It may be needful, too, to point out once again another weak point in all reasoning about savage religion, namely that we cannot always tell what may have been borrowed from Europeans.  Thus, the Fuegians, in 1830-1840, were far out of the way, but one tribe, near Magellan’s Straits, worshipped an image called Cristo.  Fitzroy attributes this obvious trace of Catholicism to a Captain Pelippa, who visited the district some time before his own expedition.  It is less probable that Spaniards established a belief in a moral Deity in regions where they left no material traces of their faith.  The Fuegians are not easily proselytised.  ’When discovered by strangers, the instant impulse of a Fuegian family is to run off into the woods.’  Occasionally they will emerge to barter, but ’sometimes nothing will induce a single individual of the family to appear.’  Fitzroy thought they had no idea of a future state, because, among other reasons not given, ’the evil spirit torments them in this world, if they do wrong, by storms, hail, snow, &c.’  Why the evil spirit should punish evil deeds is not evident.  ’A great black man is supposed to be always wandering about the woods and mountains, who is certain of knowing every word and every action, who cannot be escaped and who influences the weather according to men’s conduct.’[1]

There are no traces of propitiation by food, or sacrifice, or anything but conduct.  To regard the Deity as ‘a magnified non-natural man’ is not peculiar to Fuegian theologians, and does not imply Animism, but the reverse.  But the point is that this ethical judge of perhaps the lowest savages ‘makes for righteousness’ and searches the heart.  His morality is so much above the ordinary savage standard that he regards the slaying of a stranger and an enemy, caught redhanded in robbery, as a sin.  York’s brother (York was a Fuegian brought to England by Fitzroy) killed a ’wild man’ who was stealing his birds.  ’Rain come down, snow come down, hail come down, wind blow, blow, very much blow.  Very bad to kill man.  Big man in woods no like it, he very angry.’  Here be ethics in savage religion.  The Sixth Commandment is in force.  The Being also prohibits the slaying of flappers before they can fly.  ’Very bad to shoot little duck, come wind, come rain, blow, very much blow.’[2]

Now this big man is not a deified chief, for the Fuegians ’have no superiority of one over another ... but the doctor-wizard of each party has much influence.’  Mr. Spencer disposes of this moral ‘big man’ of the Fuegians as ’evidently a deceased weather-doctor.’[3] But, first, there is no evidence that the being is regarded as ever having died.  Again, it is not shown that Fuegians are ancestor-worshippers.  Next, Fitzroy did not think that the Fuegians believed in a future life.  Lastly, when were medicine-men such notable moralists?  The worst spirits among the neighbouring Patagonians are those of dead medicine-men.  As a rule everywhere the ghost of a ‘doctor-wizard,’