146 BUBKATT OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY fBrix. 63 



(d) FuEGiANS.— Ball, 261; Darwin, a, 1871 ed., 214-215; Fitz-Roy, a, 179-181. 



Based on the foregoing: Cafias P., 375-376; Dabbene, a, 64; b* 202-204; Garson, 145; 

 Lang, 174-175, 187 and passim; Outes, d, 134, 139; W. Schmidt, a, 103, tr., 145; Wester- 

 marck, ii, 681-682. 



SUPRAMUNDANE BEINGS 



A. Alacaluf. — ^Admiral Fitz-Roy (King, 227) put a watch to the 

 ears of some natives met in Otway Water. "I pointed to the watch," 

 he says, "and then to the sky; they shook their heads and su<Ulenly 

 looked so grave, that from their manner in this instance, and from 

 what I could understand by their signs, I felt certain they had an 

 idea of a Supreme Being." Pointing, signaling or looking toward the 

 sky in a more or less reverential manner is mentioned by various 

 other observers (Vargas Ponce, a, 351; h, 25; Duclos-Guyot, h, 678; 

 King, 314-315, 319; Meriais, 391; Hanaford, 210-211; Fitz-Roy, a, 

 190); for instance, one of the natives met by Lieut. Cevallos, after 

 gazing in a looking-glass for some time, "senalo hacia ariiba, como 

 diciendo que aquello era cosa del Cielo " (Vargas Ponce, h, 25). These 

 incidents are interesting and to a certain extent suggestive, but the 

 inferences of Admiral Fitz-Roy and Lieut. Cevallos are, to say the 

 least, hazardous. The former, happily, gives more concrete data in 

 his narrative of the second Beagle expedition. 



Ho was told by York Minster, one of his Alacaluf proteges, that ''a 

 great black man is supposed to be always wandeiing about the woods 

 and mountams, who is certain of knowing every word and every ac- 

 tion, who can not be escaped and who influences the weather accord- 

 ing to men's c(mduct." "In woods of my countiy," said York, 

 "some men go about alone; very mid men — ^have no belly, . . . 

 live by stealing from other men." One of these wild men was catight 

 in the act of stealing some birds that had been cached by York's 

 brother. The brother killed the thief on the spot with a stone, 

 though afterward he repented of the murder. But, added York, 

 "rain come down — snow come down — hail come down — wind blow — 

 blow — very much blow. Veiy bad to kill man. Big man in woods no 

 like it, he very angry." York "told the whole story in a very low 

 tone of voice, and with a mysterious manner; considering it an ex- 

 tremely serious affair" (Fitz-Roy, a, 180; see also Darwin, a, 1871 

 ed., 215). 



Admiral Fitz-Roy also states that "if anything was said or done 

 that was wrong, in their [that of the 3 Alacaluf and 1 Yahgan taken 

 to England] opinion it was certain to cause bad weailier. Even 

 shooting young bu'ds, before they were able to fly, was thought a 

 heinous offense" (Fitz-Roy and Darwin, ibid.). No mention, how- 

 ever, is here made of any supernatural being. 



The above account is partially corroborated from two independent 

 sources. 



