the warrior who brought home a victim for sacrifice, or part of one, was thereafter called by the name of his victim [and the spear killing the victim was called afterward by his name].²

Among the Orokaiva of New Guinea

there is a very common practice . . . of adopting the name of the slain. A man, originally named Koga, for instance, has killed another named Amburi: henceforward he, the slayer, is known by the name of Amburi, the slain. This custom is very common, and has been noted by others, so that it is unnecessary to give a succession of examples. It does not follow that the slayer entirely abandons his original name, which, I am told, may still be used occasionally by his more immediate friends; but his ordinary name is certainly that which he has taken from his victim. When a warrior of distinction has accounted for a number of slain he does not take the name of each in turn, but continues, as a rule, to be known by that of the first. This, however, cannot be an invariable rule, for a certain Ehari of Wasida, who can name no less than seven victims of his own hand, is known by the name of the second. His original name was Ata; his first victim was Asi and his second Ehari. He is now called Ehari though he has since killed five others. . . . Although the stoutest warrior does not disdain to take the life of a woman, he does not assume her name. I have one case, however, in which the slayer gave the name of his woman victim to his infant daughter. The habit of bestowing the victim’s name upon the child of the slayer (sometimes born subsequently) is again a common one.³

²Handy, E.S. C.n/an/an/an/a, "The Native Culture in the Marquesas," , 9: 139.

³ Williams, op. cit., 175–176 (Oxford University Press. By permission)