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4.
Habits and Customs.
1. Motions. They usually sleep on the back, with the one or
both hands supporting the head which is thus
slightly raised. A common position in standing is
to raise the one foot upon the surface just above the
opposite knee, the balance of the body being maintained
by resting against a tree, or supporting the arm upon
a spear. The women have no knowledge of their nudity,
and would stand right in front of any male ad-
dressing them (sect 32). Micturition is effected among both
sexes in the erect position, the legs somewhat apart,
and the privates not handled: the women occasionally
relieve the bladder in the squatting position. Stones,
sticks, grass, anything handy in fact, is used to cleanse
their persons after defaecation. Accouchements
take place while resting on the knees, the hands & arms
being supported usually by a friend's shoulders.
The navel-string is tied and torn so as to obtain the
greatest length possible, and left for quite 12 days or
a fortnight hanging round the infant's neck, or coiled
round its neck and armpit: if at the end of this time,
it has not rotted away from off the child, it
is burnt away close to the body. The posture
of walking is generally with the body erect,
the feet pretty straight, the knees bent, but no
swinging of the arms, while the palms of the hand
are turned inwards. In removing any heavy ob-
stacle, pulling is more often noticeable than
pushing. Three methods of climbing trees are
in vogue. With any comparatively small tree,
eg. a large creeper, they climb hand over hand,
having the two feet on the same horizontal level
on either side of the creeper, with the knees well out;
thus firmly planted, they drag themselves up a
short distance with the arms and hands, thus rapidly advancing