Hair and nails

The Tlingits [Canada] not only believe that the dead are reborn in men and women, but also take steps to facilitate their rebirth. Thus, when a beloved person dies, the relatives often take the nail from the little finger of his right hand and a lock of hair from the right side of his head and put them into the belt of a young girl of his clan who has just reached maturity. Afterwards she has to lead a very quiet life for eight months and fast for as many days. After her fast is over and just before she eats, she prays that the dead person might be born again from her. In this custom to facilitate rebirth we recognize the general Indian belief that the soul of a person is particularly seated in his hair and his nails.

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KARSTEN Rafael (1926): The Civilization of the South American Indians. New York, Knopf, 420–421