274 R. H. MATHEWS. 



No person except the brothers of deceased are allowed 

 to use his weapons and other belongings, which are called 

 dhundhal. If the brothers of the dead man take his spears 

 or other weapons and kill any game therewith, no one 

 excepting the widow and relatives of the deceased, can 

 participate in the feast. If more game or other food has 

 been obtained than the relatives can eat, they cannot give 

 away the surplus to other people of the tribe who are not 

 relatives, but must burn or bury it. 



The widow does not converse with any one, but every 

 morning and evening she raises a lamentation, and chants 

 certain customary dirges. This is continued for many 

 months, at the termination of which one of the younger 

 brothers of the deceased may claim her. 



When a man of the Ngeumba tribe is buried, a grave is 

 dug in which the body is placed in a sitting posture, lean- 

 ing backwards with its head towards sunrise. A doctor, 

 or clever man, goes into the grave and places the body in 

 position. The face of the corpse is bent forward till the 

 chin touches the chest. This bowing down of the head is 

 done to prevent the friends of the deceased from dreaming 

 about him. Yerrudhami means a dream. When every- 

 thing is ready, the men on the top throw down earth and 

 short pieces of sticks, with which the doctor packs the 

 corpse in position. Afterwards, the men return to their 

 camp and are smoked at a fire witli green boughs layed 

 upon it. 



Sorcery or Magic. 



Upon the decease of a tribesman, the old men, muyulus, 

 generally, if not always, ascribe his death to the machina- 

 tions of some enemy, either in their own tribe or among 

 their neighbours. The following is one of the methods 

 adopted by the Tharumba tribe to discover the person who 

 has secretly caused a man's death : — His body is taken by 



