The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead

Chapter 43

[Footnote 762: Ch. Gilhodes, "Naissance et Enfance chez les Katchins (Birmanie)," _Anthropos_, vi. (1911) pp. 872 _sq._]

[Footnote 763: A. W. Nieuwenhuis, _Quer durch Borneo_ (Leyden, 1901-1907), i. 91.]

[Footnote 764: Ch. Hose and W. McDougall, _The Pagan Tribes of Borneo_ (London, 1912), ii. 155.]

[Footnote 765: Franz Boas, in _Sixth Report of the Committee on the North-western Tribes of Canada_, p. 23 (separate reprint from the _Report of the British a.s.sociation for the Advancement of Science_, Leeds Meeting, 1890).]

[Footnote 766: Prevost, quoted by John Crawford, _History of the Indian Archipelago_ (Edinburgh, 1820), ii. 245. Compare Adolf Bastian, _Die Volker des ostlichen Asien_, v. (Jena, 1869) p. 83.]

[Footnote 767: Mrs. Bishop (Isabella L. Bird), _Korea and her Neighbours_ (London, 1898), i. 239 _sq._]

[Footnote 768: Arnold van Gennep, _Tabou et Totemisme a Madagascar_ (Paris, 1904), p. 65, quoting Dr. Catat.]

[Footnote 769: B. F. Matthes, _Bijdragen tot de Ethnologie van Zuid-Celebes_ (The Hague, 1875), p. 139; _id._, "Over de ada's of gewoonten der Maka.s.saren en Boegineezen," _Verslagen en Mededeelingen der Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen_, Afdeeling Letterkunde, Derde Reeks, ii. (Amsterdam, 1885) p. 142.]

[Footnote 770: W. M. Donselaar "Aanteekeningen over het eiland Saleijer," _Mededeelingen van wege het Nederlandsche Zendelinggenootschap_, i. (1857) p. 291.]

[Footnote 771: See above, p. 426.]

[Footnote 772: Th. Williams, _Fiji and the Fijians_, Second

[Footnote 773: Ch. Wilkes, _Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition_, New Edition (New York, 1851), iii. 83; Basil Thomson, _The Fijians_, p. 117.]

[Footnote 774: Basil Thomson, _op. cit._ p. 121.]

[Footnote 775: Lorimer Fison, _Tales from Old Fiji_, p. 163.]

[Footnote 776: Th. Williams, _Fiji and the Fijians_, i. 239.]

[Footnote 777: Th. Williams, _op. cit._ i. 243 _sq._ Compare Berthold Seeman, _Viti, an Account of a Government Mission to the Vitian of Fijian Islands in the years 1860-1861_ (Cambridge, 1862), p. 399; Lorimer Fison, _Tales from Old Fiji_, p. 163; Basil Thomson, _The Fijians_, pp. 120 _sq._, 121 _sq._]

[Footnote 778: Th. Williams, _op. cit._ i, 244 _sq._]

[Footnote 779: Ch. Wilkes, _op. cit._ iii. 83.]

[Footnote 780: Th. Williams, _op. cit._ i. 245 _sq._]

[Footnote 781: Th. Williams, _op. cit._ i. 246 _sq._]

[Footnote 782: Th. Williams, _op. cit._ i. 247.]

[Footnote 783: Ch. Wilkes, _op. cit._ iii. 85 _sq._]

[Footnote 784: Th. Williams, _op. cit._ i. 248.]

NOTE

MYTH OF THE CONTINUANCE OF DEATH[785]

The following story is told by the Balolo of the Upper Congo to explain the continuance, if not the origin, of death in the world. One day, while a man was working in the forest, a little man with two bundles, one large and one small, went up to him and said, "Which of these bundles will you have? The large one contains knives, looking-gla.s.ses, cloth and so forth; and the small one contains immortal life." "I cannot choose by myself," answered the man; "I must go and ask the other people in the town." While he was gone to ask the others, some women arrived and the choice was left to them. They tried the edges of the knives, decked themselves in the cloth, admired themselves in the looking-gla.s.ses, and, without more ado, chose the big bundle. The little man, picking up the small bundle, vanished. So when the man came back from the town, the little man and his bundles were gone. The women exhibited and shared the things, but death continued on the earth. Hence the people often say, "Oh, if those women had only chosen the small bundle, we should not be dying like this!"[786]

[Footnote 785: See above, p. 77.]

[Footnote 786: Rev. John H. Weeks, "Stories and other Notes from the Upper Congo," _Folk-lore_, xii. (1901) p. 461; _id._, _Among Congo Cannibals_ (London, 1913), p. 218. The country of the Balolo lies five miles south of the Equator, on Longitude 18 East.]



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