THE INDIANS OF GUIANA. 71 
thirty days, without a single one being allowed to pitch 
on the corpse. The day of interment having come 
near, the friends of the deceased place his weapons next to 
the corpse, and oblige one of his wives, who generally is — 
the oldest, to seat herself at the other side in the grave, 
to accompany her husband and to save him in the other 
world, who consequently is buried alive with him ; this 
solemnity over, the oldest son takes over the inheritance 
of his father, and his wives, and when a year has elapsed, 
the bones are dug up, gathered in a box or basket, 
and hung up to the roof asaremembrance. They some- 
times burn their corpses with everything the deceased 
possessed, even his slaves, as some likewise do with 
the bones of their Captains. 
Several nations wear mourning for their relations; 
the Jiraras, Ayricas and some others rub their whole 
body with a black paint, which is made from a fruit, 
called Jagua, and is so adhesive, that it cannot be washed 
off. The wife, children, brothers and sisters of the 
deceased, paint themselves with it from head to feet, 
when they look exaétly like negroes ; the friends of the 
deceased in the second degree paint only the feet, legs 
and arms, and part of the face; others rub with it 
only their hands and feet, with a few patches in the 
face ; their mourning lasts one year, during which time 
they are not allowed to marry. Some of these nations 
accompany their interments with a doleful and sad music, 
composed of a sort of Bassoons and Flutes of different 
sizes made of reeds; the men provided with these instru- 
ments having arrived at the place of interment, the young 
men place themselves, then the girls in another row, 
and the women behind them. The widow or widower 
