the same period; but if an enemy has been blamed for the death, and they succeed in killing a man of another—but not a contiguous—tribe, they at once remove the clay and paint from their heads and faces, and their mourning is ended. It is the same with a deceased chiefess; but the mourning for her lasts only six moons, and the person to be killed for her must be a woman.
The widow of a chief can return to her own tribe, but she cannot take her children with her, as they belong to the tribe of their father. If they are left with it by their mother, their nearest relatives are obliged to support and take care of them.
After the dead are finally disposed of, no amusements are permitted among the relatives of the deceased for two or three days; and if any levity is observed among them by the next of kin, he is entitled to take the life of one of them. Even hunting for food is not allowed until the brother or nearest male relative grants permission.
A very strange and revolting custom is practised in connection with the disposal of the bodies of those who have lost their lives by violence; and this custom has given rise to the idea that the aborigines are cannibals.
There is not the slightest doubt that the eating of human flesh is practised by the aborigines, but only as a mark of affectionate respect, in solemn service of mourning for the dead. The flesh of enemies is never eaten, nor of members of other tribes. The bodies of relatives of either sex, who have lost their lives by violence, are alone partaken of; and even then only if the body is not mangled, or unhealthy, or in poor condition, or in a putrid state. The boy is divided among the adult relatives—with the exception of nursing or pregnant women—and the flesh of every part is roasted and eaten but the vitals and intestines, which are burned with the bones. If the body be much contused, or if it have been pierced by more than three spears, it is considered too much mangled to be eaten. The body of a woman who has had children is not eaten. When a child over four or five years of age is killed accidentally, or by one spear wound only, all the relatives eat of it except the brothers and sisters. The flesh of a healthy, fat, young woman, is considered the best; and the palms of the hands are considered the most delicate portions.
On remarking to the aborigines that the eating of the whole of the flesh of a dead body by the relatives had the appearance of their making a meal of it, they said that an ordinary-sized body afforded to each of numerous adult relatives only a mere tasting; and that it was eaten with no desire to gratify or appease the appetite, but only as a symbol of respect and regret for the dead.
