mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i4-010

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cannot retain the flow of saliva. It is so repugnant that it
is impossible to look at them with indifference. Besides
this, they paint their forehead, nose and chin with red and
black paint. The clothing of the wives of the chiefs is ex-
actly the same as of the chiefs themselves, but the common
folk of both sexes wear only the above-described blankets.
Their slaves, called "kalga"5 walk around altogether naked,
and wear only a strip around the body covering the lower part
of the stomach down to the knees. These slaves, or "kalga,"
are bought from neighboring islanders, or become slaves from
being war prisoners. Their existence is the most miserable
in the world. They are very poorly kept, and are treated,
not like human beings, but like cattle, and finally, in the
event of war or change of domicile, are offered as a sacrifice
to the gods. The whole creed of the Koloshi consists of offer-
ing sacrifices to some kind of evil spirit, which does not
even have a name. The ceremony of the sacrificial offering
takes place without any preparations or formalities. When
one of these events is impending, a victim is selected, gen-
erally from the "kalgas" of the chief, and who remains igno-
rant of his fate up to the moment of the offering of the sacri-
fice. Then he is surreptitiously attacked, knocked off his
feet with a club, and then struck with a wide double-bladed
dagger, the handle of which is in the middle. The body is
left in the same place where it was deprived of life, to be
eaten by birds and animals.

In summer they live on fish, and in winter, prepared