154 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETtlNOLOGY [bull. 63 



moimd on the pliitform of which were three figures made with briglit 

 stones, one figure representing a circle (tlie sun), tlie second a lialf 

 moon, and the third a hand. Sr. Payro (184-185) was told of certain 

 Yahgan idols. It is very doubtful, however, if any dependence at 

 aU can be put on the above accounts ; so far at least as the Yahgans 

 are concerned, the Rev. Mr. Bridges and others categoricall}^ deny the 

 existence of any such materialization of l)elief. 



Capt. Low found somewhere in the West Patagonian channels a 

 number of spears, arrows, and clubs stuck in the ground, and among 

 them a large block of wood rudely carved in the shape of a man, with 

 long red teeth and around the neck a halter of hide. This, he was 

 told, was the native method of declaring war, and the figure repre- 

 sented their evil spirit (Fitz-Roy, a, 194; cf. a somewhat sunilar 

 Ai'aucanian method of declaring war, Rosales, a, vol. i, 147). 



Negative cult 



There are a great manv things of a nonmoral nature which the 

 Fuegians scrupulously avoid saying or doing for fear of evil conse- 

 quences. In most cases the consequences are believed to follow auto- 

 matically, as far as our information goes, a breach of the ban, and 

 hence are provisionally classed under Taboos or Magic. Where, on 

 the contrary, the consequences are explicitly regarded as inflicted by 

 an angered supramundane being, the prohibitions are classed under 

 Cult. A familiar example of such negative cidt in the Judeo-Christian 

 religion is the prohibition against taking the name of God in vain. 



A. Yahgans. — The Kachpikh or malevolent spirits of the woodland 

 caves are avoided lest they inflict ilbiess or death (Hyades, q, 255). 

 The Yahgan has a dread of Cushpeec and is loath to hear his name 

 mentioned (Despard, h, 717; cf. also Fmiong, h, 137). It is dan- 

 gerous to name the dead (Th. Bridges, a, Fr. tr., 177). 



B. Onas. — The Onas fear the mountains (Gunn, 326), who are 

 deceased men, and who send storms on trespassers (Cojazzi, 90-91). 

 The Onas respect and fear such natural objects as the mountains, the 

 sun, moon and stars, lakes, woods, and do not speak bailly of thom 

 nor stare at them too long; if you speak l)adly of a mountain in its 

 presence, it will send rains and winds (C. Gallardo, 339-340). 



There is no available evidence bearing on Alacalufan or Chonoan 

 negative cult. 



As in underdevelopment of animistic beliefs, fetishism, etc., so, too, 

 in poverty of cidt, the Fuegians resemble many of the lowest peoples 

 in other parts of the world (cf. Mills). 



Quasi-religious Culture 



111 the l)elic'fs and observances thus far recorded there seems to be 

 fairly cleai" evidence of religious elements. The beings believed in 



