The Ngia-Ngiampe, a chief, carries on trade between the tribes in the exchange of baskets, rugs, clubs, &c.
The umbilical cord is preserved, and this is supposed to confer some peculiar virtue on the Ngia-Ngiampe. Those possessing these charms never speak to each other, and employ a third person to carry on the traffic, so that there is no danger of collusion in their dealings.
Sorcery is practised extensively, as in the Pacific Islands. Through fear of disease they collect and destroy all the refuse in their vicinity; but should the disease-maker find a bone of some bird or animal he proceeds with this to inflict disease.
So with the Tahitians—the disease-maker picks up the parings of nails, hair, saliva, and other secretions of the body as vehicles which the Demon introduces into his victim, or they often exchange their ngadhungi and each destroys it.
When the ngaitye of a tribe is killed, if a hostile kuldukke of another tribe gets a bone, he ties it in the corner of a wallaby’s skin and flings at the people, and they are made sick. They state that they could or did kill a magpie by sorcery. One day two children were at play—one chopped off the joint of the other child’s finger; the father swallowed it with the view that no sorcery man should get it.
Next is the avenger. The man seeking revenge disguises himself, marking his face over with streaks, and then with a heavy club prowls about the hunting ground. If he sees his victim alone, he rushes on him and kills him, breaking his bones.
The perpetrator is called malpuri (murderer), and is subject to be put to death by the relatives of the victim, as the avenger of blood.
This belief in sorcery makes them careless of illness. From a belief in its curative properties, some of the tribes take the kidney fat from the enemies they slay.
They have no idea of poisonous plants, and consider all deaths as the results of sorcery.
The diseases they suffer from are chiefly of a scrofulous nature, dysentery, and brain fever. They have likewise skin diseases, fistulas, itch, &c. Sulphur is one of their specifics; the wattle-bark and gum are also much used. They likewise suffer from influenza. There is no doubt that they were visited with small-pox before the Europeans arrived, of which numbers died, and many more bore the marks.