head of the family one-half of his property goes to his wife and half to
the children. If there are two or more wives, the first wife still
retains half, while all the children share equally in the balance of the
estate, thus leaving the second and succeeding wives without a portion.

Sickness may be caused by evil spirits, or it may be due to a desire on
the part of the _kalaloa_ to leave its present abode. In either case the
man becomes ill and it behooves him to take immediate steps to placate
the evil spirits or to convince his _kalaloa_ to remain with him. This
last can best be accomplished by bathing the sick person with water
which has been heated in a good _agong_. A fine dish would do equally
well, but should the hot water cause it to break the spirit would depart
at once. In extreme cases the _lokEs_ will gather certain roots and brew
them into a drink which she gives to the sick person. At each tree or
shrub visited in her search for medicines she leaves an offering of
betel nuts and leg rings, and when the drink has been prepared she makes
a further gift, meanwhile begging TimanEm to aid her in effecting a
cure. If all efforts fail and the spirit leaves, the corpse is placed in
the center of the house, where it is kept from two to nine days
according to the wealth and prominence of the deceased. During this time
no one should sleep in the dwelling, for the spirit might be resentful
and turn the face of the sleeper black.

Usually, the body is buried in the ground at a distance from the house.
The coffin is made out of a split log, in which weapons, jars, and the
like are placed for the use of the spirit. If the dead man has been a
warrior he is dressed in the clothing distinctive of his rank, and his
grave is covered with red flowers. At times the coffins are shaped to
resemble small boats and are then placed on high poles near to the
beach.