cooi'Eii] BIBLIOGRAPHY OF TRIBES OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO 163 



white men; the sun and moon were then hiis])and and wife; when 

 men began to war, the sun and moon returned to the sky and sent 

 down a red star, the planet Mars, which turned into a giant on the 

 way; the giant killed all men, then made two mountains or clods of 

 clay, from one of which rose the fu'st Ona man and from the other 

 the first Ona woman (Dabbene, a, 76; h, 271). Prof. Furlong states 

 (k) that the Onas "have a legend . . . which relates to the first 

 man and woman who they say were let down from the sky by a rope. 

 The rope was broken and hauled back, so the people stayed." ^ 



The Rev. Mr. Bridges states (a, Fr. tr., 178) that the Yahgans had 

 certain songs, transmitted from father to son, ''concernant Forigine 

 de chaque chose," but he gives no details. See also above Rev. Mr. 

 Despard's report about the forgotten maker of the sun and moon. 



Fauna, flora, and inanimate nature 



The waxing moon is believed by the Onas, or at least l)y the Ona 

 women and cliildren, to eat children or to suck their blood (Beau- 

 voir, a, 6; h, 217; Cojazzi, 81; Segers, 65). 



The Yahgans have a clear flood tradition (for details, see especially 

 Martial, 213, or Th. Bridges, a, Fr. tr., 181). Among the Onas the 

 flood was sent by their hero Kuanip (Cojazzi, 82-83). Among the 

 Yahgans the moon is the wife of the rainbow, while the sun is the 

 elder brother of the moon and Venus (Hyades, g, 281); according to 

 Capt. Bove the rainbow is the messenger of Curspic (a, 800; 6, 142; 

 c. 135; d, Arch., 297; Dabbene, h, 203). Metempsychosis plays a 

 considerable part in nearly all the Ona myths. In both the Yahgan 

 and Ona myths the marriage of human beings with rocks, or the 

 birth of men from rocks or the earth, occurs (cf . creation story, supra, 

 and hero myths, infra). The Onas have quite a number of animal 

 and plant tales (cf. especially Cojazzi, 83ff, 102; also Barclay, a, 78; 

 c, IV ; Dabbene, 6, 272; Furlong, g, 7; I'). 



Hero myths 



Two or three tales are related of the Yahgan mythical hero 

 Oumoara, wliile a more complete cycle regarding the Ona hero 

 Kuanip is available. Neither hero, however, is associated with 

 cidture teaching, nor is the object of any cult. (On Oumoara, see : 

 Dabbene, a, 66; h, 205; Hahn, c; Martial,* 213-214. On Kuanip, 

 see Cojazzi,* 77ff; Dabbene, a, 77-78; h, 271-272. On the Mane- 

 kenkn Kuanip, see Cojazzi,* 101.) 



Traditions 



The tradition regarding the former dominance of the women among 

 the Yahgans and Onas has already been mentioned (cf. under Initi- 



1 This legend is attributed to the Yahgans by Dr. Coriat (207), who gives an interesting if somewhat 

 Speculative interpretation of it, namely: bowl-shape sky=uterus; rope=umbilical cord. 



