Grabb.] 494 [Aug. 20, 



before, that of the mammary gland proper, on the approach of puberty, 

 and is more obvious then, than after the gland has acquired its full 

 rotundity. After marriage, the areola gradually sinks, leaving the nipple 

 standing out prominently in its centre. 



In treating of the manners and customs of these people, T shall include 

 the three tribes of Tiribi, Bri-bri, and Cabecar as one, and shall only 

 mentiju them separately where points of difterence occur. First in the 

 order comes the birth of the young savage. 



All the world, or rather all the ignorant world, and even a part of that 

 which considers itself reasonably enlightened, entertains a belief in the 

 influence on the child, of certain impressions made on the mother during 

 pregnancy. Doubtless the general mental state of the mother has an in- 

 fluence on her progeny. But the belief exists among these Indians, in 

 its full force, that the sight of certain objects by the mother will influence 

 her child physically. They go further. The mother is given to wearing 

 certain charms to that end. The eyes of the fish hawk give the future fisher 

 the power to see his prey beneath the water ; the teeth of the tiger (also 

 worn by both sexes for purely ornamental purposes), when used as an 

 amulet makes the future hunter swif d and strong in the chase ; the hairs 

 of a horse make him strong to carry loads, and a piece of cotton pushed 

 inside of her girdle by a white man, is certain to make the child of a 

 lighter complexion. 



When the time of parturition approaches, the father goes into the woods 

 and builds a little shed, at a safe distance from the house. To this the 

 woman retires as soon as she feels the labor pains coming on. Here, 

 alone and unassisted, she brings forth her young. Difiicult delivery is as 

 rare as among the lower animals. As soon as ihe delivery is effected, the 

 mother of the woman, if present, and in her absence, some other old 

 woman approaches the mother and, with great circumspection to avoid 

 the defilement of hu-ku-ru^, of which I shall speak further on, places within 

 her reach a piece of wild cane, so split as to make a rude knife. The mother 

 ties the iimbilical cord and severs it with this knife. No other kind is 

 permitted. She is also supplied in the same manner with some tepid 

 water in a folded plantain leaf, in which she washes the child. She then 

 collects the after-birth, »&c., and buries it, after which she goes to the 

 nearest water and bathes herself. An awa, or medicine man then ap- 

 pears on the scene. He causes the mother to theoretically wash herself 

 again, by dipping her fingers into a calabash of water, which he forth- 

 with drinks. He then lights a pipe of tobacco, blowing the smoke over 

 her. He then purifies himself by washing his hands, after which, and 

 not before, all are permitted to return to the house. The recovery of the 

 mother is so prompt that it may be more properly said, she has nothing 

 to recover from. I have seen a young mother, with her first child not 

 ■yet a week old, attending to her ordinary duties as if nothing had hap- 

 pened. 



The matter of names is very loose and arbitrary. It is almost impossi- 



