338 RUMBEK. 



the support of each cliild. Men, however, who are rich and 

 influential enough to set aside this custom often retain the 

 children. If sons have been taken away by the mother, they 

 may, if they choose, return to their father as soon as they are 

 grown up ; the girls, however, remain unconditionally with the 

 mother, who, if she marries again, takes them to her new husband. 



Births are not specially celebrated, and there are no cere- 

 monies of purification employed. Twins bring misfortune, and 

 require the sacrifice of a goat. At the birth of twins the 

 people rejoice if one of them dies, as that is supposed to 

 prevent misfortune visiting the parents. Special names for 

 twins do not exist. The navel-cord of a newly born child is 

 divided by seven sharp straw splinters, and a few drops of the 

 blood are placed upon the mother's tongue, in order that, should 

 she later on use hard words against her child, they may have 

 no evil effects. The father may get angry and curse his children 

 if he likes — his words have no power of producing evil. 



The murder of a man must be atoned for by a fine of thirty 

 cows ; that of a woman by forty cows. After a death, the 

 body is washed, shaved, rubbed with oil, and then put into 

 a circular hole in a squatting position, with the hands drawn 

 up to cover the mouth, all ornaments having been taken off. 

 A cow-hide is spread over the corpse, and the hole is filled up 

 with earth. If the deceased was a rich man, a cow-hide is also 

 placed under his body, and an ox is killed, generally a diseased 

 one, and eaten by the relatives. The nearest relations shave 

 the head as a sign of grief. For six or seven days the deceased's 

 hut and those of his family are considered unclean, and avoided 

 by all but those who live in them ; the neighbours do not even 

 fetch fire from them. 



The men do not wear any clothing, but have the following 

 ornaments : — small aprons of brightly coloured skins, which 

 are only used on festive occasions, head-dresses made out of 

 skeins of wool, ostrich feathers, and straw caps with Galago 

 skins. The bracelets are of ivory or iron, which the Agar 

 work, but more commonly barter from the Mittu and Bongo. 

 The women are enveloped in large skin aprons, often beauti- 

 fully ornamented with beads. The tribal marks of the Agar 

 and Atwot are four scars running parallel across the forehead, 



