apparently, even in time, as exemplified by the fact that two formally unre- 

 lated suicides occurred in rapid succession in the spring of 1944 (Cases 121, 

 122). This problem is discussed in some detail in the introductory section of 

 this chapter. 



SUPPLEMENTARY CASE A (For a full account, see Case 138) : 



Syuly deserted her husband Elumar Tudhu :lye, allegedly because he was an 

 alcoholic, and married bis brother, the equally alcoholic Amat Yavu :me, who, a 

 year or so later, was hit and killed by a car while drunkenly walking at night 

 on a reservation road. This death so depressed Humar Tudhu :lye, that he 

 began to drink more than ever before, saying, when drunk : "I keep on thinking 

 of my brother. I don't care if the same thing happens to me too. I too want 

 to die. I don't care." It was ascertained that Humar Tudhu :lye had no 

 thoughts of dying before his brother's fatal accident. 



Comment 



The "clustering" mechanism is clearly reflected by the present case. In fact, 

 it is even legitimate to assume that the marked increase in Hiunar Tudhu :lye's 

 alcoholism was partly a suicidal mechanism, not only because alcohol is in- 

 herently harmful, but chiefly because his brother was killed while too drunk to 

 watch for approaching cars. This interpretation is supported by his state- 

 ment : "I don't care if the same thing happens to me too." It is also significant 

 that the basic nexus between the two brothers was further reinforced by their 

 having been married successively to the same woman. The functional sig- 

 nificance of this latter type of nexus is proved by Cluster B, Cases 119 and 120. 



SUBQEOtJP II 



CASE 116 (Informants: Hivsu: Tuporma and Hama: Utce:): 



Name: J. A. (Mohave name not recalled.) Gens: Kunyii :th. Race: Full- 

 blood Mohave. Sex: Male. Age at death: 21. Marital status: Married. 



"* A few days earlier she was almost In tears when she heard what hard times I had had 

 and scolded me because I did not write to her for help, saying, "As long as there is a 

 dollar or a mouthful of food In this house, half of it is yours. What kind of friend are yon 

 anyway, If you don't ask your friends to help you when you need it?" 



