842 EEPOET — 1889. 



returns at night to the village for more. If anybody should happen to 

 find her whereabouts, she has to resort to another secluded place. 

 Generally she has to shift her hiding-place four times. She must abstain 

 from certain kinds of food in order to preserve her teeth. She must not 

 eat soup made of shavings from deer or elk skin, as else her skin would 

 become an unclean complexion. She must not eat bones with marrow, 

 heart, or kidney. An unmarried woman must eat neither breast nor 

 tenderloin of any animal. If she should eat tenderloin of both sides 

 of the animal, it is believed she would give birth to twins. Neither 

 must she eat meat lying around the obturator foramen of the pelvic bone, 

 else an enemy's arrow would hit her husband in that part. 



When a young man wishes to marry a girl, he has to make a certain 

 payment to his parents-in-law. It seems there is no further ceremony 

 connected with the marriage. After marriage the woman's parents give 

 some presents to the young couple. The first child is often sacrificed to 

 the sun, to secure health and happiness to tbe whole family. An old 

 'brave' is requested to give a boy his name, to make him a good warrior. 

 Children must not eat blood and marrosv, else they will become weak. 



The dead are buried in an outstretched position. The head was 

 probably always directed eastwards. They kill the deceased's horse and 

 hang his property to a tree under which his grave is. The body is given 

 its best clothing. The mourners cut ofi" their hair, whic]\ is buried with 

 the body. When a warrior dies, they paint his face red, and bury him 

 between trees which are peeled and then painted red. 



Before the body is buried, they prophesy future events from the 

 position of his hands. These are placed over the breast of the body, the 

 left nearer the chin than the right. Then the body is covered with a 

 skin, which after a few minutes is removed. If the hands have not 

 changed their position, it indicates that no more deaths will occur in the 

 same season. If they are partly closed, the number of closed fingers 

 indicates the number of deaths. If the point of the thumb very nearly 

 touches the point of the first finger, it indicates that these deaths will 

 take place very soon. If both hands are firmly closed, they open the 

 fingers one by one, and if they find beads (torn from the clothing ?) in 

 the hands, they believe that they will have good fortune. If they find 

 dried meat in the hand, it indicates that they will have plenty of food. 

 If both hands are closed so firmly that they cannot be opened, it indicates 

 that the tribe will be strong and healthy and free from disease. These 

 experiments are repeated several times. 



While a few men bury the body, the mourners remain in the lodge 

 motionless. When those who have buried the body return, they take a 

 thornbush, dip it into a kettle of water, and sprinkle the doors of all lodges. 

 Then the bush is broken to pieces, thrown into a kettle of water, which 

 is drunk by the mourners. This ends the mourning ceremonies. 



After the death of a woman, her children must wear until the follow- 

 ing spring rings cut out of skin around the wrists, lower and upper 

 arms, and around the legs. It is believed that else their bones would 

 become weak. 



Religions. 



Tlingit. — While the shamanistic practices and customs are very much 

 alike among the various peoples of the North Pacific coast, their ideas 

 about future life and the great deities deserve a separate description. The 



