CUSTOMS AND GOVERNMENT. 



273 



but sometimes so small (fig. 170), that only the bones could be kept in them. Near the small 

 tomb, a round, shallow, glazed dish is standing, apparently of Chinese make, and the widow 

 of the deceased is seated near, lamen.ting her loss. In fig. 169 only a pièce of such a dish is to 

 be seen, and under the tomb a couple of skulls. Ouite différent are the graves, which I saw on 

 3lios Kôrvvâr, although the présent inhabitants of this island originally came from the now 

 abandoned village of Maudor on the island of Supiôri, which is situated close to Wiak. Hère the 

 bodies are buried in the ground, and the four-sided space is surrounded by planks, standing 

 on edge, and a small roof is made over it (fig. 172); outside the planks are small dishes and 

 pièces of larger ones. On Ron, according to Van BALEN [1886, 560], a broken pot (also a 

 netted bag) is found only on the graves of women, whereas on the men's graves a broken 

 bow and arrovv are found. A décoration of red calico over graves, mentioned by Van Balen, 

 is also very common at Wendèsi. The inhabitants of the Jakati delta (MOOLENBURGH [1903, 215]) 

 place the skull of the deceased inside the house on a large dish. The people of Wendèsi 

 deposit their dead, either on a mat or not, on some cf the neighbouring, rocky islands and 

 suspend pièces of red calico from the branches of the shrubs; I also saw near a body, which 

 had been lying there only a few days, quite uncovered on a mat, a closed wooden box, 

 containing some valuables. Sometimes, however, graves are also met with in this neighbourhood, 

 like in fig. 173, with a covering on the top of ornamented pôles. SNELLEMAN [1906, 115, 116] 

 gives illustrations of the way 

 in which the dead body 

 is transported, and a large 

 quantity of valuables, among 

 which Chinese dishes, depo- 

 sited on the grave. More to 



the south, near Siari, at a 



short distance from the 



house illustrated in fig. So, 



I saw inside a circular fence 



of sticks and thin bamboo, 



round which strips ofcheck- 



ed calico had been fastened, 



cases and baskets and two 



reddish brown pots, the 



whole of native make, but 



also a shallow, round dish, 



45 cm. in diameter, of glazed 



earthenware, ornamented with blue, red, yellow and green figures of Chinese character, and 



a tall jar, ± 45 cm. high, with a bell-shaped lid, -ornamented with snakes and dragons in 



blue colours. I do not remember whether on this grave garden plants occurred as a delicacy 



for the deceased, as is reported of Ajambori (Van DER GOES [1858, 161]); fruits on graves 



are also reported of British N. G. (D'ALBERTIS [1880, II, 12], CHALMERS [1903, 120]). Nearer 



Siari there was a grave, surrounded by a border of red stones, inside which a small, triangular 



plank was standing in the ground, as well at the head as at the foot. Near Wendèsi there 

 Nova Guinea. III. Ethnographv. 35 



Fig. 173. Grave near Wendèsi. 



