beast fell upon him intentionally in anger, perhaps to revenge the hurt done to another bear. When a bear is killed, they will beg pardon of him, or even make him condone the offence by smoking the peace-pipe with his murderers, who put the pipe in his mouth and blow down it, begging his spirit not to take revenge.[1] So in Africa, the Kafirs will hunt the elephant, begging him not to tread on them and kill them, and when he is dead they will assure him that they did not kill him on purpose, and they will bury his trunk, for the elephant is a mighty chief, and his trunk is his hand that he may hurt withal. The Congo people will even avenge such a murder by a pretended attack on the hunters who did the deed.[2] Such customs are common among the lower Asiatic tribes. The Stiens of Kambodia ask pardon of the beast they have killed;[3] the Ainos of Yesso kill the bear, offer obeisance and salutation to him, and cut up his carcase.[4] The Koriaks, if they have slain a bear or wolf, will flay him, dress one of their people in the skin, and dance round him, chanting excuses that they did not do it, and especially laying the blame on a Russian. But if it is a fox, they take his skin, wrap his dead body in hay, and sneering tell him to go to his own people and say what famous hospitality he has had, and how they gave him a new coat instead of his old one.[5] The Samoyeds excuse themselves to the slain bear, telling him it was the Russians who did it, and that a Russian knife will cut him up.[6] The Goldi will set up the slain bear, call him 'my lord' and do ironical homage to him, or taking him alive will fatten him in a cage, call him 'son' and 'brother,' and kill and eat him as a sacrifice at a solemn festival.[7] In Borneo,
- ↑ Schoolcraft, 'Indian Tribes,' part i. p. 543; part iii. pp. 229, 520; Waitz, vol. iii. pp. 191-3.
- ↑ Klemm, 'Cultur-Gesch.' vol. iii. pp. 355, 364; Waitz, vol. ii. p. 178.
- ↑ Mouhot, 'Indo-China,' vol. i. p. 252.
- ↑ Wood in 'Tr. Eth. Soc.' vol. iv. p. 36.
- ↑ Bastian, 'Mensch,' vol. iii. p. 26.
- ↑ De Drosses, 'Dieux Fétiches,' p. 61.
- ↑ Ravenstein, 'Amur,' p. 382; T. W. Atkinson, p. 483.
