Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/229

1769 the younger people cut off all or a part of their hair, and throw that also under the bier.

When the ceremonies have been performed for two or three days, the men, who till now seemed to be entirely insensible of their loss, begin their part. They have a peculiar dress for this occasion, and patrol the woods early in the morning and late at night, preceded by two or three boys, who have nothing upon them but a small piece of cloth round their waists, and who are smutted all over with charcoal. These sable emissaries run about their principal in all directions, as if in pursuit of people on whom he may vent the rage inspired by his sorrow, which he does most unmercifully if he catches any one, cutting them with his stick, the edge of which is set with shark’s teeth. But this rarely or never happens, for no sooner does this figure appear than every one who sees either him or his emissaries, inspired with a sort of religious awe, flies with the utmost speed, hiding wherever he thinks himself safest, but by all means quitting his house if it lies even near the path of this dreadful apparition.

These ceremonies continue for five moons, decreasing, however, in frequency very much towards the latter part of that time. The body is then taken down from the ewhatta, the bones washed and scraped very clean, and buried according to the rank of the person, either within or without some one of their marais or places of public worship; and if it is one of their earees, or chiefs, his skull is preserved, and, wrapped up in fine cloth, is placed in a kind of case made for the purpose, which stands in the marai. The mourning then ceases, unless some of the women, who find themselves more than commonly afflicted by their loss, repeat the ceremony of poopooing, or bleeding themselves in the head, which they do at any time or in any place they happen to be when the whim takes them.

The ceremonies, however, are far from ceasing at this stage; frequent prayers must be said by the priest, and frequent offerings made for the benefit of the deceased, or more properly for that of the priests, who are well paid