Plate XIX
Ceremonies of Women Mourning for their Deceased Husbands
After arriving at their husbands' burial place, in memory of these brave men they cut their hair below their ears and scatter it on the graves where they have already thrown their husbands' shell drinking-cups and weapons. Then they return home, but are forbidden to remarry until their hair has regrown long enough to cover their shoulders. They also let their toe and finger nails grow, filing the sides to make them pointed. But it is above all the men who practice this custom. Whenever they can grab hold of an enemy, they sink their nails deep into his forehead and tear the skin, leaving him blinded and bloody.
All transcriptions are taken from Discovering the New World, Based on the Works of Theodore de Bry, edited by Michael Alexander (New York: Harper & Row, 1976).
