THE ETHflOLOOT OF THE INDIAN ARCH TP SLA 90- 7B 



or African is the one practised by the Papnas. The former or 

 Burraah-Tonkin custom, which is generrilk adopted by fhe 

 Tibeto-Anam tribes of 'Asianesia, appears however to have prevailed 

 in ancient Ejrypt snd the Canary islands, m it does slill in some 

 American and Esquimaux tribe*. 'An equally curious fashion, that 

 of boring the septum of the nose and wearing a piece of wood, 

 bone, &c, in it, is African, Papuan and Australian. Circumcision 

 prevails amongst most of the African tribes. Some 'African, like 

 some Australian tribes knock out two of the front lectin The 

 African practice of making lonjr gashes in the skin, and raising 

 the flesh in cicatrices, is Australian and Papuan also. Tatooin^, 

 and the custom of each tribe having a different pattern, or a 

 distinguishing mark, prevail in both regions. large pr rforat ions 

 of the ear are African as well as Old Indian, Transindian and 

 Asianesian. Among other customs found in Africa ond in gome 

 of the eastern islands, are many of those connected 'with the most 

 ancient shaman and fetish religion*, and with a rude form of 

 Sabaism, a belief in sorcery, metempsychosis, putting sorcerers to 

 death when they will not give rain/ the pretended extractioif of 

 diseases irom the body of the patient, in the shape of animals, bits 

 of bone, wood, &c.» animal wornhip, the selection of tutelar or 

 sacred animals by different tribes, the peculiar sanctity of the croco- 

 dile, the annual sacrifice of a youth or virgin to it, purging village* 

 of evil spirits, the custom of human sacrifices generally, different 

 forms of cannibalism, eating portions of slain enemies and of deceased 

 relatives, preserving the heads of enemies, drinking warm blood 

 and eating raw flesh, tearing* the heart or kidnies out of animals 

 and devouring them, omniverousand uncleanly habits;* infanticide, 

 the destroying of old and diseased persons; | many incidents of the 

 system of interdictions or tabti t tabu of the domestic fowl, food 

 forbidden to purlieu lar classes, unclean ness, purifications, removal 

 of proh i bit ions, the character of the dances in Australia, Va* 

 Dieraen'a Land, &c, and amongst many of the African tribes, lunar- 

 dances; abandonment of the house and sometime* the village in 

 which a death has taken place, doubling up the body with the head 

 jesting on the knees and burying them in circular graves or in 

 jars,t smoking corpses to preserve them, keeping them b 



* This dlstlBguisbee all the races of the Oceanic basis which hare not betu 

 purified by nmWwnic and Semitic religions, 

 t Compare the voluntary Fy praciicu with that of the Tsehnkfjcbi in Jl. B* A4l 

 t Some tribes place it in none and earthenware Jars (Celebes, New Gains*. Ja- 

 pan ) and other*, who have do jars, in circular graves, (Australia. ) Strong traces of 

 thia and numerous other A frbo- Asianesian customs arc to rand in S. India. 'IV 

 exceedingly valuable trnnswiion* of the Madcende M. 8. 8. by the Her. W Taylor 

 which have appeared in the M udraj Journal of Literaiur« and Science, contain 

 many notices tiltutntive of the ethnology of thia region, and amongst them are 

 the following: "Anciently men wearing tufted IuJtj Curumbara and various 

 others, of the Jains credence, dwelt in thu town. They were the aboriginal 



" Anciently in this town, they did not keep the very old people (ha the housea) 

 uniil death j but seeing tue time approach, they put them in very itrong-made 



