would offend the God of animals and render their Guns useless. When a Girl comes to the age of Puberty her mother, ever careful of the Daughter's moral character, erects a hut for her apart where she must remain excluded from the other sex for three days with her face besmeared with grease and a cap on her head to which are suspended over the eyes strings of Beads or leather to prevent her from seeing a man during this first merry period of her Existence. The term of her seclusion being over she returns among her friends but continues till married to eat out of the same bark Dish which she used in her confinement and if any other person by chance or otherwise should have the misfortune to touch it this would be considered as the prelude to some very great calamity indeed to the whole nation[.]

In their Courtships the youngmen Throw small sticks at the objects of their choice. Should the latter return the complement it is a favourable reception if not it is a tacit hint to search their fortune elsewhere. It is also a common method for the young man to leave his Blanket

in

[26]