SOUTHERN ABORIGINES. 



139 



of birds, strung upon lines made of sinews, these necklaces and 

 bracelets are made, when nothing preferable is to be found ; 

 but beads, buttons, pieces of broken glass, or bits of fractured 

 crockery- ware are most highly esteemed. 



The hair of the women is longer, less coarse, and certainly 

 cleaner than that of the men. It is combed with the jaw of a 

 porpoise, but neither platted nor tied ; and none is cut away, 

 excepting from over their eyes. They are short, with bodies 

 largely out of proportion to their height ; their features, 

 especially those of the old, are scarcely less disagreeable than 

 the repulsive ones of the men. About four feet and some 

 inches is the stature of these she-Fuegians — by courtesy called 

 women. They never walk upright : a stooping posture, and 

 awkward movement, is their natural gait. They may be fit 

 mates for such uncouth men ; but to civilized people their ap- 

 pearance is disgusting. Very few exceptions were noticed. 



The colour of the women is similar to that of the men. As 

 they are just as much exposed, and do harder w^ork, this is a 

 natural consequence : besides, while children, they run about 

 quite naked, picking up shell-fish, carrying wood, or bringing 

 water. In the colour of the older people there is a tinge of 

 yellow, which is not noticed in the middle-aged or young. 



Both sexes oil themselves, or rub their bodies with grease ; 

 and daub their faces and bodies with red, black, or white. 

 A fillet is often worn round the head, which upon ordinary 

 occasions is simply a string, made of sinews ; but if going to 

 war, or dressed for show, the fillet is ornamented with white 

 down, white feathers, or pieces of cloth, if they have obtained 

 any from shipping. Small lances, headed with wood ; others, 

 pointed with bone ; bows, and arrows headed with obsidian, 

 agate, or jasper ; clubs ; and slings ; are the weapons used by 

 the Tekeenica. 



The smoke of wood fires, confined in small wigwams, 

 hurts their eyes so much, that they are red and watery ; the 

 effects of their oiling, or greasing themselves, and then rub- 

 bing ochre, clay, or charcoal, over their bodies ; of their often 

 feeding upon the most offensive substances, sometimes in a 



